More and more people are moving to Charlotte and I can easily see why. Charlotte has been home to me for over 16 years now. One of the things I love about this city is the number of unique neighborhoods that all have their special qualities. In addition, the quality of life here is spectacular. Here is a video that I think does a great job at capturing what the city offers.
welcome to charlotte, nc (click to see video)
Below is a list of some of the neighborhoods closest to the Uptown area (and Uptown). I have put together some information on each of the neighborhoods that I hope will help you get a better understanding of The Queen City. If you have any questions, of course, don't hesitate to contact me. Ryan S. Willlis; ryanwillis@boxwoodrealty.com or (704) 277.3184 p.
Neighborhoods (listed alphabetically)
Chantilly
Chantilly was built mostly in the 1940's and is tucked quietly between Elizabeth and Plaza-Midwood just East of downtown. This neighborhood has seen great interest in the past few years as many homes have been updated and renovated. The mix of mostly smaller bungalows and ranch-style homes have attracted many buyers and builders, and it is not uncommon now to find larger newer homes or homes with large additions. Average prices in the neighborhood range from the low $100,000's up to around $300,000.
Dilworth
NOTE: Boxwood Realty is currently listing The Tremont project which will be done in August 2008 that consists of 45 residential homes situated around an urban courtyard. You can learn more about this project by going to the web site: www.tremontcharlotte.com.
Dilworth is one of Charlotte's oldest neighborhoods and has seen a major revitalization in the past 20 years. It was one of the Souths first subdivisions, and at the time it was begun (the end of the 1800's to early 1900) it was one of Charlottes street car "suburbs". A lot has changed since then, and this suburban neighborhood is now in the shadow on downtowns skyscrapers! The neighborhood consists of many types of architecture including classic bungalows, four-squares, quads and duplexes, as well as new condominium and townhouse projects scattered throughout.
This is truly an urban environment with commercial corridors along its edges (South Boulevard, Kenilworth and Scott Avenues) and though its center (East Boulevard). These streets have restaurants, shops, galleries, and great cafes. Also located in Dilworth are two of Charlottes great urban parks, Latta and Freedom Park.
Dilworth is also adjacent to the now growing Southend area of South Boulevard.
Eastover
Eastover, which was founded in the late 1920s, is located southeast of the center city, across Providence Road from the earlier prestigious neighborhood of Myers Park. Eastover consists mainly of single-family brick Georgian-style homes very similar to the Myers Park neighborhood. Cherokee Road forms the neighborhood's backbone and includes some of the neighborhood's largest early residences.
Elizabeth
The Elizabeth neighborhood is located on Charlotte's east side and was begun in 1891 along what is now Elizabeth Avenue. Elizabeth is home to Charlotte's Presbyterian Hospital and one of the country's largest community colleges, CPCC. Architecture in this neighborhood, while a mixture if different styles, includes many Victorian-style homes with colorful exteriors and wrap around front porches. When Independence went from being a neighborhood street to a major thoroughfare, two sections of Elizabeth were created on either side of Independence. Elizabeth has seen recent development of "infill" projects for townhomes and condos as well as a large multi-use development that is planned for the blocks surrounding Elizabeth Avenue.
Myers Park
NOTE: This is where Ryan S. Willis (owner, Boxwood Realty) resided for 13 years
Charlotteans today know the Myers Park neighborhood as one of the city's premier addresses, an area of fine homes, tree-lined streets, and curving drives. This neighborhood was designed in the early 1900s by two expert city planners who would later become remembered for their tree-lined avenues, John Nolen and Earle Sumner Draper. You will note, when driving through Myers Park, the winding streets, many of which have large medians between the lanes. These medians were once home to the tracks for the trolleys which ran from downtown to outlying neighborhoods. Since the trolleys were disbanded many years ago the tracks have been removed and the medians now have planting strips, grass areas and a beautiful canopy of oaks and maples. It is especially beautiful in the spring when the hundreds of azaleas and dogwoods are in bloom and the hardwoods are regrowing their leaves.
Architecture in this neighborhood consists mainly of brick Georgian-style homes with expansive lawns that are synonymous with Southern living. Myers Park is also home to Queens University.
NoDa (The Arts District)
NOTE: Boxwood Realty has worked on two project in this area (Lofts 34 34th and N. Davidson) and one that is in the works (by Cabo Fish Taco).
North Davidson, or NoDa as the local residents refer to the area, flourished as a powerhouse in the NC Textile Industry from 1903 to 1975. This textile community functioned as a self-contained village separated from the city of Charlotte by farms and fields. After the 1975 closing of it's last mill, North Charlotte (as it was then called) was all but forgotten until the 1980s. This decade brought young artists into the area who had a vision of developing a new art community for Charlotte residents.
