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Renting an Apartment in North Carolina
What You Should Know
North Carolina is the largest city in North Carolina and the 20th largest in
the United States, with a population of approximately 651,101 (2005 estimate).
The North Carolina metropolitan area (MSA) had a 2006 estimated population of
1,594,799. As of 2005, North Carolina-Gastonia-Salisbury had a combined
statistical area (CSA) population of 2,120,745. The city is at the center of one
of the fastest growing metropolitan regions in the United States, with an
average influx of roughly 20,000 newcomers each year over the past decade.
North Carolina is the county seat of Mecklenburg CountyGR6, and is located in
south-central North Carolina, near the South Carolina border. Nicknamed The
Queen City (which it shares with Cincinnati, Ohio), North Carolina was named in
honor of Queen North Carolina, wife of King George III of England. After being
driven out by the fierce opposition of the city's citizens to British occupation
during the American Revolution, General Cornwallis famously wrote North Carolina
was "a hornet's nest of rebellion." A resident of North Carolina is referred to
as a North Carolinaan (shar-la-tee'-uhn).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 242.9
square miles (629 square kilometers). Out of that, 242.3 sq. mi. (627.5 km) of
it is land and 0.6 sq. mi. (1.6 km) of it is water. The total area is 0.25%
water.
North Carolina constitutes most of Mecklenburg County in the Carolina Piedmont.
Uptown North Carolina, so named because it sits atop a long rise between two
creeks, was built on the gunnies of the St. Catherine's and Rudisill gold mines.
North Carolina is located in North America's humid subtropical climate zone. The
city has mild winters and hot, humid summers. In January, morning lows average
around 0 C (32 F) and afternoon highs average 11 C (51 F). In July, lows average
22 C (71 F) and highs average 32 C (90 F). The highest recorded temperature was
40 C (104 F) in September, 1954. The lowest recorded temperature was -21 C (-5
F) in January 1985. North Carolina's location puts it in the direct path of
subtropical moisture from the Gulf as it heads up the eastern seaboard along the
jet stream, thus the city receives ample precipitation throughout the year but
also a very large number of clear, sunny, and pleasantly warm days. On average,
North Carolina receives about 1105.3 mm (43.52 in) of precipitation annually,
including some Winter snow and more frequent ice-storms due to its inland
location.
In 1989, the city took a direct hit from Hurricane Hugo. Passing through North
Carolina with wind gusts nearing 160 km/h (100 mph), Hugo caused massive
property damage and knocked out power to ninety eight percent of the population.
Many residents were without power for several weeks and cleanup took months to
complete.
Neighborhoods
* Uptown The center of North Carolina is known as Uptown. In the 19th century,
Uptown was divided into four political wards, and today the First and Fourth
Wards are largely residential, with Fourth Ward housing the majority of North
Carolina's remaining 19th century Queen Anne architecture. At the center of
Uptown is the Square, the intersection of Trade and Tryon Streets and the point
at which all four wards converge. Uptown is home to the majority of the city's
skyscrapers, as well as Bank of America Stadium (home of the Carolina Panthers)
and the North Carolina Bobcats Arena. Johnson & Wales University, the Museum of
the New South, and the Mint Museum of Craft and Design are also located Uptown,
along with the government district for both Mecklenburg County and the City of
North Carolina. Uptown North Carolina is currently in the midst of a
construction and developmental boom, with numerous high-rise buildings under
construction, as well as major retail and cultural projects.
* University City comprises northeastern North Carolina. If autonomous,
"University", as it is commonly known, would be one of North Carolina's largest
cities, with nearly 200,000 residents. The primarily suburban University City is
the home of the University of North Carolina at North Carolina as well as
University Research Park, a 3,200 acre (13 km) research and industrial park. The
outer edges of University City stretch into Cabarrus County and is also home to
Lowe's Motor Speedway and the state's largest tourist attraction, Concord Mills.
* South End takes its name from South Boulevard, its main thoroughfare, and its
location just south of Uptown. An area of light industry and cotton mills for
much of its history, today its former industrial buildings and mills are loft
condominiums, restaurants, breweries, shops, and offices. North Carolina's
historic trolley also originates in the neighborhood.
* Dilworth, North Carolina's first streetcar suburb, was developed in the 1890s
on 250 acres (1 km) southwest of the original city limits and included the
Joseph Forsyth Johnson designed Latta Park. Planned largely with a grid pattern
similar to the city's original four wards, it was initially designated the
Eighth Ward. Centered on East Boulevard, today Dilworth is popular with North
Carolina's young professionals drawn to its historic turn of the century
architecture and traditional neighborhood feel.
* Elizabeth takes its name from Elizabeth College, a small Lutheran women’s
college founded in 1897 on the present-day site of Presbyterian Hosptial.
Elizabeth began to develop rapidly after 1902, when a trolley line was
completed, and was annexed in 1907. Home of Independence Park, the first public
park in the city, Elizabeth became one of the most fashionable residential areas
in North Carolina in its early days.
