Greater Charlotte
Known as the Queen City, Charlotte is a thriving metropolitan area located just 20 minutes south of Davidson. It's the largest city in North Carolina with a metro area population of 2.8 million, among the fastest growing populations in the country.
Charlotte hosts more than 65,000 performances and events annually. The Mint Museum, Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, Levine Museum and NoDa art district are just a few of the venues for fine art exhibits, cultural festivals, Broadway theatre performances, live music events and more. Charlotte is home to many local brewers and more than 100 wineries offering tours and tastings surround the Greater Charlotte area.
Charlotte is one of the largest banking centers in the United States, and has several other key industries that continue to keep the region economically stable, including manufacturing, energy, automotive, health, technology, and retail. It's home to the headquarters of several Fortune 500 and 1000 companies such as Bank of America, Lowe's, Truist, Honeywell and Duke Energy.
In addition to arts and culture, Charlotte's diverse attractions include a mix of outdoor adventure, education and fun. Close to the city is Carowinds Amusement and Water Park, the Carolina Raptor Center, and The U.S. National Whitewater Center, the training home for the U.S. Olympic Whitewater team. Visitors can watch team time trials or partake in water sports, hiking and other outdoor activities.
From bargain hunting to upscale shopping, Greater Charlotte provides many options for retail therapy. Closest to Davidson is Birkdale Village, an outdoor shopping center offering many fine shopping and dining options as well as a 16-stadium movie theater. Concord Mills in Concord features more than 200 outlet shops including Aeropostale, DKNY and Banana Republic. SouthPark Mall, located south of downtown Charlotte, and Northlake Mall, located at exit 18 off I-77, provide more traditional mall shopping experiences.
Charlotte is home to the NFL's Carolina Panthers, the NBA's Charlotte Hornets, minor league baseball team Charlotte Knights, professional soccer club Charlotte FC and NASCAR. The Panthers, Hornets, Charlotte FC and Knights all play in venues located in downtown Charlotte. The Charlotte Motor Speedway hosts NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600, Bank of America 500 and the All-Star Sprint Cup Series races.
Charlotte lies at the intersection of several major highways and train lines, while also hosting one of the busiest airports in the country.
Students can access Charlotte through public transportation by parking and riding on Charlotte's LYNX light rail system for easy access to downtown dining and entertainment venues. Once downtown, Gold Line trolleys provide free rides along the main downtown streets. The CATS bus service links the Greater Charlotte area together with more than 70 routes.
Davidson College boosts economic vitality of the Charlotte area and state of North Carolina, supporting nearly $500 million of economic impact annually, according to a new study. That economic support, combined with thousands of student community service hours and the social and cultural contributions of our employees and alumni, strengthen the fabric of the Charlotte region and the state.