1. North Carolina was the site of the nation’s first Gold Rush. In 1799, a twelve-year-old boy named Conrad Reed found a 17-pound gold rock in Cabarrus County – nearby to Charlotte. In 1835, the Charlotte Mint was established in Charlotte to handle all of the gold found in the Carolinas. Today the mint has been made into a museum, the Mint Museum of Art.

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  2. Charlotte was named for the German princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg who was the Queen consort of King George III.

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  3. Nicknamed the “City of Churches,” Charlotte has over 700 houses of worship and is the national headquarters for several denominations. In addition, Charlotte is the birthplace of the popular televangelist Billy Graham.

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  4. Charlotte, North Carolina is the country’s largest banking center – aside from New York City. The Bank of America world headquarters is located in Charlotte.

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  5. Charlotte earned the nickname “the Hornet’s Nest” when General Cornwallis – who occupied the city during the Revolutionary War – was driven out of the city by Charlotte residents, later concluding that the city was a hornet’s nest of rebellion.

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  6. Charlotte has had more than its fair share of storms. In 1989, Hurricane Hugo hit Charlotte – a city that is 200 miles inland – as a category 1 hurricane. The storm resulted in over 80,000 destroyed trees and left 696,000 Charlotteans without power. An ice storm in 2002 knocked out power in over 1.3 million homes! Many of those residents were without heat – in December – for two weeks.

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  7. Charlotte is a hub for the motorsports industry with many NASCAR drivers based in or near the city. Charlotte is home to many NASCAR offices and the future NASCAR Hall of Fame is scheduled to be built in Charlotte.

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  8. Trolleys boosted Charlotte’s development in the 20th century by bringing different classes together and making possible the development of Charlotte neighborhoods. Today, you can take an informational tour on a vintage Charlotte trolley that will take you through all of Charlotte’s most highlighted neighborhoods and past many historic sites.

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  9. In 1775, a Charlotte committee drafted the “Mecklenburg Resolves” – a series of laws that sought to free North Carolina from British rule. Some historians believe that the more controversial Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence – which was allegedly written before the Mecklenburg Resolves – was the first Declaration of Independence, as it was written more than a year before the United States Declaration of Independence.

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  10. Cherrywine – a cherry-flavored soda – is a local favorite. In addition, Sundrop soda and R.C. Cola are often guzzled by Charlotte locals.

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