In 2014, at ICMA’s 100th Annual Conference, we will be celebrating ICMA’s leadership role in the development of the local government management profession. At our annual conferences in 1988 and 2003, we enjoyed many of the fantastic sights and sounds that Charlotte has to offer as an up-and-coming city in the Southeast. Still warmed by the wonderful memories we have from those years, we decided that Charlotte/Mecklenburg County would be the perfect place in which to celebrate our 100th anniversary in 2014—and even more so because 2014 also marks 50 years since the North Carolina City Managers Association unanimously decided to form a joint city and county managers association in North Carolina. So that’s where we’ll be in 2014!

Many activities have been planned for a yearlong celebration, which will provide a great opportunity to raise awareness of both the organization and the local government management profession. And as if we needed even more reason to celebrate, in 2014 the ICMA Code of Ethics will be 90 years strong! 

 

Why Charlotte? Why Not!

Charlotte’s a city where northern visitors exchange smiles on the street with Carolina natives. A city where Olympic-caliber adventurers rub elbows with culture mavens. A city that captivates both NASCAR heroes and finance leaders. Eighty percent of the Sprint Cup drivers call Charlotte (the Queen City) home, and three major races are held at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Charlotte is one of the fastest-growing cities in the nation. Be prepared to give Charlotte a standing ovation after attending its breathtaking ballets, thrilling operas, and many other stage shows. Charlotte offers golf (more than 40 public courses), excellent dining choices, a plethora of boutiques and outlet malls, and many other exciting venues and events.

 

Among cities in the United States, Charlotte…

• Is the 2nd-largest banking center, controlling more than $2 trillion in assets
• Was rated as the 5th Most Desirable Place to do Business by Area Development Special magazine
• Ranks 5th in metropolitan cities for overall well-being (Gallup)
• Ranks 9th in the number of Fortune 500 companies headquartered here
• Was named one of the "Top 10 Cities for African-Americans to Live" by Black Enterprise magazine
• Is the 17th largest city in total population
• Ranks among the top 20 of "America's Most Wired Cities" (Forbes.com)
• Has been named "Tree City USA" for 31 years in a row by the National Arbor Day Foundation
• Was rated as one of the "Best Cities for Small Business" by Entrepreneur magazine
• Is the home of Imaginon, the top-ranked children's museum in the country (Livability.com)

 

Just the Facts, Ma’am

Charlotte is North Carolina’s largest metropolitan area. Once called Charlottetowne, the city was named in 1762 in honor of the British queen “Charlotte Sophia,” while the county was named Mecklenburg to denote the region in Germany where she was born. 

Charlotte has a council-manager form of government. Its mayor and 11 council members are elected every two years in November, and it has an appointed professional city manager to run the day-to-day operations. 

The Charlotte, North Carolina, region is composed of 16 counties, including four in South Carolina. Located in the heart of the Southeast, within the southern Piedmont of North Carolina and along the state’s border with South Carolina, the city of Charlotte serves as the hub of the region. It is the largest and most accessible city between Washington, D.C., and Dallas, Texas. Given its mid-Atlantic location, getting to Charlotte is easy from anywhere in the country or even the world—hence its nickname, "the International Gateway to the South."

 

Attractions

Charlotte offers an incredible variety of things to do and see, from cosmopolitan art, culture, and museums to exciting diversions for families; tantalizing wineries and sumptuous dining; and high-energy racing, professional sports, and outdoor recreational opportunities.

 

Arts and culture:

Immerse yourself in the Queen City’s diverse collection of museums, art galleries, performing arts venues, historical attractions, and more. With more than a mile’s worth of cultural facilities all within Center City alone, it’s clear that Charlotte has an ever-increasing commitment to the arts. And historical sites scattered throughout the region make for one-of-a-kind visitor experiences. Breathtaking ballets by NC Dance Theatre, exciting operas by Opera Carolina, and a wide variety of scintillating stage shows at Belk Theater and Ovens Auditorium are just a sampling of city happenings. In 2010, the Levine Center for the Arts became the heart of the Center City cultural corridor, encompassing the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, Mint Museum Uptown, Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture, and the 1,150-seat Knight Theater. Neighborhoods beyond Center City, including NoDa and South End, embrace the arts with off-the-beaten-path venues that offer musical genres ranging from jazz to alt-rock and gallery crawls that show off masterpieces by local artists. 

 

 

Family Friendly:

Suitable for kids big and small (that includes mom and dad), Charlotte is ready to add excitement to family vacations. Banking may have helped shape this city, but its playful side adds to Charlotte’s unforgettable appeal. Planet Snoopy, as well as new thrill rides such as Windseeker and The Intimidator, are at Carowinds; rousing May and October races are run at the Charlotte Motor Speedway; and the boisterous Duke Energy Broadway Lights performances can be found at NC Blumenthal Performing Arts. For animal enthusiasts, don’t miss the Lazy 5 Ranch for an up-close look at exotic animals and the Carolina Raptor Center for a lesson on birds of prey. With everything from firework-filled minor league baseball games to adrenaline-rushing adventures at the U.S. National Whitewater Center, Charlotte’s family-friendly attractions engage, excite, and exhilarate.

But wait, there’s more! Great Wolf Lodge in Concord combines indoor water park fun, a spa to soothe the senses, themed restaurants, and much more. Discovery Place, the premier children’s science museum in the Southeast, recently underwent a complete renovation. Affordable hotels throughout Center City such as the new Starwood concept Aloft, make family getaways easy on the pocketbook. Aloft is located in the mixed-use entertainment hub, the EpiCentre. So skip the dull getaways of yesteryear and prepare for thrills, wonders, and good, plain fun. 

