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Homes in Charlotte NC |
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Areas of Charlotte
Uptown Charlotte The Uptown area of Charlotte is the vibrant hub of the city’s business sector. In recent years, Uptown has changed dramatically as numerous development projects have taken shape. The area has increasingly become a popular place to live as condos, townhomes and single family residences have been built to accommodate those who wish to live near their places of employment. The residential population of uptown Charlotte is expected to double in the years to come. In addition to providing convenience to its residents, the Uptown area offers an abundance of cultural, dining and entertainment options. The arts have always thrived in our city and nowhere is that more evident than in Uptown. Institutions such as the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, Spirit Square, Mint Museum of Craft & Design and the McColl Center for Visual Art all make their home within the I-277 loop. Restaurants of all varieties flourish in Uptown, catering to the tastes of even the most adventurous. Bars and nightclubs also do well throughout the area. Complexes such as the Epicenter offer numerous options including a movie theater, bowling alley and many types of bars. Two other attractions in the Uptown area include Bobcats Arena, home of the city’s NBA franchise, and Bank of America Stadium, where the Carolina Panthers play their home games. On any given Sunday in the fall, the area around Morehead Street becomes a hub of activity as Panther fans congregate to tailgate before the game. Over many nights in the winter and spring, the area around the Arena is where you’ll find many Charlotteans as they root on their hometown basketball team. Some of the more popular residential developments in the Uptown area include the Courtside Condominium complex and the 5th and Poplar luxury residences. The Courtside condos are contained in a 15+ story high-rise which houses over 100 units. 5th and Poplar is a self contained complex offering numerous amenities, including a fitness center, concierge service and a grocery store. For those consumers looking for a property other than a condo, Uptown Charlotte even offers a mix of single family residences in the 3rd Ward section of the area.
South Charlotte South Charlotte is one of the most desirable places to live in in the Charlotte metropolitan area. Although the definition of South Charlotte varies depending on whom you are talking to, this part of town is often thought of as consisting of the neighborhoods south of the I-277 loop, east of South Boulevard, west of Monroe Road and north of I-485. The housing stock in South Charlotte varies greatly, ranging from modest mill style homes to palatial luxury residences. Clusters of condos, townhomes and single family residences form the many communities that make up the area. When Charlotteans talk of the popular Southpark part of the city, they often are referring to the area surrounding the Southpark Mall. The Mall itself contains some of the city’s best shopping and consists of high-end, national department stores as well as local boutiques. Stores include Neiman Marcus, Louis Vitton and Hermes, among others. The Mall is just one part of a larger business district, where some 40,000 workers are employed. Some of the most sought after office space in the city is located in the Southpark area. South Charlotte has a number of parks that add to the area’s quality of life. Two of the more prominent ones are Freedom Park and Latta Park. Freedom Park is located in the neighborhood of Dilworth and consists of 98 acres of baseball fields, tennis courts, walking trails and a 7 acre lake. Latta Park, also in Dilworth, is a smaller park lined with mature oaks and hickories. This locale is known for the quality of its bird-watching. The South Charlotte region has residential properties to fit the needs of every consumer. There are neighborhoods with homes dating to the late 1800s and newer subdivisions built just within the past few years. Dilworth is a neighborhood just south of Uptown that was Charlotte’s first street car neighborhood. The neighborhood consists of renovated mill style houses, luxury residences, as well as many other types of properties. Myers Park is perhaps Charlotte’s most high end neighborhood, with homes dating to the early 1900s. There are numerous historical properties in Myers Park that give it its unparalleled charm. Further south, near I-485 is the Ballantyne area of South Charlotte. Ballantyne is known for its upscale office space, the Ballantyne Resort and Spa and numerous shopping centers. These attributes, combined with the high end housing stock in the area, make Ballantyne a highly desirable part of South Charlotte.
The Lakes The Charlotte metro area is blessed to have three recreational lakes within its borders. The first of these, Lake Norman, is located 20 minutes north of Charlotte. There are a number of cities and towns on Lake Norman’s shores. These include: Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson, Mooresville, Denver and Sherrills Ford. Within these communities, there are several prominent neighborhoods including The Peninsula, The Harbour, Sailview and Smithstone. The lake is popular with boaters and other water sport enthusiasts. On the border of North and South Carolina, to the southwest of Charlotte, sits Lake Wylie. This lake is smaller than its northern counterpart and therefore tends to be quieter especially during the summer months. Lake Wylie is perfect for those looking for waterfront living with convenient access to the city’s offerings. Among the area’s more distinguished communities are Palm Tree Cove, located on the southwest part of the lake, and The Palisades, a high end development in Tega Cay, SC. Mountain Island Lake is the smallest of the metro area’s lakes. Until recently, it was less well known and developed than its counterparts. That has changed as a number of communities have sprung up on the lake’s shores. These include Stonewater (located just across the county line in Mount Holly), Overlook (just nine miles from uptown Charlotte) and Mountainpoint (whose homesites are typically at least an acre large).
