South Charlotte
When Charlotte started its tremendous growth some 30 years ago, it headed south first and hasn't stopped since. A few main arteries can take you directly from Uptown to south Charlotte, including South Boulevard, Park Road, Providence Road, Monroe Road and Independence Boulevard. Likewise, you can travel across the southern crescent between Pineville and Matthews on the aptly named Pineville-Matthews Road (N.C. 51) or via the new I-485 outer belt.

When you mention south Charlotte to anyone in town, two words will likely roll off their tongues – South Park and Ballantyne. These are the two major destinations for living, shopping and working on the south side of town.

The area referred to as SouthPark, centered at Fairview and Sharon roads, was once part of a 3,000-acre farm owned by N.C. Gov. Cameron Morrison. The farm’s main house – the Morrocroft Mansion, built between 1924 and 1927 - still stands on its original site. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the stunning 14,000-square-foot Tudor Revival house stayed in the family until 1981. It remains a private residence today.

SouthPark is a prestigious address that offers a variety of housing styles, ranging from 1950s ranch houses in Beverly Woods and Barclay Downs to newer million-dollar homes in Pellyn Grove and the gated Morrocroft community.

In addition to being a residential center, SouthPark is the second-largest business district in the state. Tasteful office buildings are spread throughout the area, including the eye-catching Rotunda with its dancing fountains. Several hotels are also located in SouthPark, including the Hyatt, SouthPark Suite and The Park Hotel.

Shopping in SouthPark is the best in the city. The centerpiece is SouthPark Mall, Charlotte’s most upscale shopping center, which recently expanded to include Nordstrom and a number of other high-end stores. The mall also includes Tiffany, Pottery Barn, St. John and Ann Taylor, in addition to four department stores.

SouthPark is also the home of the Charlotte Symphony’s Summer Pops concerts, performed at a new amphitheater at SouthPark. These free evening concerts are one of the mall’s two signature community events. The other is a Christmas tradition – the annual Christmas tree lighting, which takes place on Thanksgiving Day and features caroling and a visit from Santa.

Other shopping venues include Phillips Place, Sharon Corners, Morrocroft Village and Specialty Shops on the Park. All include shopping and dining options.

Ballantyne is a newer community south of I-485 on what used to be the Morrison hunting preserve. The 2,000-acre development is practically a town unto itself. Within its borders are a 535-acre corporate park, which includes office buildings, a resort hotel, an 18-hole daily-fee golf course and the Dana Rader School of Golf. The golf course has been recognized as one of the best in the state and Dana Rader’s school as one of the best in the country.

Ballantyne Country Club includes custom homes that cost on average around $640,000 and a private 18-hole golf course. Ballantyne also offers several apartment communities and a variety of new-home communities in nearly every price range.

Ballantyne’s town center features shops, restaurants and a YMCA. The area has a new public elementary school, and the county plans to build a middle and high school to accommodate the Ballantyne population, which is expected to grow significantly in the next 10 years.

While SouthPark and Ballantyne are two large landmarks in south Charlotte, they are not its sum and total. Real estate listings for south Charlotte span areas 4, 5 and 6.

Aside from SouthPark, there are numerous other shopping options. The recently renovated Cotswold Village Shops has Old Navy, Storehouse Furniture and Stein Mart, among others. Park Road Shopping Center, one of the area’s oldest shopping centers, is always crowded on weekends with folks visiting local favorite Blackhawk Hardware and other shops.

Farther out Providence Road at N.C. 51 is the Arboretum, a massive shopping center with movie theaters, restaurants, a supermarket, Barnes & Noble and The Gap among its attractions. The Arboretum area has also become a center for service-oriented businesses such as banks, insurance, real estate and medical offices.

Rea Road at Ballantyne Commons treats shoppers and diners to a variety of interests at Stonecrest. This center was developed to attract area soccer moms, and many shops are child-focused.

