Center City Ring

If you’d like to live close to Uptown but not in the direct shadow of the skyscrapers, you have a huge range of options, both in terms of price and type of housing. Charlotte’s Center City Ring, sometimes called urban ring neighborhoods, surround the Uptown area. They can be divided roughly into two categories: the historic streetcar suburbs sometimes known as “Old Charlotte” and the transitional neighborhoods that were built out primarily in the post-World War II housing boom.

Old Charlotte – Compared to most cities, old Charlotte doesn’t look old at all. These neighborhoods were Charlotte’s first true suburbs. They began to emerge in the late 1800s thanks to streetcar routes. Myers Park and Eastover are the grande dames of Old Charlotte with their stately homes and oak-canopied avenues.

Dilworth, created in 1898, experienced a revival during the 1980s and is now a comfortable, elegant neighborhood. SouthEnd, located next to Dilworth near South Boulevard, has recently redeveloped into a hot spot, drawing people from all over the city to its restaurants, nightclubs and businesses. And new apartments and condos continue springing up along the LYNX Blue Line, which runs through the heart of SouthEnd.

Cherry (adjacent to Myers Park), Biddleville and Washington Heights (off Beatties Ford Rd.) are among Charlotte’s oldest historically black neighborhoods. They’ve declined quite a bit from their former glory, but commercial developments in and around these neighborhoods are attracting investors that will likely turn these neighborhoods into residential hot spots in a few short years.

Some other neighborhoods in “Old Charlotte,” each in various stages of revitalization, include the Wesley Heights local historic district (northwest of Center City between W. Morehead and W. Trade Streets), Wilmore (off South Tryon Street), Elizabeth (area around East Seventh Street), Crescent Heights (off Randolph Rd.), Plaza-Midwood (along Central Avenue and The Plaza), and Belmont (off 12th Street near Alpha Mill, Charlotte’s oldest textile mill now renovated into trendy, upscale apartments).

Transitional Neighborhoods – Much like Old Charlotte, transitional neighborhoods vary widely in housing prices and level of revitalization. Several of them, such as Chantilly and Sedgefield, are nestled near Old Charlotte neighborhoods, enjoying a certain level of prominence by association. Housing prices in these neighborhoods have climbed rapidly over the last decade.

But if you’re a bargain-hunting urban pioneer, one of the transitional neighborhoods in the early stages of revitalization may be the place for you. Many of these neighborhoods have their own fascinating histories, albeit more recent history. Camp Greene, for instance, is named after the World War I army training camp that operated there. Camp Greene brought thousands of soldiers to Charlotte in the 1920s, many of whom returned to Charlotte after the war. Development of the neighborhood continued into the 1950s, and it is now populated with bungalows, ranch houses and a beautiful canopy of mature trees.

NoDa – A segment of North Davidson Street approximately two miles from Uptown, NoDa s a National Register Historic District in recognition of the part the area’s mills played in textile history. The last mill shut down in the 1970s, and the area began attracting artists who envisioned and created an arts community. NoDa is now home to a variety of funky galleries, restaurants, live music venues and housing options.

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