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Downtown Charlotte: Facts That May Surprise You

Here's since information about Charlotte you may find interesting.  To learn more about Charlotte's history, visit the Public Library's website: www.plcmc.lib.nc.us

Charlotte History Lesson:

The Center of Charlotte's downtown, "the Square", was the site of the Revolutionary Battle of Charlotte (1780); it was this battle that prompted General Cornwallis to say that Charlotte was a "veritable hornet's nest."  The Square is also the site of original Charlotte Courthouse, as well as the site of the signing of the Mecklenburg Resolves and the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence (1775), signed a full year before Jefferson's Declaration of Independence.

Charlotte's Commerce:

Charlotte is the nation's second largest banking center (after New York City), with more than $1.3 trillion in banking assets.  Center City Charlotte is headquarters to the 2nd largest (Bank of America) and 4th largest (Wachovia) banks in the country.  Bank of America is the largest retail bank in the country and processes more than 42 million checks every 24 hours - second only the the entire Federal Reserve System.  Bank of America's 60 story corporate center, designed by architect Cesar Pelli, is the tallest building in the Carolinas.  The Charlotte/Douglas Airport, 15 minutes from Center City, serves more than 112 cities with non-stop service, and sees 525 flights daily.

Charlotte's Art and Education:

Center  City Charlotte is home to some of the finest art in the country.  Internationally known Ben Long has painted four frescos in Charlotte's  downtown: the Bank of America Corporate Center , St. Peter's Catholic Church, the Law Enforcement  Center , and  Transamerica Square.  His technique of painting in wet plaster was common during the Renaissance, but few artists today equal Long's mastery of the technique.  The Public Library of Charlotte-Mecklenburg County was named 1996-97 Library of the Year by the American Library Association.  One of the library's programs, the NovelloFestival of Reåding, is regarded as one of the best library events in the country.

What's Near Charlotte?

A two-hour drive west takes you to the Blue Ridge Mountains.
A three-and-a-half hour drive east takes you to the Atlantic Ocean.
An hour's drive east takes you to some of the world's finest golf courses.