| Northeast/East Charlotte |  |
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Everything in northeast Charlotte is done on a grand scale. The area is home to Lowe’s Motor Speedway, the largest sports facility in the Southeast and the “Mecca of Motorsports,” as NASCAR enthusiasts call it. The area’s largest higher-education institution, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, is located here in the cradle of highways 49 and 29. At 20,000 students and counting, it’s the fastest-growing university in the state system. In addition, some of the area’s largest employers make University Research Park their corporate campus. University City, as the northeast portion of Mecklenburg County is also called, has seen phenomenal growth in the last 15 years. The area is decorated with new neighborhoods, new shopping centers and new office buildings. The area is bisected by North Tryon Street and sprawls north to I-77, south past UNCC to The Plaza and northeast into Cabarrus County. University City is home to more than 135,000 people, and its popularity continues to fuel population growth. The area is projected to grow to 165,000 by 2010. The region has an estimated $8.4 billion economic impact on the seven-county region and provides nearly 74,000 jobs. The University area takes its name from UNCC, the fourth largest of the state’s public universities. Enrollment at the university grows by about 4 percent each year. With enrollment on the rise, so are admission standards. The average freshman entering UNCC has a high school grade-point average of 3.6. Construction on campus is ubiquitous – the university recently celebrated the opening of new buildings for science and technology, the College of Education, graduate engineering and research, the College of Nursing and Health Professions and Robinson Hall for performing arts. After graduation, many students find careers right in University City, where numerous companies have offices in University Research Park off W.T. Harris Boulevard north of I-85. The park was created in the late 1950s to attract research and development companies. Today, the park has followed the lead of Charlotte as a whole and is home to many back-office and support operations. With so many companies locating in the area, homes have readily followed. The University City area, which encompasses real estate areas 1 and 2, includes numerous developments that dot what was once farmland along Eastfield Road, Mallard Creek Road and Prosperity Church Road. More new neighborhoods are appearing around the exits along I-85 headed toward Concord and Cabarrus County. Highland Creek, one of Charlotte’s hottest-selling neighborhoods, grows by the day. With 50 acres of parks and 500 acres of open space, Highland Creek also includes a golf club and swim club. Homes range from the mid-$100s to the $400s. Skybrook, a golf course neighborhood, offers newcomers the opportunity to build their new home with golf course views. The community offers single-family homes from the $250s to the $700s and townhomes from the $220s to the $300s. The area has seen an explosion in retail development, and it’s expected to continue. Concord Mills, off I-85, opened in 1999 to great fanfare. The state’s second-largest shopping center with 1.4 million square feet, Concord Mills is hailed as the state’s top tourist attraction, drawing 15.3 million visitors and thousands of tour buses annually. Shopping destinations include an outdoor store featuring indoor trout streams and a 20-foot rock-climbing wall. Nearby is Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, an outdoor arena on U.S. 29 that hosts summer performances by rock, pop and country artists. Northlake Mall opened in 2005 to serve the North Mecklenburg/Lake Norman area. Anchored by Belk, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Dillard’s, Hecht’s and an AMC 14-screen cinema megaplex, the mall also offers more than 140 specialty shops. Another popular shopping draw is University Place, a great spot near the university to catch a movie, enjoy dinner at one of several restaurants that encircle a manmade lake or do some power shopping at one of the big-box retailers nearby. On warm summer weekend evenings, it’s often possible to catch the sounds of an outdoor band while enjoying the ducks on the lake. Businesses and apartments, many offering housing to students, are clustered around the intersection of N.C. 49, called University City Boulevard, and W.T. Harris Boulevard. Farther down Harris at its intersection with Hickory Grove Road is another busy intersection of apartments, restaurants and businesses. Carolinas Medical Center – University, on W.T. Harris Boulevard at U.S. 29, provides medical care to northeast Mecklenburg and Cabarrus residents. The hospital is part of Carolinas HealthCare System and includes a maternity center, sleep center, outpatient services and general medical-surgical services. Recreation in the area includes numerous parks and recreational facilities. A growing 62,000-square-foot YMCA is located at W.T. Harris Boulevard and Mallard Creek Road and features a crowd-drawing water park. The Mallard Creek and Clark’s Creek greenways offer six miles of walking and biking trails along the creeks. The area also is home to one of the country’s largest indoor athletic facilities. Charlotte Sports Center – located just off Harris Boulevard on Hankins Road, near I-77 – is a 75,000-square-foot athletic center that offers indoor basketball, volleyball, inline hockey, soccer, flag football and a fitness center. Reedy Creek Park, a county-operated nature preserve between Rocky River Road and The Plaza, is a picturesque 727-acre nature preserve, popular with families and nature lovers.
