Hotels in Charlotte, North Carolina

A little about Charlotte...

Charlotte is the largest city in the Carolinas and the 20th largest in the United States, with a population of approximately 610,949 (2005 estimate). It is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, and is located in the south-central part of the state in the Piedmont region, near the South Carolina border. The city's economy has matured in the late 1900s and early 2000s to become dominated by financial services, as well as retail commerce.

Nicknamed The Queen City (which it shares with Cincinnati, Ohio and Buffalo, NY), Charlotte (as well as the county containing it) was named in honor of Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg, wife of King George III of the United Kingdom. After being driven out by the opposition of the city's citizens to British occupation during the American Revolution, General Cornwallis wrote Charlotte was "a hornet's nest of rebellion", leading to another city nickname: The Hornet's Nest.

Colleges and Universities:
Central Piedmont Community College
Johnson & Wales University
Johnson C. Smith University
Kings College
Pfeiffer University at Charlotte
Queens University of Charlotte
Reformed Theological Seminary -- Charlotte
University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Afro-American Cultural Center, preserves, promotes and presents African-American art, history and culture
BareBones Theatre Group, a cutting-edge alternative theatre company operating out of the NC Blumenthal Performing Arts Center
Belmont Abbey College and Basilica, on the historic registry for the college, the monastery and grotto
The Billy Graham Library, on the grounds of the headquarters of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association
Blumenthal Performing Arts Centre
Carolinas Aviation Museum, dedicated to the preservation of historic aircraft
Carolina Raptor Center, dedicated to the conservation and rehabilitation of birds of prey
The Carolina Renaissance Festival
Carowinds, a regional amusement park located on the border of North and South Carolina
The Charlotte Comedy Theater,Charlotte's only professionally trained improv theater and training center.
Charlotte Convention Center
The Charlotte Museum of History
Charlotte Symphony Orchestra
Children's Theatre of Charlotte, one of the top youth theatres in the country
Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden, a 111 acre (0.5 km²) botanical garden located just west of Charlotte in Belmont
Discovery Place, a science museum and IMAX Dome theater
Gaffney Peachoid The Gaffney Peachoid an hour south of Charlotte on Interstate 85 in Gaffney, South Carolina
Historic Latta Plantation, a cotton plantation turned living history farm
Historic Rosedale Plantation
Historic Rural Hill Farm
ImaginOn, cutting-edge educational children's library and theater
Kings Mountain National Military Park, the site of a decisive Revolutionary War battle, located approximately 30 miles (50 km) west of Charlotte in Blacksburg, SC.
Levine Museum of the New South, located in Uptown Charlotte, focusing on Charlotte's post-Civil War growth from a textile mill town to a financial hub
Lowe's Motor Speedway
The Mint Museums, two separate facilities, one dedicated to fine art and the other to craft and design
Reed Gold Mine, site of the first gold find in the United States
U.S. National Whitewater Center, state of the art facility opened in August 2006.
University of North Carolina at Charlotte Botanical Gardens
Wing Haven Gardens and Bird Sanctuary
360Charlotte.com - Charlotte's Visual Directory Community of businesses, restaurants, attractions and things to do in Charlotte.

Charlotte is home to the NFL's Carolina Panthers, which debuted in 1995. The Panthers play in Bank of America Stadium, located in Uptown. The team won the 2004 NFC Championship when it beat the Philadelphia Eagles in Philadelphia by a score of 14-3. In Super Bowl XXXVIII on Feb. 1, 2004, the Panthers were defeated by the New England Patriots, 32-29. The Panthers have been in two NFC Championship games: in 1996 and 2006.

From 1988 to 2002, Charlotte hosted an NBA franchise named the Charlotte Hornets. The franchise relocated to New Orleans, Louisiana in 2002 after bitter animosity between the team's fans and principal owner George Shinn led to slumping attendance and ill feelings towards the Hornets. In 2004, Charlotte was awarded its second NBA expansion team named the Charlotte Bobcats. The team plays in the Charlotte Bobcats Arena, which opened in fall 2005 in downtown Charlotte.

The following Fortune 500 companies are headquartered in the Charlotte metropolitan area:
Bank of America
Duke Energy
Family Dollar
Goodrich Corporation
Lowe's
Nucor
Sonic Automotive
SPX Corporation
Wachovia
Other major companies headquartered in the Metro Charlotte include Time Warner Cable (a business unit of Fortune 500 company Time Warner), Muzak, Belk, Harris Teeter, Meineke Car Care Centers, Lance, Inc, Bojangles' , Carlisle Companies, LendingTree, Compass Group USA and Royal+SunAlliance and Food Lion in suburban Salisbury. Also, neighboring Gastonia is home to Choice Beverage, Inc., makers of SunDrop and Cheerwine, and Parkdale Mills world headquarters.

Charlotte is also a major center in the US motorsports industry, with NASCAR having multiple offices in and around Charlotte. Approximately 75% of the industry's employees and drivers are based within two hours of downtown Charlotte. Charlotte is also the future home of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, expected to be completed in 2009. The center city/uptown area of Charlotte has seen remarkable growth over the last decade. Numerous residential units continue to be built uptown. Many new restaurants, bars and clubs now operate in the uptown area.