Mecklenburg
![](https://ui.charlotte.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/1003/2024/02/Gaston_polling_place_2009_-_Pierce-300x300.jpg)
Voters born elsewhere make up nearly half of N.C. electorate
One hundred years ago, when North Carolina had a population of about 2.5 million people, more than nine out of 10 residents were native Tar Heels. Today’s North Carolina, in contrast, approaches a population of 10 million, with more than 4 million residents born in another state or country. Population growth and change have had […]
![](https://ui.charlotte.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/1003/2024/02/NPierceFood_packaging-01.cropped-300x300.jpg)
The story behind your recycling bin
Tucked at the end of a dead-end street in an industrial area just north of uptown Charlotte, Mecklenburg’s recycling processing plant sits as a storyteller of the area’s challenges in figuring out how to reduce its dependence on landfills. KEEPING WATCH This article is part of the three-year KEEPING WATCH initiative. Learn more about the […]
![Off Brickyard Road near U.S. 21, Fort Mill, S.C.: In 1763 Thomas Spratt – the first white settler in Fort Mill area, Revolutionary War soldier and friend of the Catawba Indians – built his home near the Nation Ford Road. The Spratt family cemetery remains on the spot in a wooded area near the present-day bustle of U.S. 21.](https://ui.charlotte.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/1003/2013/12/17_Thomas-Spratt-Cemetery-300x300.jpg)
A road runs through it: U.S. 21 tells the region’s story
Photographer Nancy Pierce’s visual story of people and places along U.S. 21 offers a window into the way the road, like the region, has reinvented itself over time. The map (left) shows the areas along U.S. 21 that the photo gallery shows. The links to the three inset areas give a PDF map with more […]
![](https://ui.charlotte.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/1003/2024/02/GIS-Day-Youth-300x232.jpg)
Experience geography in the 21st century at GIS day
How do we use maps in the modern world? Your smart phone, GPS, digital camera and daily weather report all use modern versions of maps called geographic information systems. GIS day is an event that helps explain the growing importance of this technology in daily life. Want to attend? Location: Spirit Square Center for the […]
![](https://ui.charlotte.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/1003/2024/02/Melbourne_Aus_march-300x300.jpg)
Survey: Mecklenburg majority believes Earth is warming
A strong majority of Mecklenburg County residents surveyed said they think there’s solid evidence the Earth has warmed in recent decades. An even larger majority said it’s a somewhat or very serious problem. Yet despite nearly unanimous consensus among climate scientists that global climate change is occurring due to human activity, only about half the […]
![](https://ui.charlotte.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/1003/2024/02/RS3763_web_groupwork-300x300.jpg)
Connect your neighborhood with a digital makeover
Does your neighborhood need help creating a website, using social media such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, learning how to send text message alerts or any other digital communications? If so, you might want to take a look at the digital communications workshop Queens University is offering, in partnership with the City of Charlotte. The […]
![](https://ui.charlotte.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/1003/2024/02/04_Transformer-Park-AFTER-WEB-300x300.jpg)
Imagining a trail of parks through South End
Fact No. 1: A sidewalk runs beside the light rail tracks through South End, from Morehead Street to a little north of the Scaleybark Station. Fact. No. 2: South End, which grew up from what had been an industrial sector of the city (nearby Dilworth and Wilmore neighborhoods notwithstanding), does not have a park. Add […]
![Articles & Research
Articles & Research
Articles
Galleries
Beloved places in the Piedmont
Maps
Publications and Reports
Primary tabs
View(active tab)
Edit
Contributor:
Mary Newsom
(Read the full article about the contest winners here.)
Although all excellent photos speak for themselves, sometimes comments from the photographer add another layer of meaning.
Kevin J. Beaty, about his photos of the Torance House and Store and of uptown Charlotte: “We used to call it the ‘Ghost House’ when I was a kid, so approaching it late at night to get this shot was particularly scary.” (Read about the house here.) And: “On a warm night, uptown Charlotte is a fantastic place for a long romantic walk ended, of course, with a Sabrett's hotdog and a Coke.”
Jason Walser, about his photo of a rural Rowan County field: “I snapped this photo of a conserved property in western Rowan County off of White Road. (I) looked east towards the sunrise. Roosters were crowing in the distance when I took this, and it was the only sound I could hear. I … felt like I was part of something special as West Rowan County came alive between 6:30 and 7 a.m. Cows mooing, birds chirping, and roosters crowing. This is a beautiful place that, thanks to conservation efforts, will look pretty much just like this for countless generations to follow.”
Michael J. Solender, about his photo of the Firebird: “One Charlotte place I love is the plaza in front of the Bechtler Museum at the Levine Avenue of the Arts and South Tryon Street. I especially enjoy it at night when the Firebird gleams and the foot traffic from the adjacent Knight Theater spills out onto the plaza. I took this photo when my sister-in-law was in town for a show, and the moment I took the photo the plaza was clear – moments later it was filled with people.”
From Fitz Lee of Charlotte, about his creek photo: “There is about a 50-yard stretch of Briar Creek behind Myers Park High School that I feel is Mother Nature's proudest display. From most vantage points it appears that you are hundreds of miles away from the city. Beautiful rock-laden waterway covered with low-hanging greenery - great hangout for all kinds of birds."
Configure
Winner, by Kevin Beaty A spooky look at the historic Hugh Torance House in north Mecklenburg County. Photo: Kevin J. Beaty](https://ui.charlotte.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/1003/2013/04/KevinBeaty06-WINNER1-300x300.jpg)
Beloved places in the Piedmont
(Read the full article about the contest winners here.) Although all excellent photos speak for themselves, sometimes comments from the photographer add another layer of meaning. Kevin J. Beaty, about his photos of the Torance House and Store and of uptown Charlotte: “We used to call it the ‘Ghost House’ when I was a kid, […]
![](https://ui.charlotte.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/1003/2024/02/RS3968_Mint_Hill_008-300x300.jpg)
Easy access to work? Charlotte’s not atop list
Charlotte ranks near the bottom in a recent study of access to jobs via automobiles in the top 51 U.S. metro areas. Raleigh ranks even lower. The study, Access Across America, by David Levinson, the R.P. Braun/CTS Chair in Transportation Engineering at the University of Minnesota, ranks the Charlotte metro area No. 40, with the […]
![Chihuly Garden and Glass exhibition at the foot of the Space Needle in Seattle, Washington. The picture shows some of Chihuly’s huge blown glass artworks in a garden setting as nature and art intermingle. Photo: Melissa Currie](https://ui.charlotte.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/1003/2024/03/WEB_ChihulyGarden-300x300.jpg)
Environmental art: A photo gallery
Defining environmental art is about as difficult as defining art itself. It’s a catch-all term encompassing different types of art-environment fusion. Writer Melissa Currie tries to sort out the different types of art that, together, make up environmental art in this article.