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Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Winston-Salem is a city located in Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 185,776. It is the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, and it is the fifth-largest city in the state. The Old Salem district and related Historic Bethabara site are the city's oldest historical attractions. Also of historical interest is Reynolda Village (which includes Reynolda Gardens and the Reynolda House Museum of American Art). Other sites of interest include the Horne Creek Historic Farm, Tanglewood Park, the SciWorks educational facility, and SECCA, the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art. Winston-Salem is also the location of the corporate headquarters of the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco corporation, Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc., and Branch Banking and Trust Company (BB&T). The Wachovia Corporation was based in Winston-Salem until it merged with First Union Corporation in September 2001; the corporate headquarters of the combined company are now located in Charlotte, North Carolina. In December 2004, the city landed a deal with Dell, Inc. to build a computer assembly plant nearby in southeastern Forsyth County, near the junction of Interstate 40 and US Route 311. To attract Dell, the city offered an incentive package that could reach almost $38 million dollars. The State offered additional incentives which could reach $267 million. The incentive packages have sparked a lawsuit and received criticism including that of state representative Paul Luebke, who said that he thinks "North Carolina dramatically overpaid Dell to come here." [http://www.journalnow.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WSJ%2FMGArticle%2FWSJ_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031779834649]. Despite the controversy, construction of the plant was completed during the summer of 2005, and the plant celebrated its official opening on October 5, 2005 with 350 employees. Dell expects the number of local employees to increase to 700 by September 2006 and economic studies have projected that, by 2010, the region will gain 1,500 Dell jobs and potentially as many as 6,000 indirect jobs. .[http://www.journalnow.com/scripts/isapi_srun.dll/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WSJ%2FMGArticle%2FWSJ_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031785456855&DPL=JPsPDSL7ChA75gkNJuA7&tacodalogin=yes] The Winston-Salem MSA has an estimated population of 441,607 according to the 2004 estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau. The combined statistical area (CSA) of Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point has a July 1, 2004 population of 1,335,217. Source: US Bureau of the Census Released April 2005

History

Salem

The origin of the town of Salem dates back to January 1753, when Bishop August Gottlieb Spangenberg, on behalf of the Moravian church, selected a settlement site which he called "Muddy Creek du Wachau" (Wachovia, named after the Austrian estate of Count Nicholas Ludwig von Zinzendorf). The land, just short of 99,000 acres (400 km²), was subsequently purchased from John Carteret, 1st Earl Granville. On November 17, 1753, the first settlers arrived at what would later become the town of Bethabara. This town, despite its rapid growth, was not designed to be the primary settlement on the tract. Instead, the guidance of the Lord was sought for selection of a new town by drawing lots among sites which were suitable. The town established on the chosen site was given the name of Salem (for "peace").

Winston

In 1849 the town of Winston was founded, named after a local hero of the Revolutionary War, Joseph Winston, who was well-known in the town of Salem. Shortly thereafter both Winston and Salem were incorporated into the newly formed Forsyth County, It thrived as an industrial town, producing tobacco products, furniture and textiles. In 1851 Winston was designated the county seat, and, with plans to connect the cities of Winston and Salem, the county courthouse square was placed just one mile north of Salem's square.

Winston-Salem

In 1889, the United States Postal Service combined the mail offices for the two towns, and the towns were officially joined as "Winston-Salem" in 1913. The Reynolds family (see Richard Joshua Reynolds and R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company) played a large role in the history and public life of Winston-Salem.

Geography

R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company Winston-Salem is located at 36°6'10" North, 80°15'38" West (36.102764, -80.260491). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 283.9 km² (109.6 mi²). 281.9 km² (108.8 mi²) of it is land and 2.0 km² (0.8 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.71% water. [http://maps.google.com/maps?q=winston-salem,+nc&hl=en Google Map of W-S][http://maps.google.com/maps?q=winston-salem,+nc&hl=en Google Satellite Image of W-S]

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there are 185,776 people, 76,247 households, and 46,205 families residing in the city. The population density is 659.0/km² (1,706.7/mi²). There are 82,593 housing units at an average density of 293.0/km² (758.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 55.57% White, 37.10% African American, 0.31% Native American, 1.13% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 4.29% from other races, and 1.56% from two or more races. 8.64% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are 76,247 households out of which 28.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.2% are married couples living together, 16.6% have a female householder with no husband present, and 39.4% are non-families. 33.4% of all households are made up of individuals and 10.7% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.32 and the average family size is 2.95. In the city the population is spread out with 23.3% under the age of 18, 11.7% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.7% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 35 years. For every 100 females there are 88.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 84.2 males. The median income for a household in the city is $37,006, and the median income for a family is $46,595. Males have a median income of $32,398 versus $26,335 for females. The per capita income for the city is $22,468. 15.2% of the population and 11.3% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 22.0% of those under the age of 18 and 11.1% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line. Winston-Salem is served by Greensboro, North Carolina's Piedmont Triad International Airport. The airport also serves much of the surrounding area, including High Point, North Carolina.

Economy

Many major companies including Krispy Kreme, R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, and Wachovia were founded in Winston-Salem. Although traditionally associated with the textile, furniture, and tobacco industries, Winston-Salem is attempting to attract new businesses in the nanotech, high-tech and bio-tech fields. Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center is the largest employer in Winston-Salem.

Features and attractions

Education

Winston-Salem's public school system is Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, which has most of its schools inside Winston-Salem. WS/FC Schools include 41 elementary schools, 17 middle schools and 15 high schools. Winston-Salem also has many great universities, including: Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem State University, North Carolina School of the Arts, Salem College, Piedmont Baptist College, and Winston-Salem Bible College. Private and Parochial schools also make up a significant portion of Winston-Salem’s educational establishment. Until 2001 Winston-Salem was home to Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School (now in Kernersville, N.C.), one of only 3 Catholic High Schools in North Carolina. Catholic elementary schools include St. Leo The Great and Our Lady of Mercy (which now resides on the same location as the original Bishop McGuinness). Forsyth Country Day School and Summit School are the preeminent secular private schools in the city.

Museums

Museums are an important portion of Winston-Salem's heritage. The Reynolda House Museum of American Art (built by the founder of the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company) is Winston-Salem's premiere museum. The Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA) is a local art museum worthy of interest. The Wake Forest University Museum of Anthropology is an excellent anthropological museum, maintained by Wake Forest University, that has many fascinating artifacts and other important pieces of history. The city also offers places oriented for children. SciWorks is a fun, interactive museum for children, teaching basics in all areas of science, and offering fun experiments and educational tours. The Children's Museum of Winston-Salem is based on classic stories and fairy tales and has several offering for younger children.

Art

Winston-Salem is often referred to as the "City of the Arts," in part because of its history, in having the first arts council in the United States, founded in 1949, and for the local art schools and attractions. These include the North Carolina School of the Arts, the Piedmont Opera Theater, the Winston-Salem Symphony, the Stevens Center for the Performing Arts, and the Sawtooth Center for Visual Arts. There are many galleries and workshops in the city's art district centered at Sixth and Trade streets. The city plays host to the National Black Theatre Festival and the RiverRun Film Festival. Winston-Salem is also the home of the Art-o-mat, and houses nine of them throughout the city.

