Interesting facts about Charlotte

charlotte

Charlotte is the most populous city in the US state of North Carolina.

The city is located in the South Central part of North Carolina, approximately 270 kilometers (170 miles) west of the state capital at Raleigh.

As of August 2019, the population of Charlotte is about 860,000 people. It is the 16th most populous city in the United States.

Charlotte covers a total area of 771 square kilometers (305 square miles).

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The city lies at an elevation of 229 meters (751 feet) above sea level.

The Catawba Native Americans were the first known historic tribe to settle Mecklenburg County (in the Charlotte area) and were first recorded around 1567 in Spanish records.

By 1759 half the Catawba tribe had died from smallpox, which was endemic among Europeans, because the Catawba had not acquired immunity to the new disease.

In the hopes of currying favor with King George III, the area’s settlers named their town Charlotte, after the king’s wife. [Below: Oil painting on canvas, Queen Charlotte (1744-1818) ]

queen charlotte

Located in the new county of Mecklenburg along the Catawba River, Charlotte became known as the “Queen City.”

During the American Revolution the town was occupied (1780) by Lord Cornwallis, who received such hostile treatment he dubbed it “the hornet’s nest of rebellion” (now the city’s official emblem).

Charlotte was the center of gold production in the country until the California Gold Rush of 1849, and a mint was located there (1837–61 and 1867–1913).

During the American Civil War the city was the site of a Confederate headquarters and hospital.

charlotte american civil war

The city’s modern-day banking industry achieved prominence in the 1970s and 1980s, largely under the leadership of financier Hugh McColl.

Between 2004 and 2014, Charlotte was ranked as the country’s fastest-growing metro area.

Carowinds is a 160-hectare (400-acre) amusement park, located adjacent to Interstate 77 in Charlotte. The park opened on March 31, 1973, at a cost of $70 million. This was the result of a four-year planning period spearheaded by Charlotte businessman Earl Patterson Hall, who was inspired to build the park by a 1956 trip to Disneyland and a dream of bringing the two states closer together. Owned and operated by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, Carowinds also features a 11-hectare (27-acre) water park, Carolina Harbor, which is included with park admission.

carowinds

The US National Whitewater Center is an outdoor recreation and athletic training facility for whitewater rafting, kayaking, canoeing, rock climbing, mountain biking, and hiking which opened to the public on November 4, 2006. The Center is located in Charlotte, on approximately 280 hectares (700 acres) of land adjacent to the Catawba River, with 35+ miles of developed trail. The USNWC is an official Olympic Training Center for whitewater slalom racing.

us national whitewater center

Discovery Place Science is a science and technology museum for visitors of all ages located in the Uptown area of Charlotte. Discovery Place Science brings science to life through hands-on interactive exhibits, thrilling activities and experiments, an IMAX Dome Theatre, and boundless other educational opportunities and programs. The Museum, which first opened in 1981, underwent an 18-month, $31.6 million renovation in 2010 that transformed it into a reimagined state-of-the-art science and technology museum.

discovery-place-science

The NASCAR Hall of Fame, located in Charlotte, honors drivers who have shown exceptional skill at NASCAR driving, all-time great crew chiefs and owners, broadcasters and other major contributors to competition within the sanctioning body.

nascar hall of fame

The Carolinas Aviation Museum is an aviation museum on the grounds of Charlotte Douglas International Airport in Charlotte. It is one of a very few aviation museums located at an airport which serves as a major hub. The museum was founded in 1992 by Floyd and Lois Peithman Wilson, and has a collection of over 50 static aircraft and many smaller historic items related to aviation in North Carolina and South Carolina

carolinas aviation museum

Freedom Park is a 40-hectare (98-acre) park in Charlotte, North Carolina. Located at 1900 East Boulevard, between Charlotte’s historic Dilworth and Myers Park neighborhoods, the park is centered on a 3 hectare (7-acre) lake, and is about 4.8 kilometers (3 miles) from the heart of Charlotte’s downtown area.

freedom park

Among Charlotte’s many notable attractions, there are also – the Carolina Panthers of the NFL, the Charlotte Hornets of the NBA, the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL, the Charlotte Independence of the USL, the Charlotte Hounds of Major League Lacrosse, two NASCAR Cup Series races and the NASCAR All-Star Race, the Wells Fargo Championship, the Charlotte Ballet and Children’s Theatre of Charlotte.

Presidents Andrew Jackson and James K. Polk, born nearby, received their early schooling in Charlotte.

Residents are referred to as “Charlotteans”.

Charlotte has historically been a Protestant city.

Charlotte has a humid subtropical climate.