Charlotte center city
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Charlotte center city (also known as Uptown or Downtown Charlotte) is the area comprising the township and original city of Charlotte, North Carolina. Its numerical distinction within the county is 1 (of 15). Its official distinction would be Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.
The area, bounded by the Belk and Brookshire Freeways (the I-277 loop), is further broken down into four wards. 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 there. Wachovia is currently building a major complex of towers that will contain three new art venues, a condominium tower, and the new Wachovia Coporate Center. Below is a list of several venues that are located in Uptown Charlotte.
Museums, sporting venues, hotels, restaurants, and bars are heavily concentrated in Uptown Charlotte as well. Many more hotels such as the Ritz Carlton and aLoft and museums such as the Betchler Art Museum and the new Mint Museum are expected to open before 2010.
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[edit] The Wards
[edit] First Ward
First Ward was recently one of the most dangerous areas in Charlotte, but because of recent revitalization under a HUD HOPE VI grant, it has become one of the more desirable. Many new developments are planned and under construction. The most noticeable development is the new Time Warner Cable Arena. UNC Charlotte is planning to build a new academic building in the First Ward as part of an urban village project being developed by Levine Properties. The current plans for the urban village include a 4 acre park, 450,000 sq ft (42,000 m²) of office space, 2,700 residential units, 250 hotel rooms, 250,000 sq ft (23,000 m²) of retail space, and 450,000 sq ft (42,000 m²) of civic space. Current attractions include: Spirit Square, ImaginOn Children's Learning Center, Levine Museum of the New South, and the Mint Museum of Craft + Design. On Tryon at Sixth Street, one of Charlotte's historic gems is being preserved and connected to a new condo project called Encore.
[edit] Second Ward
Second ward is the location of Charlotte's "Government District" and will be the location of the new NASCAR Hall of Fame. Second Ward used to be the location of the predominantly African American neighborhood Brooklyn before urban renewal took place. Many new developments are under construction or proposed. EpiCentre, a mixed use entertainment and retail complex, is under construction on the site of the old Charlotte convention center. In the EpiCentre project, a high rise condominium tower, 210 Trade, and a aLoft hotel will be located in the EpiCentre project as well. Donald Trump proposed a 72 story project called Trump Charlotte which will be the tallest building in Charlotte. It will include luxury condos, five-star hotel, office tower, and high-end retail.
[edit] Third Ward
Center City's Third Ward is a diverse, quaint, turn of the century streetcar neighborhood home to Bank of America Stadium and Gateway Village which is one of the state's largest mixed-use developments with 1.5 million sq ft of office, shops, restaurants, and over 500 housing units. The most exciting new project is Wachovia's First Street Project comprised of cultural, office, residential, and open space. Johnson & Wales University is expanding its campus in the Center City while the Mecklenburg County's Parks and Recreation Department has unveiled plans for an urban park in the district. Multiple condominium high rise towers have begun or are ready to begin construction. Plans are also underway to construct a $200 million transportation hub along the Norfolk-Southern Railway. Gateway Station will be completed in 2010.
[edit] Fourth Ward
Fourth Ward is mostly residential and has many beautiful Victorian homes. New development is occurring with high rise condominium towers and the North Carolina Music Factory, an entertainment complex.
[edit] "Uptown/Downtown"
There is much confusion brought about by the use of the terms "Uptown" and "Downtown" for Charlotte's center city area. These terms do not reference different areas of town and are thus interchangeable.
The history of the dual names is contested, yet prior to the mid-late 1980s, the term "Downtown" was used by residents, media and city leaders for the center city area. During the 1980s, a massive campaign was launched to revamp the image of the downtown area and the term "Uptown" was introduced to the general public. On February 14, 1987 the Charlotte Observer began using the term "Uptown" as a way to promote a more positive upbeat image of the center city area.[1] School teachers were provided with "historical" documents justifying use of the term to teach to students.[citation needed]
Another opinion is: Though many feel that the term "Uptown Charlotte" is a new term in the last 10 years, local residents from three or more generations past will attest to having called the center city area Uptown their entire lives. This is due to the main intersection in the original center city, Trade St. & Tryon St., having been the point of highest elevation. When people would come from outlying areas to the city, they would say they were going 'up to town', a phrase that was eventually shortened to 'Uptown'. Despite this, there are many who steadfastly believe that center-city Charlotte was called "Downtown" up until 10 years ago when there was a concerted effort to rename it "Uptown" by various groups that had come from outside Charlotte. These people feel that this was an attempt to improve the city's image.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- travel guide from Wikitravel
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