Both companies and individuals are attracted to the thriving Charlotte region.  Booming with economic and commercial activity, Charlotte has all the advantages of one of the most rapidly growing metropolitan areas in the nation. 

If you want a quick getaway, the mountains and beaches are within hours of Charlotte.

Business and Industry

Charlotte is first and foremost a banking city.  With more than $3.3 trillion in assets, Charlotte is the second largest financial center in the nation, behind only New York.  Bank of America, the nation’s second largest bank, is headquartered here.  In total, 20 banks with more than 229 local branches, as well as a Federal Reserve branch, are located in Charlotte. 

Charlotte serves as the subsidiary headquarters for many major national and international companies.  During the past 10 years, 7,309 firms have invested $12.0 billion in new Charlotte facilities. 

Dun & Bradstreet lists 959 companies in their Million Dollar Data Base with facilities in Charlotte-Mecklenburg.  In addition, 326 of the Fortune 500 companies have facilities here, eight of which are headquartered in the Charlotte area, ranking the city seventh nationally in the number of headquartered firms.

Quality of Life

Charlotte is North Carolina’s largest city and is the center of the nation’s sixth largest urban region.  This fact is startling considering that Charlotte, a mid-sized city with a population of 716,874, is the largest city within the region.  Of the major distribution centers in the Southeast, Charlotte has 6.9 million and Atlanta has 8.1 million people living within a 100-mile radius.

Arts

Charlotte-Mecklenburg’s cultural community is alive with arts, science and history.  The Charlotte cultural community collectively produces 65,000 performances and events each year.  Audiences can enjoy the symphony, orchestras, dance theater, moving poets' theater, children’s theater, and many museums and cultural centers.

Recreation

There are more than 200 district, neighborhood and community parks in Mecklenburg County, and it’s Parks and Recreation Department offers space for tennis, golf, soccer, swimming, fishing, bowling, general fitness and other activities.  Highlights include a skate park, a dirt bike track, and an indoor water park. Some of the parks also have specialized facilities, such as an equestrian center, raptor center and canoeing. Charlotte is also home to the US National Whitewater Center, the world’s premier outdoor recreation and environmental education center. Alongside mountain-biking and running trails, a climbing center, and challenge course, the park’s unique feature is a multiple-channel, customized whitewater river for rafting and canoe/kayak enthusiasts of all abilities.

Sports

Charlotte is a national sports hub.  The city is home to the NFL's Carolina Panthers and the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats.  The city is also home to the Charlotte Knights Triple-A minor league baseball team and the Charlotte Checkers of the East Coast Hockey League.

Some of the nation’s hottest stock car racing can be seen at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, which hosts three NASCAR Nextel Cup events each year.  It is the largest sports facility in the Southeast and is recognized as one of the finest NASCAR facilities in the country. 

Charlotte also annually hosts college football's Meineke Car Care Bowl and the PGA Tour’s Quail Hollow Championship. 

Accessibility

Thanks to its ideal geographic location in the Southeast and its suburb infrastructure, North Carolina enjoys extensive and efficient transportation service.  North-south Interstates 77, 85 and 95 and east-west Interstate 40 criss-cross the state and place Charlotte within one day’s drive of 55 percent of the U.S. population. 

Charlotte/Douglas International Airport, the 17^th most active air transportation center in the nation, serves the region.  The airport is the largest hub for US Airways and also has international passenger flights.  The Charlotte campus is only 20 minutes from the airport.