CHARLOTTE

Charlotte is a city rich in history and diverse in business and cultural opportunities. The 21st most populous city in the United States (population about 614,000), Charlotte encompasses 268 square miles. Located in the Piedmont region of the Carolinas, Charlotte is within a two-hour drive of the beautiful Appalachian Mountains to the west and a four-hour drive east to the Atlantic Ocean. The area's climate is moderate and pleasant all year. With average high and low temperatures of 50/31 in January and 88/69 in July, Charlotte offers month after month of beautiful Carolina blue skies. Charlotte takes pride in being a city of trees, and the fall and spring seasons transform the city with breathtaking displays of color.

Settled by the Scotch Irish in the 1740s, Charlotte grew with America's first discovery of gold nearby in 1799. In fact, Charlotte was the gold mining capital of the United States until the California Gold Rush began. This was Charlotte's beginning as a strong financial center. Thriving with economic and commercial activity, Charlotte is a banking city and the second largest financial center in the United States (second only to New York City).

Because of the strong economy, more than 16,000 new jobs are created in Charlotte each year, which provides a wide range of opportunities for employment. In addition to being a world banking and financial center, Charlotte is home to many major employers in the fields of transportation, textiles, education, manufacturing, communications, media, technology, health care, energy, retailing, government, construction, agribusiness, service industries, and professional sports. To help in searching for employment for your spouse or other family member, visit greatcharlottejobs.com. Uniquely, Charlotte offers a superior quality of life with a cost of living below national average. Check out the cost of living index on the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce Web site at www.charlottechamber.com.

The inviting atmosphere of Charlotte, where business booms and home life is easy, continues to attract newcomers. Charlotte is ranked as a hot and affordable housing market, and because of its position as a financial center, home loans are readily available. Newcomers have almost unlimited options of homes and lifestyles in Charlotte. Whether you're looking for an apartment, a single family home, Uptown living, lake living, or historic neighborhoods, you'll easily find a place to call home.

Charlotte boasts 525 churches, 111 neighborhood and community parks, and 25 golf courses. The area provides many cultural opportunities. These include Discovery Place, a $14 million science and technology museum, which houses a theater, a planetarium, a three-story rain forest, and aquariums for fresh and salt water exhibits. The Mint Museum, the first branch of the Philadelphia Mint where coins were minted from 1837 to 1861, contains collections of European and American paintings from the Renaissance, porcelain, pre-Columbian art, African art, and antique coins. The Mint's sister museum, the Mint Museum of Craft and Design, features a permanent collection of contemporary ceramics, fiber, glass, metal, and wood works.

For those who love the performing arts, the North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, located uptown in the Bank of America Tower and Founders Hall, features the 2,100-seat Belk Theater. The Performing Arts Center brings opportunities for enjoyment of performances by the Charlotte Philharmonic Orchestra, Charlotte Repertory Theatre, the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, Opera Carolina, and many out-of-town guests.

For sports enthusiasts, Charlotte offers an exciting and varied professional sports scene. The 72,300 seat Bank of America Stadium is home to the Carolina Panthers, the 29th NFL team to enter the league. If your love is basketball, the WNBA Charlotte Sting and NBA Charlotte Bobcats will provide endless hours of excitement. In addition, the Charlotte Knights, an AAA affiliate of the Florida Marlins, make their home in Knights Stadium, a $15 million baseball facility completed in 1988.

One of the busiest sports facilities in the country, Lowe's Motor Speedway, hosts three NASCAR Nextel Cup Series events each year. The Speedway has 167,000 permanent seats and capacity for nearly 40,000 more spectators in the infield of the 1.5-mile super speedway. The speedway is the largest sports facility in the Southeast and is recognized as one of the finest NASCAR facilities in the U.S.

No matter what your interest or lifestyle, the Charlotte area offers something for everyone.