Mecklenburg County, North Carolina

Mecklenburg County is a county located in the southwestern region of the U.S. state of North Carolina, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,115,482, making it the second-most populous county in North Carolina (after Wake County), and the first county in the Carolinas to surpass one million in population. Its county seat is Charlotte, the state's largest municipality.

Mecklenburg County is the central county of the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC Metropolitan Statistical Area. On September 12, 2013, it was estimated the county surpassed one million residents.

Like its seat, the county is named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Queen of the United Kingdom (1761–1818), whose name is derived from the region of Mecklenburg in Germany. It was named for Mecklenburg Castle (Mecklenburg meaning "large castle" in Low German) in the village of Dorf Mecklenburg.

History
Mecklenburg County was formed by English colonists in 1762 from the western part of Anson County, both in the Piedmont section of the state. It was named in commemoration of the marriage of King George III to Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, for whom the county seat Charlotte is named. Due to unsure boundaries, a large part of south and western Mecklenburg County extended into areas that would later form part of the state of South Carolina. In 1768, most of this area (the part of Mecklenburg County west of the Catawba River) was designated Tryon County, North Carolina.

Determining the final boundaries of these "western" areas between North and South Carolina was a decades-long process. As population increased in the area following the American Revolutionary War, in 1792 the northeastern part of Mecklenburg County was taken by the North Carolina legislature for Cabarrus County. Finally, in 1842 the southeastern part of Mecklenburg County was combined with the western part of Anson County to form Union County.

The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence was allegedly signed on May 20, 1775, and if the document is genuine, Mecklenburg County was the first part of the Thirteen Colonies to declare independence from Great Britain. The "Mecklenburg Resolves" were adopted on May 31, 1775. Mecklenburg continues to celebrate the declaration each year in May, the date of which is included on the flag of North Carolina.

The first gold rush in the United States, the Carolina Gold Rush, began after a 12-year-old boy named Conrad Reed discovered a gold nugget in a stream in neighboring Cabarrus County. Many miners and merchants began settling in the county during that time. The first United States branch mint was established in 1837 in Charlotte and continued operations until 1913. The original building was moved from its original site and redeveloped as a museum.

In 1917, during World War I, Camp Greene was established west of Charlotte as an army training camp. In 1919, after the end of WWI, it was decommissioned. Around the 1930s and 1940s, the population began to rapidly increase. During this time, Carolinas Medical Center and Charlotte College (now the University of North Carolina at Charlotte) were built. Lake Norman was also completed in 1964, after a five-year construction period.

In the mid-20th century, the county continued to see rapid growth. Many new government buildings were constructed, and Charlotte Douglas International Airport was expanded in 1954. By 1960, a quarter million people were living in the county, with the population reaching half a million by 1990. A proposal to form a consolidated city-county government with Charlotte was considered, but voted down by residents in 1971. The metropolitan statistical area now includes 11 counties in both North Carolina and South Carolina, and had an estimated combined population of 2,805,115 in 2023.

In mid-2020, the county was the site of the 2020 Colonial Pipeline oil spill, wherein about 2,000,000 U.S.gal of gasoline leaked from the Colonial Pipeline in the Oehler Nature Preserve near Huntersville. It is one of the largest gasoline spills in U.S. history, and cleanup efforts are expected to last for several years.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 546.09 sqmi, of which 523.61 sqmi is land and 22.48 sqmi (4.12%) is water.

State and local protected areas/sites

 * Carolina Raptor Center
 * Charlotte Museum of History
 * Historic Latta Place
 * Historic Rural Hill/Nature Preserve
 * Little Sugar Creek Greenway
 * Mint Museum Randolph, uses the original Charlotte Mint building
 * Mint Museum Uptown
 * Oehler Nature Preserve
 * President James K. Polk Historic Site

Nature preserves in Charlotte:
 * Auten Nature Preserve
 * Big Rock Nature Preserve
 * Cowans Ford Wildlife Refuge
 * Ferrelltown Nature Preserve
 * Latta Nature Preserve
 * McDowell Nature Preserve
 * Possum Walk Nature Preserve
 * Reedy Creek Nature Preserve
 * Sherman Branch Nature Preserve
 * Stevens Creek Nature Preserve

Major water bodies

 * Catawba River
 * Lake Norman
 * Mountain Island Lake
 * Rocky River

Adjacent counties

 * Iredell County – north
 * Cabarrus County – northeast
 * Union County – southeast
 * Lancaster County, South Carolina – south
 * York County, South Carolina – southwest
 * Gaston County – west
 * Lincoln County – northwest

2020 census
As of the 2020 census, there were 1,115,482 people, 426,313 households, and 254,759 families residing in the county.