Sports

Winston-Salem provides a number of athletic attractions. The Warthogs are a Class A Minor-League baseball team currently affiliated with the Chicago White Sox. The team plays its home games at historic Ernie Shore Field from April to early September. Its players have included Carlos Lee, Joe Crede, and Aaron Rowand, all of whom have played extensively at the major league level. Wake Forest and Winston-Salem State both have outstanding basketball programs. Since Coach Skip Prosser's arrival in 2001, Wake Forest's team has frequently been nationally ranked . The team plays in the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum which is located near the Wake Forest campus. Wake Forest also fields outstanding women's teams; its field hockey team won three consecutive national championships between 2002 and 2004. NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series racing takes place from March until August at city-owned Bowman Gray Stadium, after which the stadium is converted for football and is used by Winston-Salem State University for Rams games. Groves Stadium is used for Wake Forest football games, seating 31,500. Besides major sports, Winston-Salem offers a variety of community and children's programs. Winston-Salem's YMCAs are a great place for exercise and athletics for both children and adults. Community recreation centers also provide cost-effective exercise and sports. Dodgeball is a recreational sport that has recently gained regional interest. Winston-Salem Parks and Recreation also maintains several community pools for which memberships are available.

Media

Newspapers

The Winston-Salem Journal is the main daily newspaper in Winston-Salem. The [http://wschronicle.com Winston-Salem Chronicle] is a weekly newspaper that focuses on the African-American community.

Radio Stations

These radio stations are located in Winston-Salem, and are listed by call letters, station number, and name. Many more radio stations can be picked up in Winston-Salem, however, they are not located in Winston-Salem.
- WFDD, 88.5 FM, Wake Forest University (NPR Affiliate)
- WBFJ, 89.3 FM, Music From The Heart (Religious)
- WSNC, 90.5 FM, Winston-Salem State University
- WXRI, 91.3 FM, Southern Gospel
- WMQX, 93.1 FM, Oldies 93
- WTQR, 104.1 FM, Country Radio
- WKZL, 107.5 FM, #1 Hit Music Station
- WSJS, 600 AM, News-Talk Radio
- WPIP, 880 AM, Berean Christian School
- WAAA, 980 AM, Oldies
- WPOL, 1340 AM, The Light Gospel Music
- WTOB, 1380 AM, Spanish Radio
- WSMX, 1500 AM, Religious Radio
- WFBJ, 1550 AM, Music From The Heart (Religious)

Television stations

Winston-Salem makes up part of the Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point television designated market area. These stations are listed by call letters, channel number, network and city of license.
- WFMY-TV, 2, CBS, Greensboro
- WGHP-TV, 8, FOX, High Point
- WXII-TV, 12, NBC, Winston-Salem
- WGPX-TV, 16, Pax, Burlington
- WTWB-TV, 20, WB, Lexington
- WUNL-TV, 26, PBS/UNCTV, Winston-Salem
- WXLV-TV, 45, ABC, Winston-Salem
- WUPN-TV, 48, UPN, Greensboro
- WLXI-TV, 61, TBN, Greensboro

Surrounding Areas

Some minor outlying areas and surrounding cities are:
- Dozier, North Carolina
- Seward, North Carolina
- Pfafftown, North Carolina
- Old Town, North Carolina
- Lewisville, North Carolina
- Rural Hall, North Carolina
- Clemmons, North Carolina
- Wallburg, North Carolina
- Union Cross, North Carolina
- Kernersville, North Carolina
- Walkertown, North Carolina
- Stanleyville, North Carolina
- Tobaccoville, North Carolina
- Greensboro, North Carolina (in Guilford County)
- High Point, North Carolina (in Guilford County)

See also


- Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools School district
- Piedmont Triad
- I-85 Corridor
- SC-NC-VA Tornado Outbreak

External links


- [http://www.ci.winston-salem.nc.us/ Official website of Winston-Salem, NC]
- [http://www.winstonsalem.com/ Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce]
- [http://www.visitwinstonsalem.com/ Winston-Salem Convention & Visitors Bureau]
- [http://www.journalnow.com/ Winston-Salem Journal]
- [http://www.dcfair.com/ Dixie Classic Fair in Winston-Salem] Category:Cities in North Carolina Category:Forsyth County, North Carolina

Forsyth County, North Carolina

Forsyth County is a county located in the state of North Carolina. As of 2000, the population is 306,067. Its county seat is Winston-Salem. 6.

History

The county was formed in 1849 from Stokes County. It was named for Colonel Benjamin Forsyth, who was killed in the War of 1812.

Law and government

Forsyth County is a member of the regional Northwest Piedmont Council of Governments.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,069 km² (413 mi²). 1,061 km² (410 mi²) of it is land and 9 km² (3 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.80% water.

Townships

The county is divided into fourteen townships: Abbotts Creek, Belews Creek, Bethania, Broadbay, Clemmons, Kernersville, Lewisville, Middle Fork, Old Richmond, Salem Chapel, South Fork, Vienna, Walkertown, and Winston-Salem.

Adjacent Counties


- Stokes County, North Carolina - north
- Guilford County, North Carolina - east
- Davidson County, North Carolina - south
- Davie County, North Carolina - southwest
- Yadkin County, North Carolina - west
- Surry County, North Carolina - northwest

Wine region

Parts of Forsyth County are in the Yadkin Valley wine region.

Demographics

As of the census2 of 2000, there are 306,067 people, 123,851 households, and 81,741 families residing in the county. The population density is 289/km² (747/mi²). There are 133,093 housing units at an average density of 125/km² (325/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 68.47% White, 25.61% Black or African American, 0.30% Native American, 1.04% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 3.25% from other races, and 1.30% from two or more races. 6.40% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are 123,851 households out of which 30.50% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.90% are married couples living together, 13.50% have a female householder with no husband present, and 34.00% are non-families. 28.90% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.30% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.39 and the average family size is 2.94. In the county the population is spread out with 23.90% under the age of 18, 9.60% from 18 to 24, 31.10% from 25 to 44, 22.80% from 45 to 64, and 12.60% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females there are 91.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 87.40 males. The median income for a household in the county is $42,097, and the median income for a family is $52,032. Males have a median income of $36,158 versus $27,319 for females. The per capita income for the county is $23,023. 11.00% of the population and 7.90% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 15.10% of those under the age of 18 and 9.70% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Cities and towns


- Belews Creek
- Bethabara
- Bethania
- Clemmons
- Kernersville
- King (Mostly in located in Stokes County)
- Lewisville
- Rural Hall
- Tobaccoville
- Walkertown
- Winston-Salem (county Seat)

See also


- Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools School district

External links


- [http://www.co.forsyth.nc.us Forsyth County government official website] Category:North Carolina counties

2000

This article is about the year 2000. For other uses of 2000, see 2000 (number) or 2000 (breakdancing move). 2000 (MM) is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. Popular culture also holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium. By strict interpretation of the Gregorian Calendar, however, this distinction falls to the year 2001. This is due to the fact that the first century began with the year 1, and there does not exist a year zero. The first century (or first 100 years AD) was from January 1, in the year one (1 AD) through December 31, in the year one-hundred (100 AD). The second century began on January 1, in the year one-hundred and one (101 AD). The year 2000 is also marked as:
- The International Year for a Culture of Peace.
- The World Mathematical Year. See also Wikipedia's almanac of events for this year.

