County

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, […]

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 […]

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 […]

Ten years after the events of 9/11, if we want to assess how well we have learned about the threat of terrorism we need to look back. But we also need to look at our world today, to see how well our learning curve compares with those planning and carrying out terrorist events. And we […]

Historic school buildings exist all around the Charlotte region. Some are imposing buildings in the center of towns, while others are humble buildings in rural areas. Here’s some information about the structures in this photo gallery: Pleasant Retreat Academy was chartered in 1813 and built between 1817 and 1820. The building is the earliest brick […]

Sketches below aer are from the 1966 Greater Charlotte Central Area Plan by A.G. Odell Jr. and Associates.  Map is from the 1960 Wilbur Smith Master Highway Transportation Plan.

While they have a long history in the area, farmers markets have seen a burst of activity in the Charlotte region in recent years. New markets are now springing up inside Charlotte as well as in the towns that ring the center city. Photographer Nancy Pierce visited several farmers markets to capture the life and […]

The City of Salisbury has had great success as a community in preserving its past. These photos highlight some examples of the many treasures in its commercial center and historic neighborhoods. Read related article on this site. Photographs by Nancy Pierce

“Frank Lloyd Wright described vernacular architecture as ‘folk building growing in response to actual needs, fitted into environment…’  Early settlers to the Piedmont – English, Scots-Irish, and German – arrived with traditional European building styles in mind, but they quickly adapted them to our local conditions.  As such, the old farmhouses in the Uwharries became […]

Charlotte, like much of the nation, has been affected by the economic recession that began in December 2007. Job losses and unemployment extend across nearly all economic sectors, leaving virtually no region or industry immune from the downturn. Due to the tenuous situation of banking and finance industries during the recession, Charlotte’s unique position as […]