 

Vineyards:

Like a fine wine, North Carolina’s Piedmont vineyards have certainly gotten better with age. Nestled among the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, this promising grape-growing terrain has been compared to France’s celebrated Burgundy region. It ranks 10th in the nation for wine and grape production. The state is practically bursting with wineries within its three American Viticultural Areas: Yadkin Valley, Swan Creek, and Haw River Valley. Area wineries include NASCAR team owner Richard Childress’s Childress Vineyards, Shelton Vineyards, and Uwharrie Vineyards.

 

Dining and Nightlife:

Charlotte’s dining options are practically endless and all kinds of delicious. Savor international cuisine or interesting twists on American classics. Charlotte is home to culinary leader Johnson & Wales University, which has had a flavorful impact on the city’s burgeoning culinary scene. The Queen City is bursting with invigorating restaurant concepts; regional favorites done right, such as BBQ and fried pickles; and countless hotspots serving upscale elegance as well as local comfort food. From worldly flavors to a farm-to-fork focus, there’s something to please every taste. Visit Price’s Chicken Coop, a Bon Appétit magazine pick for the best fried chicken, or Thomas Street Tavern, one of Esquire Magazine’s best bars in America. New restaurants on the scene, such as Aria Tuscan Grill and The King’s Kitchen, add to Charlotte’s already flavorful palate. No matter where you dine, be sure to know that your meal will always be served with the grace and charm that characterizes this fair city. 

 

Charlotte’s nightlife scene is booming, and there’s plenty of entertainment on tap. Check out the city’s bars, breweries, nightclubs, lounges, live music venues, and more.

 

Sports and Recreation:

Most Charlotteans like to play as hard as they work, which has shaped the city into a place where mountain-bike trails meet expertly manicured greens, where cheering for the Carolina Panthers can be followed up by tubing along the shores of Lake Norman, and where a day of whitewater rafting is best complemented by a stroll through an oak-shaded park. Catch a fireworks show at a Saturday Knights baseball game, or watch the AHL Checkers take to the ice and the Bobcats shoot hoops at Time Warner Cable Arena. More sports teams, such as the Charlotte Hounds lacrosse team and the Charlotte Roller Girls roller derby team, provide entertainment outside the usual sporting events.

 

With more than 14,000 acres of parks and 19 recreational centers, green space almost outweighs pavement in and around the city. At the U.S. National Whitewater Center[JC1] , outdoor enthusiasts and nature novices can be found making waves on the largest man-made whitewater river in the world. The center also has 14 miles of rolling hiking, biking, and running trails; flatwater paddling on the Catawba River; one of the largest wall-climbing surfaces in the nation; eco trekking; a MegaZip line; and adventure courses. 

In addition, Charlotte has more than 40 public golf courses to choose from. Whether driving the impressive wetland-shrouded 15th hole of Rocky River Golf Club or teeing off at the newly renovated championship course at Ballantyne Hotel & Lodge, you’ll find a lot of links to your liking. Combine that with world-class sporting facilities such as Charlotte Motor Speedway[JC2] , Bank of America Stadium, and Time Warner Cable Arena[JC3] , and it’s apparent that Charlotte’s got game.

 

Getting to Charlotte

Nearly 60 percent of the country's population lives within a two-hour flight of Charlotte, North Carolina, and 6.9 million people live within a 100-mile radius of the city. Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT), the national hub of US Airways, is the 14th-largest airport in the nation, home to 11 major airlines and 14 regional carriers that provide nonstop service to 179 cities. Charlotte’s highly efficient and growing interstate highway system offers drivers convenient access to the city. I-77 and I-85 connect Charlotte to cities in the Northeast, Southwest, and Midwest. Convenient I-40, less than one hour north, provides an important east-west link with coast-to-coast access. In addition, easy access is available on U.S. routes 74, 29, and 21. Amtrak provides daily passenger rail service on the North and South lines, which serve most of the United States. And Charlotte has excellent bus service, as Greyhound and Trailways serve the area with more than 350 arrivals and departures weekly.

 

Charlotte Convention Center

The Charlotte Convention Center, which opened in 1995, attracts more than half a million visitors each year. From its gracefully arched entrances to its airy concourses, the center was designed to be elegant and inviting. Just seven miles from Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT), the Charlotte Convention Center is also adjacent to the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

 

The convention center has become one of a growing number of large convention facilities across the United States and the first in North Carolina to “go green.” In addition to implementing such procedures as the use of biodegradable cups made from corn products, the facility has gone the extra mile and engaged in substantial recycling programs, added environmentally friendly cleaning products, and introduced energy-saving initiatives.

The Charlotte Convention Center’s art collection represents the area’s rich North Carolina heritage as well as the beauty of the Piedmont region. The facility houses works by artists from across the nation in addition to creations by homespun talent. Look up to take in the “Oculus Reflector” by nationally acclaimed artist James Carpenter. Not just an intricate skylight, this piece uses glass and steel to reflect and refract sunlight, creating shifting patterns and designs on the floor. Paul Rousso’s painting Home Movie pays homage to the faces in Charlotte’s community with deconstructed and collage-like portraits. All nine public art pieces add to the center’s welcoming ambiance.

For detailed information on the variety of things to see and do while you are there, visit the Charlotte Convention and Visitors Bureau at charlottesgotalot.com.

Charlotte is both a charming, walkable town and a cosmopolitan, financial epicenter with unique cultural offerings and entertainment. Charlotte will surprise you! We hope you will join us in 2014 for this year of celebrations in the Queen City.