Events

January


- January 1 - Millennium celebrations take place throughout the world. Y2K passes without the serious, widespread computer failures and malfunctions that had been predicted.
- January 5-January 8 - The 2000 al-Qaida Summit
- January 6 - The last remaining Pyrenean Ibex is found dead.
- January 10 - America On-line announces an agreement to buy Time Warner for $162 billion. This is the largest-ever corporate merger.
- January 11 - the armed wing of Islamic Salvation Front concludes its negotiations with the government for an amnesty and disbands in Algeria.
- January 11 - The trawler Solway Harvester sinks off the Isle of Man.
- January 14 - A United Nations tribunal sentences five Bosnian Croats up to 25 years for the 1993 killing of over 100 Bosnian Muslims in a Bosnian village.
- January 16 - In Sacramento, California a commercial truck carrying evaporated milk is driven into the state capitol building killing the driver.
- January 24 - God's Army, Karen militia group led by twins Johnny and Luther Htoo, take 700 hostages at a Thai hospital near the Burmese border.
- January 30 - St. Louis Rams 23 defeat the Tennessee Titans 16 to win the Super_Bowl_XXXIV
- January 30 - Off the coast of Côte d'Ivoire, Kenya Airways Flight 431 crashes into the Atlantic Ocean, killing 169. Within a day, Alaska Airlines Flight 261 crashes off the California coast into the Pacific Ocean, killing 88.
- January 31 - Dr. Harold Shipman in sentenced to life in prison for murder of at least 15 of his patients out of 365 suspected victims.

February


- February 4 - German extortionist Klaus-Peter Sabotta is jailed for life for attempted murder and extortion in connection with sabotage of German railway lines.
- February 6 - Tarja Halonen is elected the first Finnish female president.
- February 13 - Final original Peanuts comic strip is published.
- February 14 - The spacecraft NEAR Shoemaker entered orbit around asteroid 433 Eros, the first spacecraft to orbit an asteroid.

March


- March 1 - The Constitution of Finland is rewritten.
- March 2 - Hans Blix assumes the position of Executive Chairman of UNMOVIC.
- March 8 - Tokyo train disaster.
- March 9 - FBI arrests suspected purveyor of art forgeries, Ely Sakhai, in New York City.
- March 10 - The NASDAQ Composite Index reaches an all-time high of 5048. ([http://dynamic.nasdaq.com/dynamic/IndexChart.asp?symbol=IXIC&desc=NASDAQ+Composite&sec=nasdaq&site=nasdaq&months=84])
- March 18 - 2000 Taiwanese presidential election: Chen Shui-bian is elected President of the Republic of China (Taiwan).
- March 20 - Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin, a former Black Panther, is captured after gun battle that left a sheriff's deputy dead.
- March 21 - Pope John Paul II began the first office visit by a Roman Catholic pontiff to Israel.
- March 21 - US Supreme Court ruled the goverment lacked authority to regulate tobacco as an addictive drug, throwing out the Clinton administration's main anti-smoking initiative.
- March 26 - Presidential elections in Russia: Vladimir Putin elected President.
- March 30 - America's Cup 2000 retained by Team New Zealand near Auckland. Prada Challenge 2000 lost 0-5 in a "best-of-9".

April

April.]]
- April 1 - Japanese prime minister Keizo Obuchi suffers a stroke and falls into a coma.
- April 3 - United States v. Microsoft: Microsoft is ruled to have violated United States antitrust laws by keeping "an oppressive thumb" on its competitors.
- April 5 - Yoshiro Mori replaces Obuchi as prime minister of Japan.
- April 7 - Attack submarine ex-Trepang completes being recycled.
- April 16 - Tuanku Syed Putra ibni Almarhum Syed Hassan Jamalullail, Raja of Perlis dies after a reign of 55 years. He was the longest reigning monarch in the world since the death of Prince Franz Joseph II of Liechtenstein.
- April 17 - Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin becomes Raja of Perlis.
- April 22 - In a predawn raid, federal agents seize six-year old Elián González from his relatives' home in Miami, Florida and fly him to his Cuban father in Washington, DC ending one of the most publicized custody battles in US history.
- April 25 - The State of Vermont passes HB847, legalizing Civil Unions for same-sex couples.

May


- May 3 - A rare conjunction occurs on the New Moon including all seven of the traditional celestial bodies known from ancient times up until 1781 with the discovery of Uranus. The May 2000 conjunction consisted of: the Sun and Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.
- May 3 - Computer pioneer Datapoint Corporation files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
- May 12 - The Tate Modern opens in London.
- May 13 - In Enschede a heavy fireworks explosion kills 20 and leaves an entire neighborhood in ruins.
- May 18 - Boo.com collapses due to lack of funds after six months.
- May 25 - Israel withdraws IDF troops from southern Lebanon after 22 years.
- May 28 - The volcano Mount Cameroon erupts.

June


- June 1 - Mark Mendlan, professional wrestler known by his ring name "Kid Gorgeous," is killed while wrestling at a show in New Hampshire.
- June 7 - U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson of the 4th circuit ordered the breakup of Microsoft Corp.
- June 10 - The New Jersey Devils defeat the Dallas Stars 4 games to 2 to win the 2000 Stanley Cup Finals.
- June 10 - The 2000 European Football Championship begins, hosted jointly by Belgium and the Netherlands.
- June 21 - Section 28, a law preventing the promotion of homosexuality is repealed by the Scottish Parliament.
- June 23 - Palace Backpackers Hostel fire in Childers, Queensland, Australia, kills 15 people.
- June 30 - During a set of the band Pearl Jam at the Roskilde Festival near Copenhagen, 9 die and 26 are injured in the crowd.

July

July
- July 2 - France beat Italy 2-1 to win the 2000 European Football Championship with a golden goal.
- July 2 - Presidential election of Mexico. Vicente Fox wins the Presidency as candidate of the rightist PAN (National Action Party).
- July 10 - In southern Nigeria, a leaking petroleum pipeline explodes killing about 250 villagers who were scavenging gasoline
- July 10 - Death of Denis O Conor Donn, died 10th July 2000, aged 88; succeded by his son, Desmond as The O Connor Donn
- July 18 - Alex Salmond resigns as the leader of the Scottish National Party
- July 25 - A Concorde carrying Air France Flight 4590 crashes just after takeoff from Paris killing all 109 aboard and 5 on the ground.

August


- August 1 - The Santa Cruz Operation announced that it will sell its Server Software and Services Divisions, as well as UnixWare and OpenServer technologies, to Caldera Systems,Inc.
- August 8 - Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley is raised to the surface after 136 years on the ocean floor.
- August 12 - The Russian submarine Kursk sinks in the Barents Sea, resulting in the deaths of all 118 men on board.
- August 14 - The first comic of Megatokyo goes online. This webcomic will later become one of the most popular comics on the web (in terms of page views) and spawn numerous imitators.
- August 25 - the Emulex hoax - wire services publish fraudulent bad news about Emulex
- August 27 - The Ostankino Tower in Moscow catches fire, three people are killed.

