The level of vitriol aimed at Charlotte in this thread is pretty astounding, even for SSP. I wasn't going to respond at first, but since I'm probably the only person commenting so far that isn't just familiar with Charlotte but also lived there for a couple of years and thoroughly enjoyed it, I figured I should jump into the fray. I didn't intend for this post to be as long as it is, but oh well.
It's already been stated more than a few times that Charlotte was historically a pretty small place. It sprung up from the intersection of two Native trading paths, one of many in the area. The discovery of gold nearby at the turn of the 19th century provided the hamlet with a mini population boom and a branch of the U.S. mint. Charlotte's banking roots can be traced to that event and the the decision by NC leaders to allow branch banking throughout the state not long afterwards, one of only a few states to do sk. The advent of the railroad in the mid-19th century gave the town another economic boost, making it a significant cotton trading center. After the Civil War, Charlotte readily embraced the "New South" economic development model and as a result, it became the hub of the textile industry in the Carolinas with other industries following. Sometime in the 1920's, Charlotte edged out Charleston to become the largest city in the Carolinas. The construction of interstates in Charlotte solidified its position as a logistics center. Banking came to play a more prominent role in Charlotte after an NC-based bank exploited a loophole in banking laws and snapped up a FL-based bank. SCOTUS upheld the move, laws got changed, ambitious bank CEOs (most notably
Hugh McColl, who can rightfully be called the father of modern-day Charlotte) starting acquiring banks left and right, and voila--a new national banking center is born. But Hugh McColl (former BOA CEO) didn't just want to build a big national bank; he also wanted to invest in Uptown Charlotte. With two big banks (the other being First Union/Wachovia) one-upping each other in terms of philanthropy and development, Uptown Charlotte benefitted immensely with new sports venues, cultural facilities, hotels, restaurants, etc.
Unfortunately, much of this new development was built on land where historic structures had been razed during the White flight/urban renewal era. The nation's largest cities were the worst offenders during this period as they had more historic structures to raze and did so, but the effects were/are more visible in a historically small city like Charlotte that demolished some real gems and had a much less extensive urban fabric to begin with. In 1950, Charlotte's metropolitan area, like the eight others in the Carolinas at that time, consisted of only its primary county and was just under 200K--yet it was also the largest in the Carolinas followed closely by Greensboro, and Charleston coming in at third.
That said, it's pretty obvious that Charlotte is quite young as a mid-major city and it has more growing to do. Yes, much of Uptown does have a new, sterile quality to it since much of the development is new, but the end result has been more amenities and more residents in modern, mostly attractive buildings with a lot more people out and about after business hours. I'm a fan of Romare Bearden Park, the minor league ballpark, the Mint museums, the Black cultural arts center, Spectrum Center, etc. Light rail has been a catalyst for an unprecedented residential boom in South End just south of Uptown and it was recently extended northward to UNC-Charlotte. More bike lanes are being constructed. The second line of the streetcar is under construction. The greenway system continues to expand. And the region continues to experience rapid economic growth; Charlotte already has a higher GDP per capita than Atlanta, Detroit, Tampa, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, and Portland.
It was stated earlier in the thread that Charlotte doesn't take enough advantage of all the creeks and streams in the area, an assertion with which I completely disagree. Charlotte/Mecklenburg County has built miles of
greenways along its creeks which preserves them while providing recreational uses for residents. The three lakes in the area also provide recreation; I do miss going out to Lake Wylie and doing nothing but looking out over the water...so relaxing.
I like classically urban, more historic cities and I also like newer cities that are developing and urbanizing in significant ways right before my very eyes. What Charlotte lacks in history and urbanity can be experienced just a couple of hours away in Charleston or Asheville or Wilmington. Charlotte's location is excellent, being in relatively close proximity to the sizable cities in the Carolinas, mountains, beaches, and even Atlanta and Savannah. That was one thing I enjoyed about living there, along with the lifelong friendships I made. Would it be cool if Charlotte had more "interesting" things? Sure, but for me, that's not a necessity in terms of day-to-day living. I simply visited other cities here and there when I wanted that and returned to my relatively comfortable life in Charlotte. For me, a normal weekend hitting up Carowinds, catching a Hornets (they were still the Bobcats when I lived there) game, enjoying outings with my Little from BBBS or my mentees from church, jogging along the Little Sugar Creek Greenway, checking out a new restaurant, doing some shopping at South Park or Concord Mills, checking out one of the festivals/special events in Uptown or surrounding areas, doing some volunteer work with my fraternity, going to a bar or club, etc. was more than satisfactory. I understand that for many participants in this thread, all of those things sound outright boring but for me, they were fun times. I've established and strengthened lifelong friendships enjoying those activities and I'm all the better for it.
Another thing I'll say is that living in a place for a few years and getting out there and finding things to do can open yours eyes when it comes to some of the more subtle features and quirks of a city that help define it. I once took a temp job at a warehouse which was like a mini-United Nations; it really opened my eyes to the diversity that exists in Charlotte. Another time I took a seasonal job at a department store and in orientation, I discovered I was surrounded by transplants and they all told their stories about how they wound up in Charlotte, several of which were quite interesting and enlightening. It was astounding to me that more than a few Northerners thought Charlotte was barely a step above being an actual backwater before visiting...like literally. The cultural influence of the United House of Prayer is something not understood or even misunderstood by many non-Black residents and visitors, and even some Black ones. And so on and so forth.
Charlotte doesn't have a dramatic geographic location, unique cultural practices, it never had a large extensive historic urban fabric, etc. All it had was some Scots-Irish Presbyterians, native Blacks, textiles, NASCAR, and pro-business leadership but it took that and made something out of it. From an urban perspective, it simply needs more time to grow up. It has come a long way in the past 20 years and it will go even further in the next 20.
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