NoDa is now the home to the City's best collection of galleries and performance venues as well as some of the funkiest full service restaurants. The architecture of the houses in this neighborhood varies greatly, but consists mainly of mill homes that were built to support the large mill community that occupied this area for over seventy years.
Plaza-Midwood
NOTE: This is where Boxwood Realty is located (1204 The Plaza (No. 3))
Plaza-Midwood is Charlotte's most diverse neighborhoods. Its earliest avenues were platted in 1903 and its newest date from after the Second World War. Buildings range from turn-of-the-century factories and blue collar housing, to the city's oldest country club. As in Myers Park, medians from the old trolleys remain and are how planted with huge, old crepe myrtles.
Plaza-Midwood did not formally come into being as a neighborhood until 1973, when residents organized to stop a highway through the neighborhood. The Plaza, a long, straight boulevard with a landscaped median, forms the neighborhood's spine. Mecklenburg and Belvedere avenues run east from The Plaza, tying together the area's network of sidestreets.
The neighborhood is host to a great deal of restaurants and shops that cater to the late 20s, early 30s crowd of inhabitants that live and support the neighborhood's merchants on and around Central Avenue. The Central Avenue and Thomas Street districts have many great restaurants, shops, antique stores, and bars.
South End
NOTE: Boxwood Realty has consulting on 2 projects in this area (to be released)
Historic South End has emerged as one of Charlotte's hippest neighborhoods that combines both residential and retail spaces for truly urban living. This area is close to downtown and is located between the Dilworth neighborhood and Wilmore. This area is sure to continue to grow as it will be on the trolley line which will service this neighborhood as well as downtown. Typical properties in South End are condominiums, warehouse conversions (one of Charlotte's true New York style warehouse lofts is located here at Factory South - a 100 year + factory), and commercial spaces. Commercial properties on this corridor are being quickly filled with furniture stores, design studios, architectural firms, and other household shopping - making this area known as the Design Center for the city.
Uptown
NOTE: This is where Boxwood Realty was located (516 W. 10th Street) from 2006 to 2008
Uptown, which is used to refer to Charlotte's downtown area, is the heart of the city and if you can walk through the city on any given night and see activity that is being viewed as a "model" for other cities in the country.
Uptown is home to many of the city's largest company headquarters including Bank of America and Wachovia.
This is also the location of the Carolina Panther's Bank of America Stadium and the soon to be completed Bobcat's Basketball Arena.
The uptown area consists of the following four areas (referred to as wards):
First Ward: Located to the northeast of Trade and Tryon, this area is bordered by the Brookshire Freeway, 5th street and College Street. This area was part of a 1995 urban renewal project which has generated a great deal of new residences in the area as well as national attention.
Second Ward: This refers to the area surrounding Charlotte's convention center and is home to both The Green (an upscale interactive park surrounded by restaurants and shopping) and The Ratcliffe (one of Charlotte's upscale residential new mid-rises).
Third Ward: This area is located in Charlotte's southwest quadrant and is surrounded by both Bank of America Stadium and West Trade Street - to the north. Gateway Village is one of the largest projects to be erected in this area, which combines homes, retail and office space. The much talked about Johnson & Wales University has attracted more than 2,000 students to this location.
Fourth Ward: This area extends north and west from The Square and is bordered by Brookshire Freeway and I-77 and became the city's first historic district in 1976. Much of the architecture of the original homes is Victorian. Fourth Ward is home to several residential homes, town homes, condominium complexes and retail space.
Wesley Heights
The Wesley Heights neighborhood became one of Charlotte's burgeoning suburbs, as part of the post-World War I building boom that peaked in the middle of the decade and ended around 1929. Originally farmland owned by the Wadsworth family (part owners of the Trolley at the time). The Wadsworth House still remains in Wesley Heights and is an Historic Landmark and is currently used as a meeting and conference facility.
This neighborhood consists mainly of craftsman-style homes that were indigenous of many of the houses built around that time. Wesley Heights is just across Interstate 77 from the Gateway Village area of downtown. It is a fine example of Arts & Crafts Architecture and most of its original fixtures, mantles, and craftwork still remain.
Wilmore
The Wilmore neighborhood is seeing a great deal of activity in the recent years. Part of this is because of its location (close to Dilworth, SouthEnd, and downtown) and has some of the most spectacular views of the city's skyline. While many of the "deals" in this neighborhood are no longer available it is still possible to find a great house for the money that is in-town. Most of these houses were built in the late 1920s and early 1930s and include traditional Bungalows with duplexes and small multi-family mixed in. Wilmore gives great access to downtown with the Trolley line running along its' west border. Camden Road is also host to coffee shops, art galleries, restaurants, and retail shopping.