September


- September 5 - Tuvalu joins the United Nations.
- September 6 - In New York City, the United Nations Millennium Summit begins with more than 180 world leaders present.
- September 6 - The last wholly Swedish-owned arms manufacturer, Bofors, is sold to American arms manufacturer United Defense
- September 7–14 - The UK fuel protests take place, with refineries blockaded, and supply to the country's network of petrol stations halted.
- September 8 - Albania officially joins the World Trade Organization.
- September 15 - The 2000 Summer Olympics are opened in Sydney, Australia.
- September 16 - Ukrainian journalist Georgiy Gongadze is last seen alive; this day is taken as the commemoration date of his death.
- September 24 - The American Family Association begins lobbying the U.S. Congress to eradicate the National Endowment for the Arts for funding the controversial book One of the Guys by Robert Clark Young
- September 26 - Anti-globalization protests in Prague (some 15,000 protesters) turned violent during the IMF and World Bank summits.
- September 28 - Ariel Sharon leads several hundred armed Israelis in a visit to the Temple Mount. Palestinian civil disorder increases into the Al-Aqsa Intifada.
- September 29 - The Long Kesh prison in Northern Ireland is closed.

October


- October 2 NBC Today Show expanded it to three hours (7:00–10:00 A.M. Eastern Time/Pacific Time; 6:00–9:00 A.M. Central Time/Mountain Time)
- October 5 - President Slobodan Milošević leaves office after widespread demonstrations throughout Serbia and the withdrawal of Russian support.
- October 11 - 250 million gallons of coal sludge spill in Martin County, Kentucky. Considered a greater environmental disaster than the Exxon Valdez oil spill.
- October 12 - In Aden, Yemen, the USS Cole is badly damaged by two suicide bombers who placed a small boat laden with explosives along-side the United States Navy destroyer, killing 17 crew members and wounding at least 39.
- October 21 15 Arab leaders convened in Cairo, Egypt, for their first summit in four years; the Libyan delegation walked out, angry over signs the summit would stop short of calling for breaking ties with Israel.
- October 22 – Mainichi Shinbun exposes Japanese archeologist Shinichi Fujimura as a fraud; Japanese archaeologists had based their treatises of his findings.
- October 26 - Pakistani authorities announce that their police have found an apparently ancient mummy of a persian princess in the province of Baluchistan. Iran, Pakistan and the Taliban all claim the mummy until Pakistan announces it is a forgery in April 17 2001
- October 31 - Singapore Airlines Flight 006 collides with construction equipment in the Chiang Kai Shek International Airport - 83 dead.
- October 31 - The last Jeremy clone has shut down.

November

November
- November - Iraq disarmament crisis: Iraq rejects new U.N. Security Council weapons inspections proposals
- November 1 - Yugoslavia's new democratic government joined the United Nations after eight years of U.N. ostracism under former strongman Slobodan Milosevic.
- November 3 - Widespread flooding throughout England and Wales after days of heavy rain
- November 4 - President Clinton vetoed a bill that would have criminalized the leaking of government secrets.
- November 7 - U.S. presidential election, 2000: Republican challenger George W. Bush defeats Democrat Vice President Al Gore, but the final outcome is not known for over a month because of disputed votes in Florida.
- November 7 - Criminal gang raids the Millennium Dome to steal The Millennium Star diamond but police surveillance catches them in the act
- November 7 - Hillary Rodham Clinton is elected to the United States Senate, becoming the first First Lady of the United States to win public office
- November 11 - Kaprun disaster, Austria, where 155 skiers and snowboarders die when a cable car catches fire in an alpine tunnel.
- November 13 - Richard C. Duncan presents his paper, "The Peak Of World Oil Production And The Road To The Olduvai Gorge", on the Olduvai theory (about the collapse of the industrial civilization), at the Summit 2000 Pardee Keynote Symposia of the Geological Society of America)
- November 14 - Netscape version 6.0 is launched following two years of open source development creating a stable Mozilla web browser upon which it is based
- November 16 - Bill Clinton becomes the first sitting US President to visit Vietnam
- November 17 - Catastrophical landslide in Log pod Mangartom,Slovenia, kills 7, and causes millions of SIT of damage. It is one of the worst catastrophies in Slovenia in the past 100 years.
- November 17 - Alberto Fujimori is removed from office as president of Peru
- November 27 - Canada - Parliamentary elections - Jean Chrétien re-elected as Prime Minister as Liberal Party increases majority in House of Commons
- November 28 - Ukrainian politician Oleksander Moroz touches off the Cassette Scandal by publicly accusing President Leonid Kuchma of involvement in the murder of journalist Georgiy Gongadze.

December


- December 1 - Mexico - Vicente Fox becomes the first opposition President to take office since Francisco I. Madero in 1911. He wins the Presidency as candidate of the rightist PAN (National Action Party).
- December 28 - U.S. retail giant Montgomery Ward announces it is going out of business after 128 years.
- December 30 - Rizal Day Bombings: A series of bombs explode in various places in Metro Manila, Philippines, within a span of a few hours killing 22 and injuring about a hundred.

Unknown Date


- Limited reintroduction of routinely armed police in the UK for the first time since 1936.
- Scientists at University of Szeged's laboratory were first in the world to produce artificial heredity material.
- Millie I. Webb elected president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

Births


- February 23 - Max & Sam Christy, American actors
- March 15- Amy and Emily Walton, English actresses
- April 25 - Jacob & Joshua Rips, American actors
- October 6 - Amanda Pace, American actress
- October 20 - Cooper and Oliver Guynes, American actors
- November 8 - Madison and Marissa Poer, actresses

Deaths

January


- January 2 - Patrick O'Brian, English writer (b. 1914)
- January 15 - Fran Ryan, American actress (b. 1916)
- January 19 - Bettino Craxi, Prime Minister of Italy (b. 1934)
- January 19 - Hedy Lamarr, Austrian actress (b. 1913)

February


- February 9 - Beau Jack, American boxer (b. 1921)
- February 11 - Roger Vadim, French film director (b. 1928)
- February 12 - Jalacy "Screamin' Jay" Hawkins, American musician (b. 1929)
- February 12 - Tom Landry, American football coach (b. 1924)
- February 12 - Charles M. Schulz, American comic strip artist (b. 1921)
- February 23 - Sir Stanley Matthews, English footballer (b. 1915)

April


- April 6 - Habib Bourguiba, President of Tunisia (b. 1903)
- April 16 - Tuanku Syed Putra ibni Almarhum Syed Hassan Jamalullail, King of Malaysia (b. 1920)
- April 25 - David Merrick, American stage producer (b. 1911)
- April 29 - Phạm Văn Ðồng, Prime Minister of Vietnam (b. 1906)

May


- May 11 - Paula Wessely, Austrian actress (b. 1907)
- May 12 - Adam Petty, American race car driver (b. 1980)
- May 14 - Keizo Obuchi, Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1937)
- May 17 - Donald Coggan, Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 1909)
- May 19 - Yevgeny Khrunov, cosmonaut

Old Salem

Old Salem is a living history museum that operates within the restorated Moravian community Salem. The non-profit organization named Old Salem began its work in earnest in 1950.

