The largest city in the state of North Carolina, United States. Charlotte is the county set of Mecklenburg County. It is situated between the Appalachian Mountains and the Atlantic Ocean. Washington DC is to the north of North Carolina and Atlanta is to the south.

The area that is now Charlotte was settled around 1755 by people of European descent. The city is considered the home of Southern Presbyterianism and has been dubbed “The City of Churches”. Gold was found in the Charlotte in 1799, which sparked a gold rush to the area. The city’s first boom, however, came after the Civil Way and relied primarily on cotton processing and railways.

Today, Charlotte is a major U.S. financial center. It is the 2nd largest banking center in the country after New York City. There are several Fortune 500 companies located in Charlotte and the surrounding metropolitan areas, including Bank of America, Family Dollar and Lowe’s.

In 2010, there was an estimated 731,424 inhabitants living within Charlotte’s city limits. A number of notable universities and colleges are located in Charlotte, including Johnson & Wales University and University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Points of interest in Charlotte include various professional sports teams, museums and performing arts centers.