Diverse neighborhoods and affordable housing, historical landmarks, convenient shopping and room to grow are just some of the appeal of east Charlotte, an area roughly defined by Independence Boulevard at its southern end, The Plaza/Plaza Road Extension at its northern end and Albemarle road, which runs between the two. East Charlotte homes are listed in areas 2 and 3. Three miles and 200 years from Uptown are the Charlotte Museum of History and the Hezekiah Alexander Homesite, Mecklenburg’s oldest surviving structure. The wooded grounds on Shamrock Drive provide a relaxing and entertaining retreat for visitors looking to escape the bustle of the Queen City and learn a bit of her history as well. The site is also home to the world’s largest ground-level bell, the American Freedom Bell, which is nestled in a lovely setting on the property. The Plaza-Midwood area is less dramatic, but equally established. One of Charlotte’s early streetcar neighborhoods, it includes a delightful mixture of older, renovated homes and new residences. A mixed bag of families and urban pioneers and a very active community make the area desirable and popular. The lush median along The Plaza – once a trolley thoroughfare – is a distinctive part of the neighborhood. Van Landingham Estate on The Plaza, built in 1913, serves as a lavish spot for weddings with verdant gardens and elegant rooms. The Charlotte Country Club is also located in the Plaza-Midwood area. East Charlotte has an active commercial sector due to development along Central Avenue, Albemarle Road and Independence Boulevard. The area is also home to some of the city’s most comfortable housing areas, many with prices that first-time buyers find appealing. In addition to affordable housing, commercial development gives residents some of Charlotte’s best and most convenient shopping. Eastland Mall, on Central Avenue between Sharon Amity and Albemarle roads, is an east Charlotte landmark. This 1.1-million-square-foot, double-decker center opened in 1975. It boasts major department stores, specialty shops and a food court as well as an ice rink, which is a great spot to learn skating or cool off on a summer day. Spectators can watch the fun from balconies over the rink. Recently extended as a freeway down to Sharon Amity Road, Independence Boulevard also features a new Albemarle Road exchange that eases congestion along both thoroughfares. Independence Boulevard features many shopping centers and retail/commercial areas. Look here for one of the city’s biggest collections of automobile showrooms, huge home-supply and furniture stores, restaurants and membership-only warehouses. Albemarle Road is a busy boulevard lined with strip shopping centers filled with supermarkets, drugstores, restaurants and specialty shops. Development along this thoroughfare continues to grow, particularly on the outskirts of Charlotte. Another trend shaping east Charlotte is the influx of immigrants and new citizens who make their homes here. Here’s where you’ll find the Hindu Center, the Islamic Center, the Chinese Baptist Church and a host of other facilities, as well as plenty of ethnic groceries and stores. Accordingly, east Charlotte also has developed an eclectic selection of restaurants, including Italian, Chinese, Thai, Mexican, Vietnamese, steakhouses, family restaurants and cafeterias. Outdoor recreation in the area includes Reedy Creek Park and Nature Preserve, which features 727 acres of recreational fields, a disc golf course, fishing ponds, picnic areas and 10 miles of nature trails. Reedy Creek Park is also the site of Native American artifacts as well as the Robinson Rockhouse ruins, dating back to 1780. Golfers will enjoy teeing off at the area’s public and semi-private golf courses, including Olde Sycamore Golf Plantation, The Divide on Stevens Mill Road and the Charles T. Myers course on Harrisburg Road. If you’d rather fly than drive, check out Wilgrove Airport, off Albemarle Road. This general-aviation facility offers charters, leasing and pilot training. Mint Hill, a town of about 18,000 on the southern fringe of east Charlotte, combines a country atmosphere with all the convenience of the big city. Incorporated in 1971, Mint Hill traces its history to Scotch-Irish settlers who first occupied the area in the mid-1700s. The town’s proximity to Union County – still primarily rural and small-town – contributes to the cozy feel. The area is a good place to look for sprawling ranch or two-story homes with a little acreage, but also offers new construction. Among the fine new developments in Mint Hill are Hidden Forest, Pleasant Valley and Stonebridge. The intersection of N.C. 51 (Matthews-Mint Hill Road) and Lawyers Road is the center of Mint Hill, and shopping areas and town offices are nearby, as well as a few manufacturing companies and business parks. Mint Hill’s 55-acre Fairview Park includes a nature trail, playground, soccer fields, tennis and volleyball courts, a disc golf course and an asphalt track for walking, bicycling or in-line skating. The 14,000-square-foot Mint Hill branch of the public library boasts a community room, computers and music CDs to check out. |
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