Historic Salem

Salem was originally settled in the nineteenth century by Moravians, members of a Protestant faith that began in the 1400s in the province of Moravia, now part of the Czech Republic. From an earlier settlement in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, they came to the colony of North Carolina in 1753. The central town of a 98,000-acre tract named Wachovia was Salem, where construction began in 1766. The residents focused on skilled trades, rather than farming. The community merged with nearby Winston many years later, in 1913, and many of Salem's historic buildings remained until the 1950s, when Old Salem Inc. was formed to protect threatened buildings, restore the town, and operate portions of it as a museum.

Old Salem Today

Today, the town's preserved and reconstructed buildings, staffed by living-history reenactors, present visitors with a view of Moravian life in the 18th and 19th centuries. The features include skilled reenactors such as blacksmiths, shoemakers, gunsmiths, bakers and carpenters, actually practicing their trade while interacting with visitors. In recent years, substantial historical and archaeological research has focused on Salem's historical African American population, resulting in significant additions to the historical interpretation presented at Old Salem. Three other museums are housed in a modern building on the site, and part of the same organization. The Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts (MESDA), located at Old Salem, is the only museum dedicated to exhibiting and researching the regional decorative arts of the early South. With its 24 period rooms and six galleries, MESDA showcases the furniture, paintings, textiles, ceramics, silver, and other metalwares made and used in Maryland, Virginia, the Carolinas, Georgia, Kentucky, and Tennessee through 1820. The Old Salem Toy Museum contains a wide variety of rare, old toys, mostly from the 19th and early 20th century. The Old Salem Children's museum is designed for children aged 4-9. Salem College, Salem Academy, the Salem Tavern, Mayberry's, and a host of old-fashioned shops are located in Old Salem. Students attending the Governor's School of North Carolina stay in the college's dormitories each summer. An Easter sunrise service held annually since 1773 draws several thousand people to the village square and Moravian cemetery. The community is popularly represented by a silver coffee pot, a Moravian symbol now identified with Winston-Salem as a whole.

External links


- [http://www.oldsalem.org/ Official site]
- [http://www.cas.sc.edu/ANTH/Faculty/LGFergus/ The Historical Archaeology of Early African Americans in the Moravian town of Salem; North Carolina] Category:Historical reenactment Category:Winston-Salem, North Carolina

SciWorks

SciWorks, the Science Center and Enviromental Park of Forsyth County is a science museum in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Although it is geared primarily towards children from preschool up to eighth grade, it has offerings for all ages. It was began in the late 1950's as the Nature Science Center of Forsyth County, started by the local Junior League; the museum was originally housed in a barn at Reynolda Village. In 1971, the Nature Science Center moved to its present location at West Hanes Mill Road, into a building that originally housed a home for the destitute and later a psychiatric hospital. In 1992 it closed and underwent a major renovation, re-opening under the SciWorks name. In 2001, the museum upgraded the facilities by doubling the space of one of the main galleries and adding an indoor eating area to the building. The museum currently consists of a building with 45,000 square feet of exhibit space, a 15-acre environmental park, and a planetarium. The exhibit galleries cover a wide range of topics such as North Carolina geography and geology, local wildlife, the human body, physics (featuring a Foucault pendulum), sound, and technology. In addition, there is a traveling exhibit gallery that features both nationally touring exhibits and exhibits created in-house. The museum also runs several education programs for elementary and middle school students, and has created an outreach program for schools in more remote areas.

External links


- [http://www.sciworks.org SciWorks, the Science Center and Environmental Park of Forsyth County] Category:Science museums Category:Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art

The Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA), is an art museum and non-profit, located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It was founded in 1956 to provide gallery space for local artists, but has expanded since then to provide a venue for artists from around the United States, but with an emphasis on the Southeastern states. In addition to a gallery space, SECCA also has art, yoga and Tai Chi classes, and in collaboration with the Winston-Salem Cinema Society, exhibits international films in the Cinema at SECCA film series.

External links


- [http://www.secca.org/ Official site]
- [http://www.cinemasociety.org/cinema-secca/index.html Cinema at SECCA] Category:Winston-Salem, North Carolina Category:Art museums and galleries in the United States

R.J. Reynolds Tobacco

R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company (RJR), based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and founded by Richard Joshua Reynolds in 1874, is the second-largest tobacco firm in the global tobacco industry, and the second-largest U.S. firm (behind Philip Morris). RJR is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Reynolds American Inc.

Recent History

During the 1980s and 1990s, the firm was part of a corporation called RJR Nabisco, but Nabisco was spun out of RJR Nabisco in 1999, in part due to pressure from tobacco-related lawsuits. In 1987, a bidding war ensued between several financial firms to acquire RJR Nabisco. This was documented in several articles in The Wall Street Journal by Bryan Burrough and John Helyar. These articles were later used as the basis of a bestselling book, Barbarians at the Gate: The Fall of RJR Nabisco, and then into a made-for-TV movie. As a result, in February 1989, RJR Nabisco paid executive F. Ross Johnson US$53,800,000 as part of a golden handshake clause; this payout was the largest golden handshake ever. In October 2002, the European Union accused R. J. Reynolds of selling black market cigarettes to drug traffickers and mobsters from Italy, Russia, Colombia and the Balkans. On July 30, 2004, R.J. Reynolds merged with the U.S. operations of Brown & Williamson. A new parent company, Reynolds American Inc., was established as part of the transaction. They used to be the title sponsor of NHRA drag racing and the NASCAR Winston Cup Series from 1972 to 2003.

Brands

R.J. Reynolds brands include Camel, Kool, Winston, Salem, Doral, Eclipse and Pall Mall. Brands still manufactured but no longer receiving significant marketing support include Barclay, Belair, Capri, Carlton, GPC, Lucky Strike, Misty, Monarch, More, Now, Tareyton, Vantage, and Viceroy. The company also manufactures certain private-label brands. Five of the company's brands are among the top ten best selling cigarette brands in the United States, and it is estimated that one in three cigarettes sold in the country were manufactured by R.J. Reynolds or a subsidy.

Facilities

The company's headquarters are located in the Reynolds Building in Winston-Salem. Built in 1929, the 20-story building was the South's first skyscraper and later became the model for the Empire State Building in New York City. R.J. Reynolds' largest plant, Tobaccoville, a 2 million square foot (190,000 m²) facility constructed in 1986, is located in the town of Tobaccoville, North Carolina near Winston-Salem. The company's Whitaker Park plant, located in Winston-Salem, was built in 1961 and is about 1 million square feet (90,000 m²). Macon manufacturing, located in Macon, Ga., resides in a 1.4 million square foot (130,000 m²) facility built in 1974. The company also has tobacco-sheet manufacturing operations in Chester, Va., and Winston-Salem; leaf operations in Wilson, N.C.; tobacco-storage facilities in Blacksburg, S.C. and Richmond, Va.; and a significant research-and-development facility in Winston-Salem. Between these facilities, R.J. Reynolds employs approximately 6,800 people. R.J. Reynolds' subsidiary [http://www.transnationale.org/fiches/-508130714.htm R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Foreign Sales Corporation] is established in the British Virgin Islands to optimize its tax liability.

