Charlotte is the largest city in the state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. Charlotte is the 18th largest city in the United States. In 2007, Charlotte's population was estimated to be 671,588.  A resident of Charlotte is referred to as a Charlottean.  In 2008, Charlotte was chosen the "Best Place to Live in America" by relocate-america.com in its annual ranking, based on factors including employment opportunities, crime rates, and housing affordability.  It was also named #8 of the 100 "Best Places to Live and Launch" by CNNMoney.com - cities picked for their vibrant lifestyles and opportunities for new businesses.

Nicknamed the Queen City, Charlotte (as well as the county containing it) is named in honor of the German Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg, who had become queen consort of British King George III the year before the city's founding. A second nickname derives from later in the 18th century. During the American Revolutionary War, British commander General Cornwallis occupied the city but was driven out soon afterwards by hostile residents, prompting him to write that Charlotte was "a hornet's nest of rebellion," leading to another city nickname: The Hornet's Nest.

All of Charlotte within the bounds of I-277, bounded by the Belk & Brookshire Freeways, is divided into four wards by the intersection of Trade and Tryon Streets.  Of them, First, Third, and Fourth Wards have residential areas. The Second Ward is made up primarily of city and county government offices. The residential population of the center city is approximately 10,000. By 2010, this number is expected to grow from 10,000 to 27,000 due to recent construction of multiple high rise condominium towers such as The Vue Charlotte, 300 South Tryon, The Catalyst, and many other skyscrapers that are currently under construction.

Uptown or Downtown is where Charlotte's business sector is located, largely made up of banking and other financial service industries. About 77,000 people work in Charlotte's center city. The headquarters for the Fortune 500 companies: Bank of America, Duke Energy, and Wachovia are located here, though it is not clear where the headquarters will be once the acquisition of Wachovia by Wells Fargo is complete. Wachovia is currently building a major complex of towers that will contain three new art venues, a condominium tower, and the new Duke Energy Center.

The Quail Hollow Championship is a PGA Tour golf tournament. The event is held at the Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina in early May. It was first played in 2003 as the Wachovia Championship and has attracted some of the top players on the tour. In 2008, the tournament had a $6.4 million purse with a winner's prize of $1.152 million.

Museums, sporting venues, hotels, restaurants, and bars are heavily concentrated in Uptown Charlotte as well. Many more hotels such as the Ritz Carlton, Trump Charlotte and aLoft and museums such as the Betchler Art Museum and the new Mint Museum are expected to open before 2010.


Charlotte Skyline 2011

View of city center Charlotte

FIRST WARD
SECOND WARD
THIRD WARD
FOURTH WARD

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