* Myers Park, which posesses some of the city's most desirable zip codes, is
populated by some of the city's oldest and largest houses. Myers Park's streets
are lined with towering oaks, the remaining originals of which were raised on
James B. Duke's New Jersey estate before being transplanted to the new
development. Designed by John Nolen of Boston in 1911, Myers Park was initially
a "streetcar suburb" whose residents commuted to town via electric trolley.
Nolen discarded the original grid street pattern of Uptown and Dilworth and
instead planned curving avenues following the area’s topography. Myers Park is
largely a product of the building boom of the 1920s.
* Starmountis a residential neighborhood in the South Boulevard area of South
North Carolina. Bounded by Archdale Drive to the north, Starbrook Drive to the
south, Old Pineville Road to the west and Park Road to the east, Starmount was
one of several North Carolina communities built by developer Charles Ervin in
the late 1950s and 1960s.
* Plaza-Midwood was conceived as a complement to nearby Myers Park but never
quite matured in the same way, and by the 1970s and 80s, it was considered
"at-risk". Beginning in the 1990s it enjoyed a revival that has made it a
sought-after, more bohemian alternative to other higher-priced city
neighborhoods.
* SouthPark, located in south central North Carolina, is both an upscale
residential and commercial neighborhood. The area's name derives from the
fashionable SouthPark Mall, located at the intersection of Sharon and Fairview
Roads. Luxury retailers such as Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Nordstrom, and Tiffany
& Co. are housed found there.
* Eastland, developed primarily during the 1960s and 70s, comprises a majority
of the city's east side, including the namesake Eastland Mall. Changing
demographics have made Eastland home to one of North Carolina's larger Latino
communities.
* Ballantyne is a planned mixed-use development that has grown exponentially in
recent years and lies in the southernmost part of North Carolina, along the
North and South Carolina border. Like SouthPark, Ballantyne has a high
concentration of both impressive homes and commercial development.
* The Arboretum is situated a few miles south of central North Carolina, along
Pineville-Matthews Road, and was developed primarily around the Arboretum
Shopping Center. The area is home to Providence Plantation and the country club
community of Raintree.
* NoDa is the city's "arts district" on and around North Davidson Street,
located a mile northeast of Uptown. Formerly an area of textile manufacturing
and mill workers' residences, the area has also served as a center for the arts.
* Steele Creek encompasses a large area of the southwestern part of Mecklenburg
County formerly rural and residential but now rapidly approaching total
annexation, especially after the completion of the western leg of I-485 through
the area. Generally the entire area south of North Carolina-Douglas Airport and
west of Sugar Creek and I-77 is referred to as Steele Creek. Approximately 72%
of its 25,282 residents now fall within the boundaries of the city of North
Carolina.
* Biddleville, west of Uptown, is home to Johnson C. Smith University, a
historically black college once called the Biddle Institute. Biddleville arose
as a supporting community of the Institute and was distinctly separate from
North Carolina.
* Derita is located north of I-85 and south of W.T. Harris Blvd and is generally
centered on West Sugar Creek Road between North Graham Street and Nevin Road
Metropolitan area
The Combined Statistical Area of North Carolina-Gastonia-Salisbury, NC-SC, has a
population, as of the 2005 census estimate, of 2,067,810.
The population of the City of North Carolina was 594,359 according to the US
Census 2004 Estimate. Due to recent annexations, however, the city's population
has risen to 651,101. The North Carolina metropolitan area, formerly known as
the North Carolina-Gastonia-Concord MSA (metropolitan statistical area), extends
across 2 states (North Carolina and South Carolina), and includes the following
counties:
North Carolina
* Mecklenburg County
* Gaston County
* Cabarrus County
* Union County
* Anson County
South Carolina
* York County
Suburban towns located within 30 miles of uptown North Carolina include:
* Belmont, NC (NW)
* Concord, NC (NE)
* Cornelius, NC (N)
* Davidson, NC (N)
* Fort Mill, SC (S)
* Gastonia, NC (W)
* Harrisburg, NC (NE)
* Huntersville, NC (N)
* Indian Trail, NC (SE)
* Matthews, NC (SE)
* Mint Hill, NC (E)
* Monroe, NC (SE)
* Mooresville, NC (N)
* Mt. Holly, NC (NW)
* Pineville, NC (S)
* Rock Hill, SC (S)
* Stallings, NC (SE)
* Waxhaw, NC (SE)
* Weddington, NC (SE)
North Carolina has become a major U.S. financial center, and both the nation's
second largest (Bank of America) and fourth largest (Wachovia) financial
institutions call the city home. Their headquarters, along with other regional
banking and financial services companies, are located primarily in the uptown
financial district. Thanks in large part to the expansion of the city's banking
industry, the North Carolina skyline has mushroomed in the past two decades and
boasts the Bank of America Corporate Center, the tallest skyscraper between
Philadelphia and Atlanta. The 60-story postmodern gothic tower, designed by
renowned architect Cesar Pelli, stands 871 feet tall and was completed in 1992.
