Introduction
Early settler, Thomas Polk, uncle to future President James Polk, built a home at the crossroads of two Indian trading paths in 1755. Soon the village of Charlotte Town was born. Although named for Queen Charlotte of Mecklenberg, the wife of George III, Charlotte Town’s loyalty to the crown was short lived. By May 1775, the founders of Charlotte had fired the city’s crown officials when they drafted and affirmed the Mecklenberg Declaration of Independence. During the Revolutionary War, the city served as an encampment for both the American and British armies. Charlotte was the site of many skirmishes between local residents and the occupying British Army. It was during these many skirmishes, that a frustrated British general nicknamed the feisty Charlotteans and their city, “Hornets’ Nest”.
One early spring day in 1799, twelve year old Conrad Reed decided to go fishing. He may not have brought home many fish, but did return home with a seventeen pound rock. Three years later, a jeweler pointed out that the family’s door stopper was, in fact, a seventeen pound chunk of gold! This was the first verified finding of gold in the U.S. and marked the start of America’s first gold rush. In fact, Uptown Charlotte is literally built on the gunnies of the St. Catherine and Rudsill gold mines. The California gold rush in 1848 may have brought an end to Charlotte’s run as a major gold producing center, but the resourceful Charlotteans had already turned their energies to another cash producing commodity. Through the mid to late nineteenth century, cotton would play a major role in the city’s economic development and continued prosperity.
Today, Charlotte is the largest city in the Carolinas and the twentieth largest U.S. city. The Queen City continues to be the number one choice of destination when visiting the Carolinas. The city boats that there is something new to entice, interest and amaze visitors daily. Whether you stay a day, weekend, or longer, this hospitable city guarantees to keep you entertained.
Fast Facts
- 2000 census population: 540,828
- Racial makeup: Black/African American – 32.7%; White – 58.3%; Hispanic/Latino – 7.4%, and Asian – .3%
- Population: Age 18 and over – 75.3 %; 65 and over – 8.8%
- Language: residents age 5 and older speaking English in the home – 85.4%; Spanish - 8%
- 2000 median household income: $46,975
- Median age: 32.7