Dilworth
• Profile: Charlotte’s first suburb, Dilworth sprang up in the 1890s as the
new electric streetcar stretched away from the center city. About
seventy-five years later, homeowners departed the neighborhood, seeking
newer construction and greater acreage in Charlotte’s expanding suburbs.
The pendulum swung back in the late 1980s when buyers became interested in
living close in. They brought their architects and contractors, and have
renovated the houses into gracious homes and office spaces—and prices
reflect the renaissance.
• Style of home: Typically turn-of-the-century bungalow-style houses, each
different from the next, and most expanded with historically appropriate
additions, because Dilworth is one of Charlotte’s historic districts.
• Shopping: Several shopping centers are along East Boulevard, with shops
boasting everything from high-end consignment clothing to ski accessories
to natural remedies to fine women’s lingerie.
• Other highlights: Latta Park is a popular gathering place, thanks to its
stately trees and kid-friendly playground. At the far east end of East
Boulevard, Freedom Park is a destination for those who engage in soccer,
tennis, in-line skating, and, on a small scale, fishing.
• New or coming additions: The most visible is the brand new Latta Pavilion
office/restaurant/condo project at the corner of Kenilworth Avenue and East
Boulevard. People began taking residence late last year, in condos that
range from $160,000 to $400,000.
• Defining characteristic: Aside from the wonderful sidewalk system that
encourages everyone to walk to stores and restaurants, Dilworth is known
for its astounding home values. A home bought for $200,000 in 1994 now may
be appraised for nearly twice that amount.

Elizabeth
• Profile: Just as Dilworth homes popped up along the trolley lines of East
Boulevard and South Boulevard, Elizabeth neighbors built their homes along
the trolley line
that ran down Seventh Street. Today, Seventh Street remains Elizabeth’s
commercial hub, lined with longtime favorite restaurants, salons, and shops.
• Style of home: Mostly turn-of-the-century bungalows, with some—but not
much—more recent construction as well.
• Shopping: A row of consignment/antiques shops lends a unique flair, as
does Visart Video, the only place in town where you’ll find independent
films organized by director.
• Other highlights: Independence Park, running parallel to Seventh Street,
is fashionable with walkers and joggers. This is also the place for summer
concerts, a stroll through a beautiful rose garden, and excellent Fourth of
July fireworks watching.
• New or coming additions: A couple of new condo projects have been selling
well, but the hottest spot is Elizabeth’s next-door neighborhood,
Chantilly, which drew buyers’ attention when Independence Boulevard was
reworked to bypass Chantilly’s streets. Here you’ll find a strong
concentration of smaller homes, built just before and after World War II,
that are just beginning to be renovated. Savvy homeowners are descending on
Chantilly, renovating and expanding these houses. Expect to pay around
$150,000 for a two-bedroom, one-bath home of about 1,200 square feet.
• Defining characteristic: Walkable streets ranging south toward
Presbyterian Hospital and north toward Central Avenue.

Plaza-Midwood
• Profile: Long regarded as a stepchild of Elizabeth, Plaza-Midwood has
blossomed into a thriving community of its own. The area was born in 1903
and incorporated a range of styles; splendid homes lined The Plaza, a
former trolley route, while smaller mill homes were built only blocks away.

• Style of home: Unlike Charlotte’s other close-in neighborhoods,
Plaza-Midwood formed as several different neighborhoods—with homes of
varying size, age, and affordability—merged together. Many are tiny
bungalows, others are larger. The home-renovation fever is under way,
however, and home prices are all over the map, sharing an important
characteristic: They’re rising. A four bedroom, two bath, 2,000-square-foot
home on Thomas Street recently sold for $295,000. A 940-square-foot home on
nearby Hamorton Place went for $151,500.
• Shopping: Established barbershops, pawnshops, and antiques shops are
nestled among newer tattoo parlors, a day spa, and boutiques full of trendy
club wear.
• Other highlights: Veterans Park, located on Central Avenue east of The
Plaza, is the place for organized sports and tree-climbing. It also has a
playground and a bandstand.
• New or coming additions: As the area’s popularity grows, so does its
geographic reach. Business owners are renovating abandoned warehouse and
retail spaces along Central Avenue toward the center city. A $1.5 million
redevelopment of the former Johnson Beer Company building, at the
intersection of Central and Hawthorne avenues, is under way, bringing new
offices, retail shops, and residential spaces.
• Defining characteristic: Diversity. Thanks to the area’s history of
building and merging neighborhoods, you’ll see neighbors with a range of
incomes and outlooks—families with minivans living next to actors and
artists.