Heading west on N.C. 51 toward Pineville, you pass a multitude of shopping centers including Carmel Commons, Tower Place and McMullen Creek. As you pass under I-485, you’ll come to the two-story Carolina Place Mall and The Centrum, a shopping center that includes Pier 1 Imports, Home Depot and Petsmart. Allow yourself plenty of time when shopping in this area on the weekends, as N.C. 51 is known for its Saturday traffic jams.

This side of town also includes a variety of recreational options. The Harris YMCA, near SouthPark, and the Siskey YMCA in Matthews are family favorites. Both feature huge fitness centers, special programs for children, playing fields and water parks. The Mecklenburg Aquatic Club on Providence Road is another option for swimming, offering excellent lessons and team competition.

Charlotte Park and Recreation Department operates two greenways in south Charlotte. The McMullen Creek Greenway is accessible off N.C. 51 and features 1.5 miles of walking and biking trails that connect with an additional 4.5 miles of the Lower McAlpine Greenway. McAlpine Creek Greenway, Charlotte’s oldest, has 8.9 miles of trails that are being upgraded and refurbished. The Park and Recreation Department is currently planning the Little Sugar Creek Greenway, which will eventually traverse 15 miles through the heart of Charlotte from Cordelia Park in north Charlotte to the N.C./S.C. state line.

In addition to the greenways, there are several county parks that south Charlotte residents enjoy. Park Road Park has several tennis courts, basketball courts, playground equipment, baseball fields and a 5-acre lake. It’s a popular place for group outings. McAlpine Creek Park on Monroe Road also has a lake, plus walking trails and a nature center. New parks include William R. Davie Park on N.C. 51 near Rea Road and Col. Francis Beatty Park on Weddington Road, which features a 20-acre lake, mountain biking trails and athletic facilities.

As is true throughout the Charlotte region, south Charlotte has something to offer for everyone when it comes to places of worship. You don’t have to live here long to hear about Calvary Church on Pineville-Matthews Road at Rea Road. Its soaring glass windows and pink stucco exterior are visible from miles away due to its hilltop setting. In contrast to this modern church is the centuries-old Providence Presbyterian Church south of I-485, whose historic cemetery has caused new roads to be rerouted.

South Charlotte is also home to Shalom Park on Providence Road, the center of Charlotte’s Jewish community. It includes Temple Beth El, a mainstream Reform synagogue; Temple Israel, a Conservative Jewish congregation and Charlotte’s oldest synagogue; and many Jewish organizations, including the Carolina Agency for Jewish Education and the Jewish Community Center.

South Charlotte is also served by branches of the city’s largest hospitals on either end of Pineville-Matthews Road. Carolinas Healthcare System’s CMC-Pineville and is surrounded by numerous satellite offices of Charlotte medical clinics. To the east is Presbyterian Hospital Matthews.

You’ll find many of Charlotte’s private schools in the southern part of town. There are a number of options, including Charlotte Country Day, Charlotte Latin, Providence Day School, Charlotte Catholic High School and Charlotte Christian.

Lucky for all those students that some of the largest branches of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg library system are in south Charlotte. The Morrocroft shopping and office complex in SouthPark features a large, Jeffersonian-style branch of the library. The new South Regional Library, the largest regional library in North Carolina, is on Rea Road.

South Charlotte also has its share of higher education facilities. Central Piedmont Community College’s 480-acre Levine Campus in Matthews serves thousands of students. Pfeiffer University’s Charlotte campus is on Park Road. This satellite campus of the Misenheimer-based college offers graduate and undergraduate classes.

The Wingate University Matthews Center, established in 1991, offers courses toward several master’s degrees as well as the Adult Degree Completion Program to help toward undergraduate degrees. Students of the Matthews Center also have access to the main university campus facilities in Union County.

 

Southwest Charlotte
To natives, southwest Charlotte was always just Steele Creek, because for a long time that was the only neighborhood in this part of town.

How times change. Over the past decade, the number of households in southwest Charlotte has doubled. And thanks to ready access to I-485 and the rising housing costs in south Charlotte, southwest Charlotte is expected to be one of the primary residential and business growth spots of the future.

