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Charlotte^[a] is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. With a population of 874,579 at the 2020 census,^[12] it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., seventh-most populous city in the South, and second-most populous city in the Southeast (after Jacksonville, Florida). The Charlotte metropolitan area, with an estimated 2.88 million residents, is the 21st-largest metropolitan area in the U.S. and lies at the center of an 18-county combined statistical area with an estimated population of 3.47 million as of 2024.^[8] Charlotte is the county seat of Mecklenburg County.

Charlotte is named for Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, who became queen consort of Great Britain and Ireland in 1761. It was inhabited by the Catawba people, whose trading paths along the Great Wagon Road became the city’s first streets, before Eurpean settlers arrived in the 18th century. Charlotte was incorporated in 1768. Local leaders and signed the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence in 1775, one of the first such declarations that eventually led to the American Revolution. Railroads turned Charlotte into a regional trading hub after the American Civil War, and by 1910 it had surpassed Wilmington as North Carolina’s largest city. Throughout the 2020s, it has remained one of the fastest-growing major cities in the United States.^{[13][14][15][16]}

Charlotte has a humid subtropical climate. It is located several miles east of the Catawba River and southeast of Lake Norman, the largest human-made lake in North Carolina.^[17][18] Lake Wylie and Mountain Island Lake are two smaller human-made lakes located near the city.^[19][20] As of 2024, 66% of the city’s area is occupied by green spaces.^[21] The city ranks as the greenest in North America and 28th in the world.^[22] Charlotte is home to the corporate headquarters of Bank of America, Honeywell, Truist Financial, and the East Coast headquarters of Wells Fargo, which, when combined with other Charlotte-based financial institutions, makes the city the second-largest banking center in the nation.^{[23][24][25][26]}

Charlotte’s notable attractions include three major league professional sports teams, the Carolina Panthers of the NFL, the Charlotte Hornets of the NBA, and Charlotte FC of MLS. The city is also home to the NASCAR Hall of Fame, Opera Carolina, Charlotte Symphony, Charlotte Ballet, Children’s Theatre of Charlotte, Mint Museum, Harvey B. Gantt Center, Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, the Billy Graham Library, Levine Museum of the New South, Charlotte Museum of History, Carowinds amusement park, and U.S. National Whitewater Center.^{[27][28][29][30][31][32]} Residents of Charlotte are referred to as “Charlotteans“.^[33][34]