essence charlotte

8/6/2019 Essence Charlotte

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Charlotte


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Charlotte : A Great Discovery

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Great cities, like great discoveries,

sometime happen by accident.

More than 250 years ago, Scottish and Irish

settlers were ollowing a couple o old Catawba

Indian trading routes. Where the paths crossed,

the settlers stopped. And Charlotte began.

Today, things no longer happen in Charlotte

by accident. Rather, were a city o purposeul

newcomers many o them individuals who

compared Charlotte to their current addressand said, Lets pack up the moving van.

Through careul planning and gradual

development, weve emerged as one o the

Souths and one o the United States

premier cities. Today Charlotte is one o the

20 most populous cities in the country, a

big climb rom 35th place in 1990. Theres

a reason so many people rom around

the world now consider Charlotte home.

Come discover Charlotte or yoursel.

Written by Lore Postman. Designed by Andrea Ware.Photography by PatrickSchneiderPhoto.com. 12/08 2M


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Charlotte : A Great Discovery


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In The Middle Of It A

The Carolina Piedmont, an area o

lush, green oothills, stretches

right down the middle o

North Carolina. And here,

at the southernmost tip,lies Charlotte, the seat o

Mecklenburg County.

Charlotte gives you the best o many

worlds. The beautiul Blue Ridge

Mountains are two hours to the north.

The Atlantic beaches are three hours to

the south. The citys high quality o lie,

below-average cost o living, abundant

career opportunities, world-class arts

and major sports attract talented

individuals rom around the globe.

Our climate is a big part o our allure.

You wont nd extreme weather

here; rather, mild winters and short

summers. Luxurious and long

autumns and springs. Four distinct

seasons with an over-abundance o

sunny days and our amous Carolina

blue skies throughout the year.

Charl


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An International Marketplace

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Our multicultural area embraces diverse ideas,

opinions, business operations and residents.

Foreign-owned rms enrich our business

community, cultural amenities and daily lives.

In turn, Charlotte oers an environment that

helps oreign-owned rms grow and makes

oreign-born proessionals eel at home.

Nearly 500 oreign-owned rms, representing 40

countries, provide jobs to nearly 26,000 workers

in Charlotte-Mecklenburg County. Another 250

oreign-owned rms operate in the 15-county

metro region surrounding Mecklenburg County.

The Queen City has such a pro-business

environment that more than 325 o Fortunes

top 500 companies have placed one or more

acilities within Mecklenburg County.

For oreign-owned rms in particular,

Charlotte oers exceptional air service, oreigntrade zones, business-riendly government

and the support o numerous non-prot

organizations that ocus on international

business, oreign policy and global culture.


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There is so much good news about doing

business in Charlotte. Charlotte is the cente

o the nations th largest urban region, a

position that oers countless opportunities

to the companies doing business here.

Recognized as a nancial, distribution and

transportation powerhouse or the entire

urban region, Charlotte has developedinto a major wholesale center with one

o the highest per capita sales in the

United States, ranking 6th nationally.

Home to Bank o America, the city is the

second-largest U.S. nancial center (behind

New York). Mecklenburg County also is

North Carolinas largest manuacturing

county. Every major manuacturing sector is

represented here, including aerospace and

deense equipment, industrial machinery

and metal working industries, computer

and electronic products, consumer goodsand bio-medical acilities. Through the years

Charlotte has become a magnet or researc

and development and technology compan

Charlottes rich business base is served by a

excellent state and ederal highway networ

including major north-south and east-west

interstate arteries, as well as a modern,

expanded international airport terminal.

A Local Economy of Sizable Strengt


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One o the rst things youll notice about Charlotte isthe beauty and diversity o our neighborhoods.

From high-rise and high-style downtown living, to stately

brick homes nestled beneath 80-oot green canopies

o maple and oak leaves, and lakeside homes on the

shores o Lake Norman and Lake Wylie, to condos a

short walk rom Charlottes new commuter light rail

lines. Whatever your preerred liestyle, Charlotte has a

home and neighborhood sure to be the perect t.

Welcome to the Neighborhood

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A City Mindful of Educati

Knowledge drives innovation, and highe

education is key to any citys uture

strength. Charlotte is home to 30 collegeand universities, including the University

o North Carolina at Charlotte, the ourth

largest university (and the astest growin

campus) in the 16-campus University o

North Carolina system; Davidson College

one o the nations most-prestigious priv

colleges; and Johnson & Wales University

a nationally-renowned culinary school.