2000 census
At the 2000 census, there were 695,454 people, 273,416 households, and 174,986 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,322 /mi2. There were 292,780 housing units at an average density of 556 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 64.02% White, 27.87% Black or African American, 0.35% American Indian/Alaska Native, 3.15% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 3.01% from other races, and 1.55% from two or more races. 6.45% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 273,416 households, out of which 32.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.70% were married couples living together, 12.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.00% were non-families. 27.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.10% under the age of 18, 9.70% from 18 to 24, 36.40% from 25 to 44, 20.30% from 45 to 64, and 8.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 96.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $50,579, and the median income for a family was $60,608. Males had a median income of $40,934 versus $30,100 for females. The per capita income for the county was $27,352. About 6.60% of families and 9.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.50% of those under age 18 and 9.30% of those age 65 or over.

Law and government
Mecklenburg County is a member of the regional Centralina Council of Governments.

The county is governed by the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners (BOCC). The BOCC is a nine-member board made up of representatives elected from six single-member districts, and three at-large representatives elected by the entire county. This electoral structure favors at-large candidates who appeal to the majority population of the county. Each District has a population of approximately 165,000 individuals. All seats are partisan and are for 2-year terms (elections occur in even years). The current chairman of the Mecklenburg BOCC is George Dunlap (D, District 3). The Current Vice-chair is Elaine Powell (D, District 1).

Members of the Mecklenburg County Commission are required by North Carolina State law to choose a chair and vice-chair once a year (at the first meeting of December). Historically, the individual elected was the 'top-vote-getter', typically one of three at-large members. In 2014 this unofficial rule was changed by the Board to allow any member to serve as Chair or vice-chair as long as they received support from 4 members plus their own vote.

The nine members of the Board of County Commissioners are:
 * George Dunlap (D, District 3, chairman)
 * Elaine Powell (D, District 1, Vice Chairman)
 * Pat Cotham (D, At-Large)
 * Leigh Altman (D, At-Large)
 * Wilhelmenia Rembert (D, At-Large)
 * Vilma Leake (D, District 2)
 * Mark Jerrell (D, District 4)
 * Laura Meier (D, District 5)
 * Susan Rodriguez-McDowell (D, District 6)

Politics
Mecklenburg County was one of the first parts of North Carolina to break away from a Solid South voting pattern. It was a Republican-leaning swing county for most of the second half of the 20th century, supporting the GOP all but three times from 1952 to 2000. However, the county has strongly trended Democratic in the 21st century, particularly in federal and statewide elections. The expansion of the financial and business communities since the late 20th century attracted many newcomers from other areas of the country, with more diverse voting patterns. The more ethnically diverse core and northern sections of Charlotte trend Democratic, while wealthier and whiter suburban areas to the south of the city lean more Republican.

In 2004, John Kerry became only the fourth Democrat to carry Mecklenburg County since Harry Truman in 1948, and the third to win it with a majority since Franklin Roosevelt's last campaign in 1944. In 2008, the county swung dramatically to support Barack Obama, who won 60.8 percent of the county's vote, at the time the strongest showing for a Democrat in the county since Roosevelt's landslides. Obama's 100,100-vote margin in the county helped him become the first Democrat to carry North Carolina since 1976. At the same time, John McCain became the first Republican to win less than 40 percent of the county's vote since 1948.

Obama won the county almost as easily in 2012. The county swung even further in favor of Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Joe Biden in 2020, with both beating Obama's 2008 total. However, Republicans continue to retain some strength in local races.

Economy


The major industries of Mecklenburg County are banking, manufacturing, and professional services, especially those supporting banking and medicine. Mecklenburg County is home to ten Fortune 1000 companies.

Wachovia, a former Fortune 500 company, had its headquarters in Charlotte until it was acquired by Wells Fargo for $15.1 billion. Wells Fargo maintains the majority of the former company's operations in Charlotte.

Goodrich Corporation, a former Fortune 500 company, had its headquarters in Charlotte until it was acquired by United Technologies Corporation for $18.4 billion. Charlotte is now the headquarters for UTC Aerospace Systems.

Air
The county's primary commercial aviation airport is Charlotte Douglas International Airport in Charlotte.

Intercity rail
With twenty-five freight trains a day, Mecklenburg is a freight railroad transportation center, largely due to its place on the NS main line between Washington and Atlanta, and the large volumes of freight moving in and out of the county via truck.

Mecklenburg County is served daily by three Amtrak routes. The Crescent train connects Charlotte with New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Charlottesville, and Greensboro to the north, and Atlanta, Birmingham and New Orleans to the southwest.

The Carolinian train connects Charlotte with New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Richmond, Raleigh, Durham and Greensboro.

The Piedmont train connects Charlotte with Raleigh, Durham and Greensboro.

