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Charlotte Metro
Metropolitan area
Charlotte–Concord–Gastonia, NC-SC Metropolitan Statistical Area
Uptown Charlotte Skyline
Counties most commonly associated with Metrolina are in dark red, counties often included are light red, and counties sometimes included are in orange. The NC/SC state line is shown in yellow.
Country	United States
State	North Carolina South Carolina
Principal cities	- Charlotte  - Concord  - Gastonia  - Rock Hill
Area
• Metropolitan area	3,198 sq mi (8,280 km2)
• Land	3,149 sq mi (8,160 km2)
• Water	49 sq mi (130 km2)
• Urban	8,067 sq mi (20,890 km2)
• Urban land	7,927 sq mi (20,530 km2)
• Urban water	140 sq mi (400 km2)
Elevation	305–2,560 ft (93–780 m)
Population (2017 Census estimate)
• Density	951.2/sq mi (367.2/km2)
• Urban	1,249,442
• Metro	2,525,305
• CSA	2,632,249
Time zone	EST
• Summer (DST)	EDT
Zip Codes	280xx,281xx,282xx,286xx,297xx
Area code(s)	704,803,828,980

The Charlotte metropolitan area (also Metrolina, Charlotte Metro, or Charlotte USA^{[citation needed]}) is a metropolitan area/region of North and South Carolina within and surrounding the city of Charlotte. Located in the Piedmont, it is the largest in the Carolinas, and the fourth largest metropolitan area in the Southeastern region of the United States behind, Miami, Atlanta, and Tampa.

The Charlotte metropolitan area is well known for its auto racing history (especially NASCAR). The region is headquarters to 8 Fortune 500 and 7 Fortune 1000 companies including Bank of America, Duke Energy, Sealed Air Corporation, Nucor Steel, and Lowe's Home Improvement Stores. Additional headquarters include Harris Teeter, Food Lion, Cheerwine and Sundrop.^[1] It is home to one of the world's busiest airports,^{[citation needed]}Charlotte Douglas International Airport, and is also the Carolinas' largest manufacturing region.^[2]

The Charlotte–Concord–Gastonia Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)^[3] is defined as seven counties in North Carolina and three counties in South Carolina. The population of the MSA was 2,474,314 according to 2016 Census estimates.^[4] Charlotte is the 17th largest city and 22nd largest metro area in the United States. Charlotte is the 2nd largest city in the Southeast.

The Charlotte–Concord Combined Statistical Area (CSA)^[5] is a regional population area including parts of North Carolina and South Carolina with a population of 2,632,249 according to the 2016 Census estimates.^[6] The aforementioned MSA is the only metropolitan area (as defined since 2012) included in the CSA, but there are two included micropolitan areas: Albemarle and Shelby.

Nicknames and regional identity

The regional area around the city was at one time called Metrolina, a portmanteau of Metropolis and Carolina. The term has fallen out of widespread general use, though it still maintains a presence and is used by the North Carolina Department of Transportation. The term does retain a marketing value, and is thus also used by many businesses in the area. Metrolina refers to the region that includes the cities of: Charlotte, Concord, Gastonia and Rock Hill. The name Metrolina came into fashion when North Carolina's other two large metropolitan areas took on nicknames—the Triangle for Raleigh/Durham/Cary/Chapel Hill and the Triad for Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point. (The Triad now goes by the name Piedmont Triad to distinguish it from other tri-cities.)

Charlotte is also sometimes referred to as the Queen City, or the Q.C.

The term "Charlotte USA" refers to the 16-county region, which includes 12 counties in North Carolina and 4 counties in South Carolina. The term is championed by the Charlotte Regional Partnership, a non-profit organization made up of both private- and public-sector members from throughout the Charlotte region. This organization represents one of seven officially designated economic development regions in North Carolina.^[7]

Region J of the North Carolina Councils of Government, of which a majority of the Charlotte area municipalities and counties belong, uses the term Centralina in its body's name, Centralina Council of Governments. This term, however, is used only sparingly among locals.

Area

Counties

The official Charlotte metropolitan area includes the Charlotte–Concord–Gastonia MSA (Cabarrus, Gaston, Iredell, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Rowan, and Union counties in North Carolina; Chester, Lancaster and York counties in South Carolina). The Charlotte CSA includes all the MSA counties along with the following micropolitan areas in North Carolina: Albemarle (Stanly County) and Shelby (Cleveland County). (Census Bureau definition for CSA)^[8]

The Charlotte Regional Partnership also identifies four additional counties to the what they refer to as the 'Charlotte Region'-Alexander, Anson and Catawba counties in North Carolina, and Chesterfield County, South Carolina. Catawba and Alexander counties are currently part of the Hickory–Lenoir–Morganton Metropolitan Statistical Area or 'The Unifour', and Anson County was once part of the MSA and CSA, until it was removed in 2011.

Largest cities and towns

Cities and Towns: 5,000 to 10,000 in Population

Suburban towns and cities under 5,000 in population

Unincorporated communities

Changes in house prices for the area are publicly tracked on a regular basis using the Case–Shiller index; the statistic is published by Standard & Poor's and is also a component of the S&P 20-city composite index of the value of the U.S. residential real estate market.