External links


- [http://www.rjrt.com/ Official site] Category:Conglomerate companies Category:Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Charlotte, North Carolina

Charlotte is the most populous city in North Carolina and the 20th most populous in the United States. Nicknamed the Queen City, Charlotte is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. Charlotte is one of the fastest-growing cities in the nation and is also the second-largest banking center in the country, trailing only New York City in terms of headquartered assets. A resident of Charlotte is referred to as a Charlottean (shar-la-TEE-uhn).

History

Charlotte was founded in the mid-18th century at the intersection of two Indian trading paths, one of which ran north-south Great Wagon Road, and is followed closely today by U.S. Route 21, and a second that ran east-west along what is now modern-day Trade Street. In the early part of the 18th century, the Great Wagon Road led settlers of Scots-Irish and German descent from Pennsylvania into the Carolina foothills. In 1755, early settler Thomas Polk built a home at the crossroads of an Indian trading path and the Great Wagon Road, which became the village of Charlotte Town, incorporated in 1768. The crossroads, perched atop a long rise in the piedmont landscape, is the heart of modern Uptown Charlotte. The trading path became Trade Street, and the Great Wagon Road was named Tryon Street, in honor of William Tryon, a royal governor of colonial North Carolina. The intersection of Trade and Tryon is known as The Square. The village established by Polk, uncle of United States President James K. Polk, was named for Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the German wife of British King George III. The loyalty to King George and his consort was short-lived, however. On May 20, 1775, townsmen allegedly signed a proclamation that later became known as the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence. A copy was sent, though never officially presented, to the Continental Congress a year later. Though Thomas Jefferson would deny having borrowed content from the Mecklenburg declaration, his 1776 Declaration of Independence featured language similar to the Charlotte document (today there is no generally accepted historic proof of the so-called Meck-Dec, and many doubt it ever existed, yet the date of the Declaration appears on the North Carolina state flag). Eleven days later the same 27 townsmen met to create and endorse the Mecklenburg Resolves, a set of laws to govern the newly independent town. Charlotte played a critical role during the Revolutionary War. It was a site of encampment for both the American and British main armies, and during a series of skirmishes between British troops and feisty Charlotteans the village earned the lasting nickname "Hornets Nest" from a frustrated Lord General Cornwallis. Charlotte was an ideological hotbed of revolutionary sentiment, a legacy that endures today in the nomenclature of such landmarks as Independence Boulevard, Independence High School, Freedom Park and Freedom Drive. In 1799, 12-year-old Conrad Reed went fishing one spring morning and brought home a rock weighing about 17 pounds, which the family used as a doorstop for three years before it was recognized by a jeweller as gold. It was the first verified find of gold in the fledgling United States. The nation's original gold rush was on, and many veins of gold were subsequently found in the area. The Reed Gold Mine was the nation's first, and it operated until 1912. Uptown Charlotte is literally and figuratively built on gold mines. Charlotte's history as a financial center is extensive. In 1837 the U.S. Congress established a branch U.S. Mint here because of the gold deposits found in the area. The Charlotte mint was active until 1861, when Confederate forces seized the mint facility at the outbreak of the Civil War. The mint was not reopened at the end of the war, but the building survives today, albeit in a different location, and now houses the Mint Museum of Art. The city's modern-day banking industry achieved prominence in the 1970s, largely under the leadership of financier Hugh McColl. McColl transformed North Carolina National Bank (NCNB) into a formidable national player that, through a series of aggressive acquisitions, would eventually become Bank of America. Another hometown bank, First Union, experienced similar growth, and is now known as Wachovia. Today, Charlotte is the second largest banking center in the country behind New York City, a statistic frequently touted by city advocates. (In his 1996 book "Dixie Rising," writer Peter Applebome described Charlotte as "home to the purest strain ever discovered of the Southern booster gene.") Charlotte's penchant for looking ahead -- a drive for economic development that kicked into particularly high gear during the mid-20th century -- has created something of a historical apathy in the city. Most traces of antebellum Charlotte are long gone, and preservationists often struggle to maintain landmarks in the face of modern-minded boosters, a key reason Charlotte is often regarded as a "new" American city despite the fact it is actually one of the oldest of the nation's larger metropolises. Famous natives of Charlotte include evangelist Billy Graham, pop music stars K-Ci and JoJo of Jodeci, actor Randolph Scott, U.S. president James K. Polk, independent filmmaker Ross McElwee, humorist Rich Hall, artist Romare Bearden, actress Berlinda Tolbert (of The Jeffersons) and Emmy-nominated actress Sharon Lawrence ("NYPD Blue"). Novelist Carson McCullers wrote her best-known work, The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter, while a resident of the city.

Geography and climate

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 242.9 square miles (629 square kilometers). Out of that, 242.3 sq. mi. (627.5 sq. km.) of it is land and 0.6 sq. mi. (1.6 sq. km.) of it is water. The total area is 0.25% water. Charlotte constitutes most of Mecklenburg County in the Carolina Piedmont. Uptown Charlotte, so named because it sits atop a long rise between two creeks, was built on the gunnies of the St. Catherine's and Rudisill gold mines. Charlotte is located in North America's humid subtropical climate zone. The city has mild winters and hot, humid summers. In January, morning lows average around 32 °F (0 °C) and afternoon highs average 51 °F (11 °C). In July, lows average 71 °F (22 °C) and highs average 90 °F (32 °C). On average, Charlotte receives 43.51 in. of precipitation annually, including some winter snow.