The Amtrak station is located at 1914 North Tryon Street. A new centralized multimodal train station, Gateway Station, has been planned for the city. It is expected to house the future LYNX Purple Line, the new Greyhound bus station, and the Crescent line that passes through Uptown Charlotte.

Mecklenburg County is the proposed southern terminus for the initial segment of the Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor operating between Charlotte and Washington, D.C. Currently in conceptual design, the SEHSR would eventually run from Washington, D.C. to Macon, Georgia.

Light rail and mass transit
Light rail service in Mecklenburg County is provided by LYNX Rapid Transit Services. Currently, the 19 mi Lynx Blue Line runs from University of North Carolina at Charlotte, through Uptown Charlotte, to Pineville; build-out is expected to be complete by 2034. The CityLynx Gold Line, a 1.5 mi streetcar line runs from Sunnyside Avenue, in Plaza-Midwood, through Uptown Charlotte, stopping at the Charlotte Transportation Center and future Charlotte Gateway Station, before continuing to French Street in Biddleville (Charlotte neighborhood), near the campus of Johnson C. Smith University.

Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) bus service serves all of Mecklenburg County, including Charlotte, and the municipalities of Davidson, Huntersville, Cornelius, Matthews, Pineville, and Mint Hill.

The Lynx Silver Line is a proposed 29 mi east-west light rail line that would connect the outlying cities and towns of Belmont, Matthews, Stallings and Indian Trail to Uptown Charlotte and the Charlotte Douglas International Airport. Originally setup as two separate projects known as the Southeast Corridor and West Corridor, they were merged in 2019 by the Metropolitan Transit Commission. The tentative opening date in 2037.

Freight
Mecklenburg's manufacturing base, its central location on the Eastern Seaboard, and the intersection of two major interstates in the county have made it a hub for the trucking industry. Also located in the county is the Inland Port of Charlotte, which is a major rail corridor for CSX rail lines.

Major highways

 * Charlotte Route 4 shield.svg Charlotte Route 4
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 * Charlotte Route 4 shield.svg Charlotte Route 4
 * Charlotte Route 4 shield.svg Charlotte Route 4
 * Charlotte Route 4 shield.svg Charlotte Route 4

School system
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) serves the entire county; however, the State of North Carolina also has approved a number of charter schools in Mecklenburg County (independently operated schools financed with tax dollars).

Current

 * Central Piedmont Community College
 * Davidson College
 * Johnson C. Smith University
 * Johnson & Wales University
 * Pfeiffer University
 * Queens University of Charlotte
 * Union Presbyterian Seminary
 * University of North Carolina at Charlotte
 * Wake Forest University Charlotte Center

Former

 * King's College

Libraries
The Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County serves residents of Mecklenburg County. Library cards from any branch can be used at all 20 locations. The library has an extensive collection (over 1.5 million items) of reference and popular materials including DVDs, books on CD, best sellers, downloadable media, and books.

The Billy Graham Library contains the papers and memorabilia related to the career of the well-known 20th century evangelist, Billy Graham.

Healthcare
Two major healthcare providers exist within Mecklenburg County, Atrium Health, and Novant Health. The two healthcare systems combined offer 14 emergency departments throughout Mecklenburg County, including a psychiatric emergency department and two children's emergency departments. Two hospitals in the region offer trauma services with one level I trauma center and one level III. Atrium Health, legally Charlotte-Mecklenburg Hospital Authority, is the public hospital authority of the county.

The residents of Mecklenburg County are provided emergency medical service by MEDIC, the Mecklenburg EMS Agency. All emergency ambulance service is provided by MEDIC. No other emergency transport companies are allowed to operate within Mecklenburg County. In the fiscal year 2022, MEDIC responded to over 160,000 calls for service and transported over 107,000 patients. While MEDIC is a division of Mecklenburg County Government, a board guides and directs MEDIC that consists of members affiliated with Atrium Health, Novant Health and a swing vote provided by the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners. Atrium and Novant are the two major medical institutions in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Museums and libraries

 * Bechtler Museum of Modern Art
 * Billy Graham Library
 * Carolinas Aviation Museum
 * Charlotte Museum of History
 * Charlotte Nature Museum
 * Discovery Place
 * Discovery Place Kids-Huntersville
 * Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture
 * ImaginOn
 * Levine Museum of the New South
 * McColl Center for Visual Art
 * Mint Museum Randolph
 * Mint Museum Uptown
 * NASCAR Hall of Fame
 * Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County

Sports and entertainment

 * Carolina Panthers
 * Charlotte Hornets
 * Charlotte Hounds
 * Charlotte FC
 * Charlotte Checkers
 * Charlotte Knights
 * Charlotte Independence
 * Charlotte Motor Speedway
 * Bank of America Stadium
 * Truist Field
 * Knights Stadium
 * American Legion Memorial Stadium