Transportation

Mass transit

The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) is the local public transit agency that operates bus service that serves Charlotte and its immediate suburban communities in both North and South Carolina. CATS also operates a light rail line and is also building a commuter rail network as a supplement to its established bus transit throughout the region. Plans are for it to stretch initially to Mooresville, Pineville, Matthews, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Charlotte-Douglas International Airport will be connected to the system by streetcar.

Roads

The Charlotte region is also served by 2 major interstate highways (I-85 and I-77), and their 2 spurs (I-277, and I-485). I-40 also passes through the center of Iredell County, which is the northern region of the Charlotte metro. Other major freeways include Independence Boulevard (east Charlotte to I-277), a portion of US 321 between Hickory and Gastonia, and the proposed Monroe Connector / Bypass, each projected to cost over $1 billion per project.

Other important US highways in the region include: US 74 (east to Wilmington, west to Asheville and Chattanooga), US 52 (through the far eastern part of the region), US 321 (through Chester, York, Gastonia, Dallas, Lincolnton and Hickory), US 601 (passing east of Charlotte) and US 70 (through Salisbury, Statesville and Hickory).

Primary state routes include NC/SC 49, NC 16 (which extends north to West Virginia), NC 73, NC 150, NC 18, NC 24, NC 27, SC 9 and SC 5.

Air

Charlotte Douglas International Airport is the main airport in the Charlotte area and the 6th busiest in the country. In April 2007, Charlotte was the fastest growing airport in the US.^[9] The airport went on to surpass its sister US Airways hub in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as one of the 30 busiest airports in the world in terms of passenger traffic.^{[citation needed]} A new terminal to the northwest of the center of the airport will be built in the near future, possibly as a Caribbean/Latin America international terminal. CLT is also supplemented by regional airports in Concord, Gastonia, Hickory, Monroe, Statesville, in North Carolina, as well as Rock Hill in South Carolina.

Higher education

Attractions

Nature and geography

The foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains begin along the western edge of the region; the descent (the Fall Line) to the coastal plain begins along the eastern edge. Amid this varied topography, the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden and several state parks (Morrow Mountain, Crowders Mountain, South Mountains, Duke Power, Landsford Canal, Andrew Jackson) offer recreational possibilities, along with the Uwharrie National Forest just east and northeast of Albemarle, and the Sumter National Forest at the southwest corner of the area. Kings Mountain National Military Park is partially located in York County and in Cherokee County near Blacksburg, South Carolina.

Cultural attractions

Attractions in Charlotte include the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Cultural, Discovery Place, Spirit Square, NASCAR Hall of Fame, the North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, Children's Theatre of Charlotte, Actor's Theatre of Charlotte, Carolina Actors Studio Theatre, Theatre Charlotte, the Charlotte Museum of History, Levine Museum of the New South, the McGill Rose Garden, and the Wing Haven Gardens. The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art and the Mint Museum in Uptown Charlotte are expanding the art venues in Charlotte.

Other places of interest in the surrounding area include the Schiele Museum (in Gastonia), Carowinds Theme Park (in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina and York County, South Carolina), Charlotte Motor Speedway (in Concord), the Carolina Raptor Center (in Huntersville), Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden (in Belmont), Latta Plantation (in Huntersville), Brattonsville Historic District (in McConnells), the North Carolina Transportation Museum (in Spencer), Fort Dobbs historical site (in Statesville), Catawba County Firefighters Museum (in Conover), the Arts & Science Center of Catawba Valley/Millholland Planetarium (in Hickory) the Museum of York County (in Rock Hill), James K. Polk historical site (in Pineville), the Catawba Cultural Center (in York County), the Museum of the Waxhaws (in Waxhaw), Glencairn Gardens (in Rock Hill), and the Reed Gold Mine (in Locust).

Entertainment

The PNC Music Pavilion is located in the University City area of Charlotte. The performing arts amphitheatre has hosted many popular music concerts. The U.S. National Whitewater Center (USNWC) is the world's premier outdoor recreation and environmental education center. Alongside mountain-biking and running trails, a climbing center, and challenge course, the park's unique feature is a multiple-channel, customized whitewater river for rafting and canoe/kayak enthusiasts of all abilities.

The USNWC is only 10 minutes from downtown Charlotte and provides roughly 400 acres (1.6 km²) of woodlands along the scenic Catawba River. Olympic-caliber athletes, weekend warriors and casual observers share this world-class sports and training center.

Inspired by the successful Penrith Whitewater Stadium built for the 2000 Olympics and the stadium built for the 2004 Athens Games, the USNWC is the world's largest multi-channel recirculating whitewater river. The USOC has designated the USNWC an official Olympic Training Site.

Shopping

SouthPark Mall is one of the Southern United States' most upscale malls, including stores such as Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co., Burberry, Hermès, Neiman Marcus, and American Girl. SouthPark mall is also the largest mall in the Carolinas and one of the most-profitable malls in the United States.