Neighborhoods


- Uptown The center of Charlotte is known as uptown (as opposed to "downtown") because of its perch along a ridge between two creeks. (One must travel uphill to reach the center of the city from any direction.) In the 19th century, uptown was divided into four political wards. Today the First and Fourth Wards are largely residential, with Fourth Ward housing the majority of Charlotte's remaining 19th century Queen Anne architecture. At the center of uptown is the Square, the intersection of Trade and Tryon Streets and the point at which all four wards converge. Uptown is home to the majority of the city's skyscrapers, as well as Bank of America Stadium (home of the Carolina Panthers) and the Charlotte Bobcats Arena. Johnson & Wales University, the Museum of the New South, and the Mint Museum of Craft and Design are also located uptown, along with the government district for both Mecklenburg County and the City of Charlotte. skyscraper
- South End takes its name from South Boulevard, its main thoroughfare, as well as its location just south of Uptown. An area of light industry and cotton mills for much of its history, today its former industrial buildings and mills are loft condominiums, restaurants, breweries, shops, and offices. Charlotte's historic trolley also originates in the neighborhood.
- Dilworth, Charlotte's first streetcar suburb, was developed in the 1890s on 250 acres (1 km²) southwest of the original city limits. Planned largely with a grid pattern similar to the city's original four wards, it was initially designated the Eighth Ward. Centered on East Boulevard, today Dilworth is popular with Charlotte's young professionals drawn to its historic turn of the century architecture and traditional neighborhood feel.
- Elizabeth takes its name from Elizabeth College, a small Lutheran women’s college founded in 1897 on the present-day site of Presbyterian Hosptial. Elizabeth began to develop rapidly after 1902, when a trolley line was completed. Elizabeth was annexed by Charlotte in 1907. Independence Park, the first public park in the city, was created in the neighborhood, and Elizabeth became one of the most fashionable residential areas in Charlotte.
- Myers Park is home to some of the city's most desirable zip codes. Filled with some of Charlotte's oldest grand houses and streets lined with towering oaks, Myers Park was designed by John Nolen of Boston in 1911. Like most early American suburbs, Myers Park was initially a "streetcar suburb" whose residents commuted to town on the electric trolley car. Nolen discarded the original grid street pattern of Uptown and Dilworth and instead planned curving avenues following the area’s topography. Myers Park is largely a product of the building boom of the 1920s.
- Plaza Midwood, conceived as a complement to nearby Myers Park, never quite matured in the same way that Dilworth, Elizabeth or Myers Park did. By the 1970s and 80s, it was considered an "at-risk" neighborhood, and has only recently enjoyed a revival that has made it a sought-after, more bohemian alternative to other higher-priced city neighborhoods.
- SouthPark, located in south central Charlotte, is both an upscale residential and commercial neighborhood. The area's name derives from the fashionable SouthPark Mall, located at the intersection of Sharon and Fairview Roads. Luxury retailers such as Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Nordstrom's, and Tiffany & Co. can be found here, as well as upscale restaurants The Palm, Morton's, and McCormick & Schmicks.
- Eastland, a neighborhood that developed primarily during the 1960s and 70s, comprises a majority of the east side of the city proper, including the namesake Eastland Mall. Demographics have changed much over the years and currently Eastland is home to one of Charlotte's largest Latino communities.
- Ballantyne, another upscale area, is a planned mixed-use development that has grown exponentially in recent years and lies in the southernmost part of Charlotte, along the North and South Carolina border. Like SouthPark, Ballantyne has a high concentration of both impressive homes and commercial development.
- The Arboretum is situated a few miles southeast of Uptown and developed primarily around the Arboretum Shopping Center. The area also is home to Providence Plantation and the country club community of Raintree.
- NoDa is the city's "arts district" on and around North Davidson Street, located just north of Uptown. Formerly an area of textile manufacturing and mill workers' residences, the area has seen a rebirth as a center for arts and entertainment.
- University City comprises the northeastern part of Charlotte. If autonomous, it would be one of North Carolina's largest cities with nearly 200,000 residents. The largely suburban University City is the home of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. University City is also home to University Research Park, a 3,200 acre (13 km²) industrial park. The outer edges of University City stretch into Cabarrus County and it is also home to Lowe's Motor Speedway and the state's largest tourist attraction, Concord Mills.
- Biddleville is a neighborhood just west of Uptown. At the heart of Biddleville is Johnson C. Smith University, a historically black college, once called the Biddle Institute, where blacks were trained to be preachers and teachers. Biddleville came about in the 1870s as result of its proximity to the college, distinctly separate from Charlotte.

Metropolitan area

See also: Charlotte metropolitan area The Metropolitan Combined Statistical Area of Charlotte-Gastonia-Salisbury, NC-SC, has a population, as of the 2005 census estimate, of 2,067,810. The population of the City of Charlotte is 594,359 according to the US Census 2004 Estimate. Due to recent annexations, however, the city's population has grown to 651,101. The Charlotte metropolitan area, formerly known as the Charlotte-Gastonia-Salisbury CSA (combined statistical area), extends across 2 states (North Carolina and South Carolina), and includes the following counties: North Carolina
- Mecklenburg County
- Gaston County
- Lincoln County
- Cabarrus County
- Union County
- Iredell County
- Cleveland County
- Anson County
- Rowan County
- Stanly County South Carolina
- York County
- Lancaster County
- Chester County

Economy

Charlotte has become a major U.S. financial center. Both the nation's second (Bank of America) and fourth largest banks (Wachovia) call the city home. Their headquarters, along with other regional banking and financial services companies, are located primarily in the uptown financial district. Thanks to the continued expansion of the city's banking industry, the Charlotte skyline has mushroomed in recent years and boasts the Bank of America Corporate Center, designed by César Pelli. At 871 feet (265 m), the 60-story post-modern gothic tower is the 23rd tallest building in the United States, and the tallest skyscraper between Philadelphia and Atlanta. The following Fortune 500 companies are headquartered in the Charlotte metropolitan area:
- Bank of America
- Wachovia
- Duke Energy
- Sonic Automotive
- Nucor
- SPX Corporation
- Goodrich Corporation
- Lowes
- Family Dollar

Education

Public schools


- Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools

Private schools


- Charlotte Country Day School
- Providence Day School
- Charlotte Latin
- Charlotte Christian
- Charlotte Catholic
- Al-Huda Islamic Academy

Colleges and universities


- Central Piedmont Community College
- Davidson College
- Johnson and Wales University
- Johnson C. Smith University
- Kings College
- Pfeiffer University at Charlotte
- Queens University of Charlotte
- University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Graduate Schools


- Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary - Charlotte [http://www.gordonconwell.edu/charlotte GCTS-Charlotte]

People and culture

Demographics

As of 2004, census estimates show there are 594,359 people living in Charlotte, and 801,137 in Mecklenburg County. The county's population is projected to reach 1 million in 2010. Figures from the more comprehensive 2000 census show Charlotte's population density to be 861.9/km² (2,232.4/mi²). There are 230,434 housing units at an average density of 367.2/km² (951.2/mi²). Charlotte's population is ethnically diverse. The city's breakdown by race is as follows:
- 58.26% white
- 32.72% black
- 7.36% Hispanic or Latino of any race
- 3.41% Asian (including Indians (largely Gujarati), Chinese, and Vietnamese)
- 0.34% Native American
- 0.05% Pacific Islander
- 3.56% from other races
- 1.66% from two or more races. The median income for a household in the city is $46,975, and the median income for a family is $56,517. Males have a median income of $38,767 versus $29,218 for females. The per capita income for the city is $26,823. 10.6% of the population and 7.8% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 13.8% of those under the age of 18 and 9.7% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Religion

The birthplace of Billy Graham and one-time home of the PTL Club, Charlotte was once known as the "City of Churches." Of those who practice a religion, most Charlotteans are Christian of various Protestant denominations, with (principally Southern) Presbyterians and Methodists being the two dominant denominations in the region. In total, Charlotte lays claim to more than 700 places of worship. Charlotte's Catholic and Jewish population surged during the 1980s when a series of corporate relocations brought thousands of northeasterners into the area. Catholic congregations continue to expand with the growth of Latino immigration. The Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America is headquartered in Charlotte, and Reformed Theological Seminary has a campus there. Jewish synagogues (Temple Beth El, Reform, Temple Israel, Conservative, and an Orthodox congregation) are located in Shalom Park on Providence Road. The Charlotte area has five mosques: The Islamic Society of Greater Charlotte, Islamic Center of Charlotte, Masjid Ash-Shaheed, South Musallah, and the Islamic Society of Gastonia. Hindus meet at the Hindu Center or the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) temple. There are also several progressive religious institutions in the Charlotte area, with the Unitarian Universalist Church perhaps being the most prominent and popular.