Charlotte boasts Johnson C. Smith

University, a private liberal arts college

that in 2007 ranked in U.S. News and

World Reports list o best comprehensivcolleges in the South; and Queens Unive

o Charlotte, a private college oering

undergraduate and graduate course

work in arts and sciences, nursing and

business. The city also is home to Centra

Piedmont Community College, one o

the nations largest two-year institutions,

which serves more than 60,000 students

annually and oers high quality corporat

and continuing education programs.

From pre-kindergarten to Ph.D. program

Charlotte oers an abundance oeducational opportunities. As a result,

Charlotte is a city o educated individua

We were recently ranked as Americas s

most literate city based on the percenta

o residents holding a high school

diploma or greater and the percentage

o residents with a bachelor s degree.


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Easy Market Access

Charlotte Douglas International Airport oers

extensive commuter and airreight services. Home

to US Airways largest hub, the airport oers non-

stop service to 170 cities, including Frankurt,

Munich, London, Paris, Toronto and Mexico City

as well as to Central America and Caribbean

cities. Roughly 650 fights leave Charlotte daily.

Charlotte is at the heart o a highway and railroad

system that stretches across the Eastern and

Southern United States. More than 40 percent

o the nations top 100 trucking companies are

located in Charlotte, ranking the city No. 11 in

the country. With two major rail systems, Norolk

Southern and CSX, the Charlotte region links

to 23 states, making rail service convenient.

In 2007, Charlotte began light rail commuter

service with a nearly 10-mile rail line running

rom the citys center to its southern edge with

seven stations along the way. Plans are in theworks to extend commuter service to Charlottes

north and northeast in coming years.


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Charlottes Artistic E

From Picasso to Pavarotti, Charlotte is

a city that enjoys and cultivates the

arts. Visitors and residents throughou

the Charlotte region have easy acces

to a wide range o visual arts, classica

and contemporary music, opera,

theater and dance. Charlotte sweeten

that blend with several science and

history museums to urther increasethe citys cultural quality o lie.

Charlotte oers cultural activities

or every taste, rom black tie

openings o straight-rom-Broadway

productions to an evening

picnic with music under the stars

during the Charlotte Symphonys

Annual Summer Pops series.

Charlotte is home to several

museums nationally recognized

or their impressive permanentexhibits and the traveling exhibits

they attract. Theater events range

rom Broadway blockbusters to the

citys venerable amateur troupe

to its amed Childrens Theatre.


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There is always something special going on in

Charlotte. From small estivals in the countys

numerous parks to giant downtown street airs

that draw tens o thousands o people, one

thing is clear: Charlotte knows how to throw a

party and everyone is always welcome.

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Festivals, Food and Fun


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Bobcats

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Charlotte : A Major League Sports To

Whether residents like to watch sports

as ans or get in the middle o the

action themselves, Charlotte is a big

league sports town.

This is where the National Football

Leagues Carolina Panthers and the

National Basketball Associations

Charlotte Bobcats play. Each May, TheQuail Hollow Championship brings in

the worlds best golers, including Tiger

Woods.

Each winter, ans cheer on the

Checkers, Charlottes proessional

hockey team. Each summer, attention

shits to soccer with the Charlotte

Eagles, the citys pro soccer team, and

baseball games with the Charlotte

Knights. The city is abuzz about

prospects o building a downtown

baseball stadium. Charlotte is alsohome to many o NASCARs hottest

stock car racing teams, the uture

NASCAR Hall o Fame and one o the

most-popular NASCAR race tracks.


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Outdoor Opportunities Spur Hands-on Participation

Charlottes avorable climate, numerous parks, public and privategol courses, three lakes and countless other outdoor amenities

invite participation.

Fish, boat, camp or leisurely laze away the day on the 847

miles o combined shorelines on Lakes Norman and Wylie and

Mountain Island Lake. The new U.S. National Whitewater Center

attracts serious kayakers and raters rom around the globe

while also giving amilies a un way to spend a sunny day.

Dont want to get wet? The center oers a 46-oot tall climbing

tower and 30-oot climbing wall, bike rentals to explore the

areas 11 miles o trails and high-adventure ropes courses.

From biking to hiking to boating to just spending anenjoyable day outdoors, Charlotte is the perect place to be.

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Theres a Future for You in Charlott

Green, growing and gr

Thats the clear vision o

the people who live he

and who strive to keep

soul and character o o

city intact.

The quickly developing

Queen City is ollowina careully designed

blueprint created to

balance the need or

growth with our desire

preservation. We belie

growth is essential. Bu

the real uture o our c

ever-tied to our quality

lie. We invite you to sh

in this uture. In Charlo


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