Other large regional-scale Shopping malls include Northlake Mall, Carolina Place Mall, Concord Mills, Charlotte Premium Outlets (Exit 4, I-485), Phillips Place (across from SouthPark), RiverGate, Westfield Eastridge, Rock Hill Galleria, Plaza Fiesta, Carolina Mall, Monroe Crossing Mall, Signal Hill Mall, and Valley Hills Mall.

Concord Mills is unique in that it does not feature the typical anchor stores found at other malls; it focuses more on attracting outlet store tenants. The mall is visited by over 15 million annually.

Alongside enclosed malls and strip centers are several other shopping districts. Several downtowns can claim an abundance of shopping options, along with restaurants and other entertainment, and a few other specific districts have emerged: Central Avenue, especially in the Plaza-Midwood area; the NoDa area of North Charlotte; and the Arboretum in southeast Charlotte (geographically, south), to offer a handful of examples. Several of these areas are at the center of the area's growing immigrant business communities.

Sports

In addition to Charlotte Motor Speedway, there are plenty of other sports venues, including the BB&T Ballpark (home of the Charlotte Knights, the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox), Bank of America Stadium (home of the NFL's Carolina Panthers), and Spectrum Center (home of the NBA's Charlotte Hornets, and the American Hockey League's Charlotte Checkers). The Charlotte Eagles of the United Soccer Leagues call the area home, and the Kannapolis Intimidators and Hickory Crawdads are Single-A Minor-League Baseball teams located in this region.

Economy

Among the largest employers in the area (listed in order by number of local employees) are:^[10]

• Wells Fargo


• Atrium Health


• Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools


• Bank of America


• City of Charlotte
  


• US Airways


• Duke Energy


• Presbyterian Healthcare


• Lowe's


• University of North Carolina at Charlotte


• AT&T


• Belk


• Family Dollar


• Food Lion


• 
  Offices in University Research Park
  


• Advance Auto Parts


• TIAA

Companies with headquarters in the region include Bank of America, Belk, BellSouth Telecommunications, Bojangles', The Compass Group, Carolina Beverage Corporation Inc. (makers of Sun Drop and Cheerwine), Duke Energy, Family Dollar, Food Lion, Harris Teeter, Lance, Inc, LendingTree, Lowe's, Meineke Car Care Centers, Muzak, Nucor, Chiquita Brands International Transbotics, Royal & SunAlliance (USA), SPX Corporation, Time Warner Cable (a business unit of Fortune 500 company Time Warner), and Wells Fargo.

Charlotte has gained fame as the second largest banking and finance center in the U.S., and the area's orientation towards emerging industries is seen in the success of the University Research Park (the 7th largest research park in the country) and the redevelopment of part of the Pillowtex site in Kannapolis as a biotech research facility featuring the participation of University of North Carolina at Charlotte, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Duke University and North Carolina State University.

Reflections Studios in Charlotte played an important role in the emergent late-20th-century American musical underground – R.E.M., Pylon, Let's Active, Don Dixon and Charlotte's Fetchin Bones (among many others) all recorded influential and acclaimed albums there. Charlotte-based Ripete and Surfside Records maintain important catalogs of regional soul and beach music, and the area has also played a role in the history of gospel, bluegrass and country music. The Milestone, one of the first punk clubs in the South, is located in west Charlotte, and in the past hosted legendary appearances from the likes of R.E.M., Black Flag, Nirvana, The Minutemen, D.O.A., Bad Brains, Charlotte's Antiseen, and many others.

Notable residents

• Artists – Romare Bearden
  


• Astronauts – Charles Duke and Susan Helms
  


• Religious figures – Billy Graham and Steven Furtick
  


• Musicians – Earl Scruggs, George Clinton, Fred Durst, Prairie Prince, Blind Boy Fuller, Randy Travis
  


• Independent filmmakers – Tim Kirkman and Ross McElwee
  


• Actors – Randolph Scott, Berlinda Tolbert
  


• Politicians – Sue Myrick, Harvey Gantt, Elizabeth Dole and Jesse Helms, Andrew Jackson and James K. Polk
  


• Professional wrestlers – Ric Flair
  


• NASCAR driver – Dale Earnhardt
  


• R&B singers Fantasia, Anthony Hamilton and K-Ci & JoJo of Jodeci
  


• Writers – Carson McCullers
  

Government

A majority of the municipalities and counties in the North Carolina parts of the Charlotte metropolitan area belong to the Centralina Council of Governments. Cleveland County belongs to the Isothermal Planning and Development Commission and Alexander and Catawba counties belong to the Western Piedmont Council of Governments.

See also

• Catawba Nuclear Station


• Interstate 85


• Piedmont Atlantic Megaregion


• Piedmont Crescent


• Upstate South Carolina

References

External links

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Charlotte Metro.

• Charlotte Chamber of Commerce


• Charlotte USA – The Charlotte Regional Partnership


• NC SmartLink Metrolina traffic cameras

Coordinates: 35°14′N 80°50′W / 35.23°N 80.84°W / 35.23; -80.84