Media

The dominant newspaper in the region is The Charlotte Observer. The Charlotte television market is the 27th largest in 2005, according to Nielsen Media Research. Television stations serving the market include:
- WBTV, Channel 3 (CBS affiliate)
- WSOC-TV, Channel 9 (ABC affiliate)
- WHKY-TV, Channel 14 (Independent)
- WUNE-TV, Channel 17 (PBS/UNCTV affiliate)
- WCCB-TV, Channel 18 (FOX affiliate)
- WNSC-TV, Channel 30 (PBS/SCETV affiliate)
- WCNC-TV, Channel 36 (NBC affiliate)
- WTVI, Channel 42 (PBS affiliate)
- WJZY-TV, Channel 46 (UPN affiliate)
- WWWB-TV, Channel 55 (WB affiliate)
- WUNG-TV, Channel 58 (PBS/UNCTV affiliate)
- WAXN-TV, Channel 64 (Independent) The metro area is also served by a 24-hour cable news channel, News 14 Carolina, available on Time Warner Cable.

Shopping

SouthPark Mall, the region's most upscale shopping center, is located about 5 miles south of Uptown. SouthPark has over 125 stores, many of which are unique in the Carolinas, including Tiffany & Co., Brooks Brothers, Belk, Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Neiman Marcus, Kate Spade, and Swarovski. Northlake Mall opened in September of 2005 and is located 8 miles north of Uptown. Northlake was built to serve the population of rapidly growing north Charlotte and surrounding suburbs. It features a tenant mix of both upscale and conventional retailers. Concord Mills is an enormous retail and entertainment outlet mall about 10 miles northeast of Uptown. Concord Mills has over 200 outlet stores and a 24 screen theater within its nearly one-mile interior radius. Concord Mills is North Carolina's largest tourist attraction. Carolina Place Mall opened in the early 1990s and is located about 12 miles south of Uptown in suburban Pineville, North Carolina. It has over 1.1 million square feet of shopping, and its proximity to the South Carolina border draws many shoppers from the Palmetto state. Eastland Mall was constructed in the mid-1970s as an alternative to then five-year-old SouthPark Mall; its claim to fame being an indoor skating rink in the central atrium. But while SouthPark has flourished and transformed itself into the region's source for high-end merchandise, Eastland has experienced a general decline over the years with many stores vacating the mall. Efforts to reinvigorate the mall and surrounding area are currently being discussed.

Sites of interest


- [http://www.carolinaraptorcenter.org Carolina Raptor Center], dedicated to the conservation and rehabilitation of birds of prey
- [http://www.charlottemuseum.org The Charlotte History Museum]
- [http://www.dsbg.org/geninfo.php Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden], a 111 acre (0.5 km²) botanical garden located just west of Charlotte in Belmont
- [http://www.discoveryplace.org Discovery Place], a science museum and Imax theater
- [http://www.lattaplantation.org Historic Latta Plantation], a cotton plantation turned living history farm
- [http://www.imaginon.org ImaginOn], cutting-edge educational children's library and theater
- [http://www.nps.gov/kimo/ Kings Mountain National Military Park], the site of a decisive Revolutionary War battle, located approximately 30 miles (50 km) west of Charlotte
- [http://www.museumofthenewsouth.org The Levine Museum of the New South]
- [http://www.lowesmotorspeedway.com Lowe's Motor Speedway]
- [http://www.mintmuseum.org/ The Mint Museums], two separate facilities, one dedicated to fine art and the other to craft and design
- Paramount's Carowinds, regional amusement park located on the border of North and South Carolina
- [http://www.ah.dcr.state.nc.us/sections/hs/reed/reed.htm Reed Gold Mine], site of the first gold find in the United States

Sports

Paramount's Carowinds Charlotte is home to the NFL's Carolina Panthers, which debuted in the league in 1996. The Panthers play in Bank of America Stadium, located in Uptown. The team won the NFC Championship of the 2003-2004 NFL season when it beat the Philadelphia Eagles, 14-3, in Philadelphia. In Super Bowl XXXVIII on Feb. 1, 2004, the Panthers were defeated, 32-29, by the New England Patriots. New England Patriots Charlotte was home to the World Football League's Charlotte Hornets during 1974 and 1975. The city has also been home to two Arena Football League teams, the Charlotte Rage and Carolina Cobras. The NCAA football Meineke Car Care Bowl is played annually in December at Bank of America Stadium. Meineke Car Care Bowl In 2004, Charlotte was awarded an NBA expansion team named the Charlotte Bobcats. The team plays in the Charlotte Bobcats Arena, which opened in fall 2005 in Uptown Charlotte. From 1988 to 2002, Charlotte's NBA team was the Hornets. The franchise relocated to New Orleans, Louisiana in 2002. New Orleans, Louisiana left The WNBA Charlotte Sting have played in Charlotte since 1997. Charlotte is home to the Charlotte Eagles of the United Soccer Leagues and plays host to the annual [http://www.wachoviachampionship.com Wachovia Championship], an increasingly prestigious stop on the PGA Tour. Charlotte is a hub of stock car racing, with major races being held at nearby Lowe's Motor Speedway. A vast majority of NASCAR teams and race shops are located within an hour's drive of Charlotte, and most NASCAR drivers maintain a residence in or near the city. Seventy-three percent of American motorsports employees are based within two hours of Uptown Charlotte. Baseball has a long, rich history in the Queen City, dating back to 1901 when the Charlotte Hornets were formed. It's currently home to the Triple-A Charlotte Knights, the top minor-league affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. Via the Hartford Wolf Pack, the Charlotte Checkers of the ECHL are a farm team for the NHL's New York Rangers.

Transportation

Air

New York Rangers Charlotte Douglas International Airport is the 17th busiest airport in the US. It is served by many international and domestic airlines, and is the largest hub of US Airways. American Airlines, Air Canada, Continental, Delta, Northwest, United, and Lufthansa are some of the major carriers that serve the airport. Nonstop flights are available to many destinations across the United States, Europe, the Caribbean, Latin America and Canada.

Highways

Lufthansa Charlotte's central location between the population centers of the northeast and southeast has made it a transportation focal point and primary distribution center, with two major interstate highways, I-85 and I-77, intersecting near the city's center. Charlotte's beltway, designated I-485 and nicknamed the "Outerbelt", is nearly complete and slated for completion by 2013. Upon completion, the Outerbelt will have a total circumference of approximately 67 miles (108 km).

Mass transit

I-485 The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) is the local mass transit agency that operates historical trolleys, express shuttles and bus service that serve Charlotte and its immediate suburbs in both North and South Carolina. The 2025 Corridor System Plan looks to upgrade Charlotte's public transportation by supplementing its established bus service with a light rail and commuter rail network along five key corridors at a total cost of over $1.7 billion. CATS has begun work on the $426.8 million south corridor light rail project, running from Uptown to suburban Pineville with service scheduled to begin in 2007. Plans for the light rail and commuter rail network will link uptown Charlotte with its immediate suburbs along four additional key corridors.

Intercity rail

Amtrak's Crescent and Carolinian and Piedmont trains connect Charlotte with New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Richmond, Raleigh, Atlanta, Birmingham and New Orleans.

Sister cities

Charlotte has a number of sister cities, including:
- Arequipa, Peru (as of 1962)
- Baoding,