In west Charlotte, you’ll find some of the most reasonable housing prices in the city. And as you travel farther into the northwestern portion of the county, you’ll find some of the most unspoiled beauty in the entire Charlotte area.

The west and northwest regions encompass urban areas near Charlotte’s Uptown and extend west to the Gaston County line, northwest to Mountain Island Lake and north to Lake Norman. Real estate listings are in areas 8 and 9.

In town, this area offers easy access to Uptown, interstates and other major thoroughfares, including Wilkinson Boulevard, West Trade Street, Beatties Ford Road and Statesville Road. You’ll find reasonably priced bungalow-style homes in some quaint, older neighborhoods near downtown.

Also near the center of town is Johnson C. Smith University off West Trade Street. The university is a private, historically black, four-year liberal arts institution located on a 100-acre campus within blocks of Uptown Charlotte. JCSU offers 1,500 students academically progressive programs that lead to a bachelor of science, bachelor of arts or a bachelor of social work degree. One of the nation’s oldest and strongest black universities, JCSU is noted for its nationally acclaimed Centers of Excellence: Banking and Finance, Honors College, International Studies, Liberal Studies and Mathematics and Science.

JCSU recently completed a multiyear capital campaign that will increase the school’s endowment and finance construction, including expansion of the library. The school recently completed a $6.6-million restoration of Biddle Memorial Hall, a 120-year-old administration building that has been designated a National Historic Landmark.

One of the city’s newer public libraries is Beatties Ford Road Library, which is tied to surrounding communities through walking paths. The library is equipped with a community meeting room, computers and a significant collection of print, media and electronic materials on African-American history and culture.

City services are brought closer to the west Charlotte community at the Adam Service Area Center on Wilkinson Boulevard. This mini-city hall is an outpost for police, but also is staffed to provide a number of city services, including a place to pay water bills or purchase a dog license.

Further north near Lake Norman, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools opened Hopewell High School in 2002 near the intersection of Neck Road and Beatties Ford Road. It is the first high school built in the area since 1950, when North Mecklenburg High was built on Old Statesville Road. The new facility eases crowding at North Mecklenburg High School.

Moving westward and northwestward from the city, the area takes on a spacious, rural feel. Coulwood, off Belhaven Boulevard and Mount Holly Road, is a semi-rural area near Pine Island Country Club. There are new developments with moderate to upscale home prices along Mount Holly-Huntersville Road. The northwest leg of the I-485 outerbelt should be completed by 2007.

In the most northwestern part of the county, you’ll find Mountain Island Lake, the source of water for numerous area municipalities, including Charlotte. The Trust for Public Land has purchased more than 2,000 acres of the Mountain Island Lake watershed in Gaston, Mecklenburg and Lincoln counties to preserve the area from development and protect drinking water.

Latta Plantation Park, located off Beatties Ford Road, shows visitors what life was like on a cotton plantation in early 19th-century North Carolina. The park offers hiking and horseback riding trails, canoe rentals and fishing permits. Latta Equestrian Center is a 25-acre facility equipped with show grounds, lighted arenas, horse rentals, trail rides and horseback riding lessons within Latta Plantation Park. Nearby is the Carolina Raptor Center, a rehabilitation facility for birds of prey that includes exhibits, programs and a gift shop.

Lake Norman (see page 58) is an exceptional drawing card for homeowners looking to combine the relaxed atmosphere of lake living with the work opportunities offered in Charlotte. The manmade lake is the state’s largest and it helps generate hydroelectric power for locally based Duke Energy. It also provides boundless recreational opportunities including boating, skiing, sailing and fishing.

As you move closer to I-77 and Lake Norman, you’ll encounter more shopping and higher-density housing. Many popular subdivisions have sprung up near the exits of I-77, which provides a direct route to Uptown Charlotte. Birkdale, to the west on Sam Furr Road, offers luxury homes in a golf-course community, and Birkdale Village is an urban, mixed-use development of apartments, cafés, shops and restaurants.

NorthCross, on Sam Furr Road and I-77, is a popular shopping destination that provides well-stocked grocery stores, restaurants, quaint shops and big-box retailers as well as North County Regional Library.

New road and transit projects will help people get around as development continues. The state is widening I-77, constructing I-485 and anticipating light rail within the next decade.

CHARLOTTE OBSERVER FILE PHOTO