Music and performing arts venues

 * Actor's Theatre of Charlotte
 * Bojangles' Coliseum
 * Carolina Actors Studio Theatre
 * ImaginOn
 * Knight Theater
 * Morrison YMCA Amphitheatre
 * The Neighborhood Theatre in NoDa
 * North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center
 * Ovens Auditorium
 * PNC Music Pavilion
 * Spectrum Center
 * Spirit Square
 * Theatre Charlotte
 * Uptown Amphitheatre At the NC Music Factory

Amusement parks

 * Carowinds
 * Great Wolf Lodge in Cabarrus County
 * Ray's Splash Planet

Other attractions

 * Carolina Place Mall
 * Carolina Raptor Center
 * Concord Mills Mall in Cabarrus County
 * Lake Norman
 * Lake Wylie
 * Latta Plantation Nature Preserve
 * Little Sugar Creek Greenway
 * Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center
 * Northlake Mall
 * President James K. Polk Historic Site
 * SouthPark Mall
 * U.S. National Whitewater Center
 * Charlotte Premium Outlets

Communities
Mecklenburg County contains seven municipalities including the City of Charlotte and the towns of Cornelius, Davidson, and Huntersville (north of Charlotte); and the towns of Matthews, Mint Hill, and Pineville (south and southeast of Charlotte). A small portion of Stallings is also in Mecklenburg County, though most of that town is in Union County. Extraterritorial jurisdictions within the county are annexed by municipalities as soon as they reach sufficient concentrations. Townships are administrative divisions of unincorporated county land and do not have any government function.

City

 * Charlotte (county seat and largest municipality in the county and state)

Towns

 * Cornelius
 * Davidson
 * Huntersville
 * Matthews
 * Mint Hill
 * Pineville
 * Stallings

Unincorporated communities

 * Caldwell
 * Dixie
 * Hopewell
 * Newell

Townships
By the requirements of the North Carolina Constitution of 1868, Mecklenburg County was divided into 15 townships. However, one township, Sharon, was later annexed to the Charlotte township and ceased to exist. The townships, which are both numbered and named, are as follows:


 * Township 1, Charlotte
 * Township 2, Berryhill
 * Township 3, Steele Creek
 * Township 4, Sharon (extinct)
 * Township 5, Providence
 * Township 6, Clear Creek
 * Township 7, Crab Orchard
 * Township 8, Mallard Creek
 * Township 9, Deweese
 * Township 10, Lemley
 * Township 11, Long Creek
 * Township 12, Paw Creek
 * Township 13, Morning Star
 * Township 14, Pineville
 * Township 15, Huntersville

Notable people

 * Abraham Alexander (1717–1786), on the commission to establish town of Charlotte, North Carolina, North Carolina state legislator
 * Evan Shelby Alexander (1767–1809), born in Mecklenburg County, later United States Congressman from North Carolina
 * Nathaniel Alexander (1756–1808), born in Mecklenburg County, United States Congressman and governor of North Carolina
 * Nellie Ashford (born c. 1943), folk artist born in Mecklenburg County
 * Romare Bearden (1911–1988), 20th century African-American artist
 * Sarah Frew Davidson (1804-1889), educator
 * Brigadier General William Lee Davidson (1746–1781), was a North Carolina militia general during the American Revolutionary War.
 * Ric Flair (born 1949), retired professional wrestler
 * Anthony Foxx (born 1971), former United States Secretary of Transportation, former mayor of Charlotte.
 * Judge Shirley Fulton (1952–2023), chief resident judge in the Superior Court of North Carolina
 * Billy Graham (1918–2018), world-famous evangelist
 * Eliza Ann Grier (1864–1902), born in Mecklenburg County, first African-American female physician in Georgia
 * Anthony Hamilton (born 1971), American R&B/soul singer
 * Daniel Harvey Hill (1821–1889), Confederate general during the American Civil War and a Southern scholar.
 * Gen. Robert Irwin (1738–1800), a distinguished commander of Patriot (American Revolution) militia forces, who is said to have been a signer of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence
 * Willie Kirkpatrick Lindsay (1875–1954), Dean of Women, Erskine College; President, North Carolina State Woman's Christian Temperance Union
 * Pat McCrory (born 1956), former Governor of North Carolina, former seven-term Mayor of Charlotte.
 * James K. Polk (1795–1849), 11th president of the United States. Polk was born in Mecklenburg County in 1795; his family moved to Tennessee when he was an adolescent.
 * Colonel William Polk (1758–1834) banker, educational administrator, political leader, renowned Continental officer in the War for American Independence, and survivor of the 1777/1778 encampment at Valley Forge.
 * Shannon Spake (born 1976), ESPN NASCAR correspondent