Living in North and Northeast Charlotte
Charlotte’s north and northeast corner has seen an explosion of growth. University City, as the northeast portion of Mecklenburg County is also called, has seen phenomenal growth in the last 15 years. The area is decorated with new neighborhoods, new shopping centers and new office buildings. The area is bisected by North Tryon Street and sprawls north to I-77, south past UNCC to The Plaza and northeast into Cabarrus County. University City is home to more than 135,000 people, and its popularity continues to fuel population growth. The area’s projected to grow past 165,000 by the end of 2009
The University area takes its name from the largest higher-education institution, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, the fourth largest of the state’s public universities. Located in the cradle of highways 49 and 29, enrollment at the university grows by about 1,000 students each year. The average freshman entering UNCC has a high school grade-point average of 3.6 At over 20,000 students and counting, it’s the fastest-growing university in the state system. After graduation, many students find careers right in University City, where some of the area’s numerous companies and largest employers have offices in University Research Park off W.T. Harris Boulevard north of I-85. The park was created in the late 1950s to attract research and development companies. Today, the park has followed the lead of Charlotte as a whole and is home to many back-office and support operations. University Hospital, on W.T. Harris Boulevard at U.S. 29, provides medical care to northeast Mecklenburg and Cabarrus residents. The hospital is part of Carolinas HealthCare System and includes a maternity center, sleep center, outpatient services and general medical-surgical services.
With so many companies locating in the area, homes have readily followed. The University City area, which encompasses real estate areas 1 and 2, includes numerous developments that dot what was once farmland along Eastfield Road, Mallard Creek Road and Prosperity Church Road. Highland Creek and Davis Lake are some of Charlotte’s hottest-selling neighborhoods. Skybrook, a golf course neighborhood, offers newcomers the opportunity to build their new home with golf course views. More new neighborhoods are appearing around the exits along I-85 headed toward Concord and Cabarrus County. Businesses and apartments, many offering housing to students, are clustered around the intersection of N.C. 49, called University City Boulevard, and W.T. Harris Boulevard. Farther down Harris at its intersection with Hickory Grove Road is another busy intersection of apartments, restaurants and businesses.
The area has also seen an explosion in retail development, and it’s expected to continue. Concord Mills, off I-85, opened in 1999 to great fanfare. The state’s second-largest shopping center, with 1.4 million square feet, draws 15.3 million visitors and thousands of tour buses annually. Concord Mills is hailed as the state’s top tourist attraction, Shopping destinations include an outdoor store featuring indoor trout streams and a 20-foot rock-climbing wall. Another popular shopping draw is University Place, a great spot near the university to catch a movie, enjoy dinner at one of several restaurants that encircle a manmade lake or do some power shopping at one of the big-box retailers nearby. On warm summer weekend evenings, it’s often possible to catch the sounds of an outdoor band while enjoying the ducks on the lake enjoying the ducks on the lake. Northlake Mall opened in September 2005 to serve the North Mecklenburg/Lake Norman area. Anchored by stores Macy’s, Dillard’s, Belk, Dick’s Sporting Goods and an AMC 14-screen cinema megaplex, the mall also has over 140 specialty shops.
Nearby is Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, an outdoor arena on U.S. 29 that hosts summer performances by rock, pop and country artists. The area is home to Lowe’s Motor Speedway, the largest sports facility in the Southeast and the “Mecca of Motorsports,” as NASCAR enthusiasts call it. Recreation in the area includes numerous parks and recreational facilities. A growing 62,000 square foot YMCA is located at W.T. Harris Boulevard and Mallard Creek Road and features a crowd-drawing water park. The Mallard Creek and Clark’s Creek greenways offer 4.3 miles of walking trails along the creeks. Reedy Creek Park, a county-operated nature preserve between Rocky River Road and The Plaza, is a picturesque 727-acre nature preserve, popular with families and nature lovers. The area also is home to one of the country’s largest indoor athletic facilities. Charlotte Sports Center – located just off Harris Boulevard on Hankins Road, near I-77 – is a 75,000-square-foot athletic center that offers indoor basketball, volleyball, inline hockey, soccer, flag football and a fitness center.