Urban Neighborhoods As the population of Charlotte has continued to grow, locals and transplants alike have moved into the urban, core neighborhoods surrounding the city center. The appeal of these neighborhoods lies in their proximity to Uptown Charlotte and their access to the city’s services and amenities. Gentrification has occurred to the north, south, east and west of the city center. The neighborhoods to the north of the city are the least gentrified, but pockets of renovation can be found in communities such as Lockwood and Oaklawn. To the west of I-77 and the I-277 loop, neighborhoods such as Seversville and Smallwood have seen investors and owner occupants alike scoop us good deals and turn older homes into modern gems. East Charlotte has also received a lot of attention from consumers interested in convenience and a metropolitan lifestyle. East Charlotte has always been a diverse place and the influx of younger, ‘urban pioneer’ types has only further added to that diversity. Popular neighborhoods on the eastside include the Country Club area as well as Oakhurst. The Independence Boulevard and Central Avenue corridors from uptown to Sharon Amity Road are where most of the redevelopment has occurred. South Charlotte is generally thought of as being one of the premier places to live in the metro area. High end neighborhoods abound in this part of town but there are also affordable sections interspersed throughout. Colonial Village is one that has become popular in recent years. Cast as an affordable alternative to more expensive Dilworth and Sedgefield, Colonial Village will likely continue to be sought after in the future as the light rail will provide a stronger link between it and Uptown Charlotte. Madison Park is another good option, especially for 20 or 30-something renovator types. As the Montford Drive section of this area continues to serve as a nexus for bars and restaurants, Madison Park will continue to thrive.
Entertainment Charlotte is a thriving metropolis that has much to offer when it comes to entertainment. This is true not only in the city’s Uptown area, but also in its surrounding neighborhoods and communities. Truly a shining star in the ‘New South’, Charlotte has many restaurants, bars, nightclubs and sports events to choose from. Buoyed by the opening of the Johnson and Wales University’s culinary institute, Charlotte is able to attract top chefs from around the country to hone their craft in the area’s restaurants. Seemingly every day, a new restaurant opens up somewhere in the city. Every taste is accounted for as chefs continually add to the city’s culinary options, building on Charlotte reputation for exceptional BBQ and other types of southern fare. There are a number of areas in Charlotte that are known for their popular bars and restaurants. These include the Epicenter in Uptown, Trade and Tryon in Uptown, Montford Drive in South Charlotte and several locals in the Ballantyne area. Irish pubs, Middle Eastern hookah bars, cigar bars, country and western bars, wine bars and trendy nightclubs dot the entertainment landscape of the city. For those who enjoy sporting events, Charlotte has countless options. The NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats and the NFL’s Carolina Panthers call the Queen City their home. The Charlotte Knights play their minor league baseball games just south of the city in Fort Mill, SC. Nascar is of course a big draw, as the sport has two major races per year at nearby Lowe’s Motor Speedway and it has its headquarters in Uptown Charlotte. Finally, the PGA tour plays the Quail Hollow Championship each May at a local country club. A sports enthusiast can truly get his/her fill in a city like Charlotte.
Arts As is befitting a city in the ‘New South’, Charlotte has a thriving arts scene. The Performance, Visual and Musical Arts all flourish in our cosmopolitan city. Being the banking city that it is, Charlotte receives considerable support from benefactors at Bank of America and Wachovia (now Wells Fargo) as well as from the banking institutions themselves. Charlotte’s theaters play a significant role in the city’s cultural landscape. The latest Broadway plays as well as locally originated plays make their way through the city and are well supported by its residents. Charlotte’s theaters include: Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, Theater Charlotte, Belk Theater, Halton Theater and the Actors Theater of Charlotte. The city is also home to several vibrant areas of galleries and artist studios. These include the NODA (North of Davidson St.) area and the South End. Gallery crawls are popular events each Friday in these parts of the Charlotte. The Mint Museum of Art is the city’s most visible art museum, with locations in Uptown Charlotte and in South Charlotte on Randolph Road. The Charlotte Symphony is a nationally recognized orchestra with performances throughout the year. In the summertime, the symphony performs a number of free concerts in the Southpark area of the city. The highlight of these performances is the July 4th celebration, a performance of patriotic songs replete with fireworks. In all, the symphony performs over 100 times each season.
Healthcare Charlotte is quickly becoming a preferred destination for quality healthcare. Long a draw in the Carolinas region for its quality healthcare, Charlotte has established a national reputation for providing superior preventative care and treatment for its patients. The two main healthcare institutions in the area are Presbyterian Hospital and Carolinas Healthcare System. Each hospital has locations throughout Mecklenburg County with satellite facilities in the outlying counties as well. Presbyterian Hospital has a rich history in Charlotte dating back to the turn of the 20th century. It started as a 20 bed hospital in Uptown Charlotte and steadily grew to its current size of 593 beds. The second biggest hospital system in Charlotte, Presbyterian is now situated in Hawthorne Avenue in Elizabeth. Presbyterian also operates two community hospitals, one in Matthews and the other in Huntersville near Lake Norman. Carolinas Healthcare System has its main set of facilities in the Dilworth and Myers Park areas of Charlotte. The system has additional facilities in Pineville and Elizabeth and also operates the Levine Children’s Hospital under the Carolinas Healthcare ‘flag’. In total, the Hospital system employs 40,000 and has over 5,400 beds.
Schools The Charlotte Mecklenburg School System is well known for providing a quality education for its students. Attracting talented teachers from across the country, Charlotte Schools prepare their students for success in the real world. Over 132,000 students are enrolled in the system’s schools. In addition to its public school system, Charlotte has a number of prominent private institutions within its borders. Some of the elite private high schools in the area include Providence Day School, Charlotte Latin School, Country Day School and Charlotte Catholic High School. Most of these schools are located in South Charlotte Charlotte also has a number of four year universities in its area. Johnson C. Smith University, Queens University, Johnson and Wales University and the University of North Charlotte at Charlotte all call the city its home. These schools allow the city to absorb a constant flow of talented graduates into its workforce. This will allow Charlotte’s businesses and firms to remain competitive when recruiting in the 21st Century.
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