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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."
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Winner, by Kevin Beaty A spooky look at the historic Hugh Torance House in north Mecklenburg County. Photo: Kevin J. Beaty

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, […]

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 […]

Advanced manufacturing: Economic lifeline?

“In 1965, if you had a good back and a good alarm clock, you could make a good living in Milwaukee,” Mayor Tom Barrett told a recent Raleigh conference, because of the strength, at the time, of that city’s manufacturing sector. Although rural Stanly County is very different, that Milwaukee attitude was also the prevailing […]

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

Environmental art: A photo gallery

Categories: Charlotte, Gallery, Mecklenburg

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.

Historic landmark mid-century houses in Mecklenburg County

In Charlotte: The Praise Connor and Harriett Lee House3714 Country Ridge Road in the Mountainbrook neighborhoodBuilt in 1963; designed by architect Praise Connor LeeDesignated in 2002 The Robert and Elizabeth Lassiter House726 Hempstead Place in Eastover neighborhoodBuilt in 1951 (oldest Modernist house in Charlotte); designed by architect A.G. OdellDesignated in 2003 In Davidson: The James […]

Face-painting at Anne Springs Close Greenway in April 2010.

The allure of greenways, throughout the region

Contributor: Nancy Pierce Communities around the Charlotte region are building greenways for residents to use for walking, bicycling, hiking and even skating. The Carolina Thread Trail has played an important role in making these new pathways a growing transportation and recreation resource. The Foundation For The Carolinas helped initiate that project and The Catawba Lands Conservancy […]

When cities, counties merge: Lessons for Charlotte?

It is commonly expected that consolidating Charlotte and Mecklenburg County will result in less government fragmentation, fewer elected officials and lower the cost of service provision. It very well may, but citizens should know that nothing is guaranteed when it comes to city-county consolidation. And some of the commonly held beliefs about consolidation may not, […]

Kings Mountain's mural portrays a Revolutionary War-era mountain scene.

Murals tell the Piedmont’s history

Photographer Nancy Pierce created this photo gallery of some of the murals found in many of the small towns and cities throughout the Charlotte region. Some were 1976 U.S. Bicentennial projects; others are just a few years old: Kings Mountain: This mural in the Cleveland County town of Kings Mountain was completed in June 2000 by […]

Crowd in Charlotte watches Fourth of July fireworks from the Hawthorne bridge.

A Carolina summer comes to an end

Summer officially ends Friday, and the close of a week of cloudy, unseasonably cool weather marks an occasion to look back and remind ourselves of the Carolinas Piedmont in summer 2011. It was a summer of hail storms, high winds and in some parts, even the fringes of tropical storm Irene. The National Oceanic and […]