While Steele Creek offers the charm of an established neighborhood, this area has much to offer if you’re in the market for a new home. Recently developed communities line N.C. 49, the main thoroughfare of southwest Charlotte, and higher-end communities are under way on the Mecklenburg side of Lake Wylie. You’ll find southwest Charlotte homes listed in real estate area 7.

Following the residential buildup, the area has seen a surge of retail and entertainment growth. The Ayrsley project at I-485, N.C. 49 and Westinghouse Blvd. includes140 acres of business development. This new design features shops, restaurants, hotels, movie theaters and luxury apartments designed with the feel of an old European village. Calling itself the “ Town Center of Southeast Charlotte,” the development anticipates the creation of 53,000 new jobs, which would make it the second-largest employment district in the state.

For many years, southwest Charlotte was attractive only to industrial companies. Today, it draws high-tech companies and national headquarters, with new buildings and office parks announced frequently.

The 400,000-plus-square-foot campus for Microsoft Corp. at Arrowpoint. In addition to Microsoft, Arrowpoint’s major tenants include BellSouth and the U.S. headquarters of Royal & SunAlliance Insurance.

Moving its headquarters from Minneapolis, Minn., the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association now calls Charlotte home. Aptly located on the Billy Graham Parkway, the 63-acre site features the Billy Graham Center for World Evangelism as well as the Billy Graham Library, which chronicles the history of evangelism and the life of the famous evangelist. The library anticipates thousands of visitors each year, and the center itself employs hundreds.

Also new to the area is a 31,000-square-foot building and 18-acre campus off Carowinds Boulevard for nondenominational Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary. Area residents are invited to enjoy the reflecting pond and gardens.

Whitehall, one of Charlotte’s largest office parks, includes a technology park and corporate center. Sprint PCS operates a major customer service center and Source Technologies has created its state-of-the-art U.S. headquarters here.

Whitehall Commons, a 585,000 square foot shopping center includes a Wal-Mart and Lowe’s, and plans for residential projects could add 6,500 homes to the mixed-use development.

Within Whitehall’s 1,000 acres is the 45-acre Whitehall Nature Preserve. Take a tour and you’ll find the preserve, owned by the Catawba Lands Conservancy, is home to several varieties of salamander and frog indigenous to the rare, seasonal wetlands.

You will not believe you’re only minutes from the city when you visit McDowell Park on Lake Wylie. The park features 1,108 picturesque acres of forest where you can hike, picnic, camp or visit the nature center.

Another recreational spot is Renaissance Park, near the Charlotte Coliseum on Tyvola Road. This popular county park includes an 18-hole golf course, athletic fields, biking trails and tennis courts.
The Charlotte Coliseum is the home to WNBA’s Charlotte Sting and will host the Charlotte Bobcats for their first season. The arena, which seats 24,000, also hosts numerous concerts and other sporting events throughout the year.

Just around the corner from the Coliseum is the Charlotte Regional Farmers Market. While you can visit just about any day of the week, on spring weekends you’ll find the greatest selection of vendors from all over the Carolinas. Wander through each shed and chat with farmers while selecting your produce, flowers, baked goods and even crafts.

Central Piedmont Community College recently opened its Southwest Campus off Arrowood Road. The high-tech campus specializes in teaching graphic arts, printing, electronics and welding. It is home to the Harper National Flexographic Center, a key-learning center for those who want to enter the printing field.

The Steele Creek Library on Steele Creek Road near N.C. 49 recently opened its brand-new 15,000 square foot facility in front of the new Southwest Middle School. The new building will provide a wealth of books, technology and programs for families.

Paramount’s Carowinds, a 100-acre theme and water park that straddles the N.C.-S.C. border, is a major family attraction. The young and young-at-heart enjoy more than 100 rides, shows and attractions.

Charlotte/Douglas International Airport, US Airways’ largest hub, serves 116 cities with 523 daily departures. The airy, sun-lit terminal welcomes passengers with rocking chairs and piano music, along with shops and restaurants, but you’ll have to move quickly to get a rocking chair – it’s a hot property for folks between flights.