Historic Charlotte

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Above: Working together is key to
addressing community issues effectively.
COURTESY OF KRIS SOLOW.
Below: Construction is underway to expand
the trolley’s service through the Center City.
COURTESY OF KRIS SOLOW.
CITY OF
CHARLOTTE
HISTORIC CHARLOTTE
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As the largest city between Dallas, Texas,
and Washington, D.C., Charlotte has a
population of approximately 545,293. With
more than 1.3 million people in its
metropolitan area and another 6 million within
a 100-mile radius, Charlotte is the country’s
second fastest growing city and the center of
the fifth largest urban region.
Among Charlotte’s many points of pride are
its airport, banking industry and long tradition
of public-private partnerships. In flights per day
per capita, Charlotte-Douglas International
Airport ranks first among the top thirty metro
regions in the country. Charlotte is second only
to New York as the largest banking/financial
center in the U.S. And over the years, the City of
Charlotte has developed partnerships with the
private sector that have resulted in the successful
completion of such projects as the North
Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center,
Ericcson Stadium, home to the NFL’s Carolina
Panthers, and Discovery Place.
With the Charlotte-Mecklenburg property
tax rate in the lowest quarter of one hundred
metro areas nationwide, the City of Charlotte is
one of just twenty-one in the country to attain
the highest (AAA) credit rating from both
Moody and Standard & Poor rating agencies, a
factor that means savings for taxpayers.
Combining a rich history dating back to
1768 with the advantages of a modern,
twenty-first century city, Charlotte has twice
been chosen (in 1995 and 2000) by the
National League of Cities as one of the most
livable cities in the United States, fulfilling an
1895 prediction by the influential Harper’s
Weekly, describing it as “a city with potential.”
Charlotte adopted the council-manager
form of government in 1928, creating a
continuity of service and talent that supports
the mayor and eleven-member city council,
with four members elected at large and seven
from districts. Over the years, city government
has earned a national and international
reputation as innovative, responsive and well
managed. Through a combination of vision,
cooperation and hard work, Charlotte has
become known for:
• Encouraging citizen involvement in city
government by creating substantial opportunities
for individuals to participate in public
meetings and serve on one of the more than
thirty-five boards and commissions that advise
the council on policy;
• Developing and implementing comprehensive
plans for everything from community safety and
transportation to neighborhood improvement;
• Being the first municipality to employ the
Balanced Scorecard approach as a way to
measure performance and establish
strategic priorities and objectives;
• Effectively managing resources to support
Council “Focus Areas,” ranging from
Community Safety, Transportation and
Economic Development to Affordable
Housing and Smart Growth;