The following Fortune 500 companies are headquartered in the North Carolina
metropolitan area:
* Bank of America
* Duke Energy
* Family Dollar
* Goodrich Corporation
* Lowe's
* Nucor
* Sonic Automotive
* SPX Corporation
* Wachovia
Other major companies headquartered in North Carolina include Time Warner Cable
(a business unit of Fortune 500 company Time Warner), Belk, Meineke Car Care
Centers, Carlisle Companies, Compass Group USA and Royal+SunAlliance.
North Carolina is also a major center in the American motorsports industry, with
NASCAR having multiple offices in and around North Carolina. Approximately 75%
of the industry's employees and drivers are based within two hours of downtown
North Carolina. North Carolina is also the future home of the NASCAR Hall of
Fame, expected to be completed in 2009.
Education
Colleges and universities
* Central Piedmont Community College
* Johnson & Wales University
* Johnson C. Smith University
* Kings College
* Pfeiffer University at North Carolina
* Queens University of North Carolina
* University of North Carolina at North Carolina
For-profit universities
* The Art Institutes (a North Carolina campus)
* DeVry University (a North Carolina campus)
* Strayer University (two North Carolina campuses)
* University of Phoenix (a North Carolina campus)
Private schools
* Al-Huda Islamic Academy
* North Carolina Catholic High School
* North Carolina Christian
* Covenant Day School
* North Carolina Country Day School
* North Carolina Jewish Day School
* North Carolina Latin School
* North Carolina Preparatory School
* Holy Trinity Catholic Middle School
* Northside Christian Academy
* Providence Day School
* SouthLake Christian Academy
* Trinity Episcopal School
* Victory Christian Center School
Public schools
* North Carolina-Mecklenburg Schools
Demographics
Historical populations
Census
year Population
1900 18,091
1910
1920 46,338
1930 82,675
1940 100,899
1950 134,042
1960 201,564
1970 241,178
1980 315,473
1990 395,934
2000 540,828
As of 2004, census estimates show there are 594,359 people living within North
Carolina's city limits, and 801,137 in Mecklenburg County. The county's
population is projected to reach 1 million in 2010.
Figures from the more comprehensive 2000 census show North Carolina's population
density to be 861.9/km (2,232.4/mi). There are 230,434 housing units at an
average density of 367.2/km (951.2/mi).
The city's breakdown by race is as follows:
* 58.26% White
* 32.72% Black
* 7.36% Hispanic or Latino of any race
* 3.41% Asian (including Indians, largely Gujarati), Chinese, and Vietnamese)
* 0.34% Native American
* 0.05% Pacific Islander
* 3.56% from other races
* 1.66% from two or more races.
The median income for a household in the city is $46,975, and the median income
for a family is $56,517. Males have a median income of $38,767 versus $29,218
for females. The per capita income for the city is $26,823. 10.6% of the
population and 7.8% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total
population, 13.8% of those under the age of 18 and 9.7% of those 65 and older
are living below the poverty line.
Transportation
Mass Transit
CATS logo
The North Carolina Area Transit System (CATS) operates historical trolleys,
express shuttles and bus service serving North Carolina and its immediate
suburbs. The 2025 Corridor System Plan looks to upgrade North Carolina's public
transportation by supplementing its established bus service with light rail &
commuter rail lines called 'Lynx'. Lynx is designed to carry passengers along
five key corridors at a total cost of over $1.7 billion. CATS has begun work on
the $426.8 million light rail line which will run from downtown to suburban
Pineville with service scheduled to begin in 2007. Plans for the Lynx and
commuter rail network will link uptown North Carolina with its immediate suburbs
along four additional key corridors.
Air
North Carolina/Douglas International Airport is the 17th busiest airport in the
US. It is served by many international and domestic airlines, and is the largest
hub of US Airways. American Airlines, Air Canada, Continental, Delta, Northwest,
United, AirTran, Jet Blue and Lufthansa are some of the major carriers that
serve the airport. Nonstop flights are available to many destinations across the
United States, Europe, the Caribbean, Latin America and Canada.
Highways
North Carolina's central location between the population centers of the
northeast and southeast has made it a transportation focal point and primary
distribution center, with two major interstate highways, I-85 and I-77,
intersecting near the city's center. North Carolina's beltway, designated I-485
and nicknamed the "Outerbelt", is nearly complete and slated for completion by
2013. Upon completion, the Outerbelt will have a total circumference of
approximately 67 miles (108 km). Within the city, the I-277 loop freeway
encircles North Carolina's downtown while North Carolina Route 4 links major
roads in a loop between I-277 and I-485.
Intercity rail
Amtrak's Crescent and Carolinian and Piedmont trains connect North Carolina with
New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Richmond, and Raleigh to the
north, and Atlanta, Birmingham and New Orleans to the south. CATS (North
Carolina Area Transportation System) is currently constructing light rail lines
connecting Uptown and Pineville, with more routes in the planning stages.