South End
• Profile: For years, South End had no individual persona. It was home to
an abandoned textile mill and an abandoned cracker factory, just outside of
the center city loop. Not quite Dilworth, not quite Wilmore, and not quite
the center city, South End suffered an identity crisis until the early
1990s, when local business leaders "rebranded" the area and rallied the
city government to upgrade the infrastructure with better lighting and
street scapes. Today, it’s a thriving destination for shopping, dining, and
living, centered on the trolley.
• Style of home: Comfortably priced town homes and high-end condo flats in
a modern style, yet with architectural touches to reflect South End’s
history.
• Shopping: Funky and fresh, with an emphasis on design. Antiques, unique
gifts, upscale clothing—and Charlotte’s only Vespa retailer.
• New or coming additions: More condos and town homes, the largest project
of which is The Village of South End, a project of 115 residential units
across from SouthEnd Brewery.
• Defining characteristic: Hipness. Most of the places here are relatively
new construction or renovation, and are drawing young Charlotte
professionals who want a short commute to work but don’t want to pay center
city prices.

North Charlotte
• Profile: The main thoroughfare through North Charlotte is North Davidson
Street, which runs north right out of downtown. As you head out of town,
you’ll pass an area that has not yet seen an upturn. Then, as you get into
streets numbered in the high twenties, you’ll pass a historic textile mill,
warehouses, and rail lines—and then emerge into one of Charlotte’s newest
hot spots.
• Style of home: Overwhelmingly, 1,000-or-so square-foot mill houses, built
at the turn of the century to house workers at the textile mills. In the
past five years, historic North Charlotte has been dubbed "NoDa" and
discovered by a wave of younger designers, artists, and dancers who have
spruced up old mill homes, doubling their investments. At the same time,
developers have sold homeowners on new infill housing, mostly condominiums.
• Shopping: It’s kinda limited, unless you’re looking for top-quality art
at the Center of the Earth or the Blue Moon Gallery. There’s also a shop
that sells hemp clothing and counterculture accessories.
Σ• Other highlights: The Neighborhood Theatre, a restored church/adult
movie house that now brings in some of the country’s finest
singer-songwriters, and the Off-Tryon Theatre Company, Charlotte’s home of
Off-Broadway theater.
• New or coming additions: You can’t miss ’em. In the heart of NoDa are two
new condo projects right across the street from each other. One is the
revitalization of an existing building; the other will replace the
venerable bar called Pat’s Time for One More with new construction. Just
north of Thirty-sixth Street, a twenty-five-unit residential project called
The Colony combines loft flats over retail spaces, as well as town homes.
Next up: a retail/residential project called the Renaissance, with more
than 200 town homes, lofts, and flats.
• Defining characteristic: A certain je ne sais quoi. For years, NoDa has
been a cherished secret, home of cheap beer, tattoos, drum circles, and
gallery crawls. Now neighbors are keeping a wary eye on all these upscale
condo projects moving in, waiting to see how NoDa’s spirit will change.

West Charlotte
• Profile: Neighborhoods on the west side of the city have grown less
quickly, due
partly to the growth of Charlotte/Douglas International Airport, which is
easily accessible from West Boulevard—but which has also brought increased
traffic and airport noise. Land here is more affordable than elsewhere in
the city, however, and that has caused homeowners to take a fresh look at
the west side. New middle- and upper-income subdivisions have been built
along Tuckaseegee and Old Steele Creek roads, just far enough away from
airport sounds.
• Style of home: Older neighborhoods feature classic post-World War II
homes and 1960s ranches; newer neighborhoods are built in today’s newest
styles with modern amenities.
• Shopping: For years, retailers have shifted their focus away from the
West Side, but there are signs that that’s about to change. Businesses are
now looking into new commercial developments along the west side’s
corridors, including the new Wilkinson Park
Business Center and the revitalized Westover Shopping Center.
• New or coming additions: An ultra-modern high school, the Phillip O.
Berry Academy of Technology opened in 2002. A new branch of the public
library—plus media center—is scheduled to open in early 2003. After that, a
$5 million
Y. M. C. A. branch with two athletic fields is slated to open in the
northeast corner of West Boulevard and Donald Ross Road.
• Defining characteristic: Optimism. Business development is gaining
momentum thanks to governmental grants designed to revitalize West
Charlotte’s main corridors. The area likely will become even more
attractive as the Interstate 485 "outer loop" brings more commercial
activity—and more people—back to it.

East Side
• Profile: Take Central Avenue past Plaza-Midwood and you’ll run into
Charlotte’s most diverse community. Here, housing is more affordable than
elsewhere in the city,
drawing large numbers of newcomers who are rebuilding the neighborhoods.
• Style of home: As on the west side, these homes are built post World War
II and into the 1960s. You’ll see a lot of one-story ranches and
split-level homes.
• Shopping: Plentiful and varied. Independence Boulevard (U.S. 74) has
long stood as one of the city’s main retail corridors. Strip malls abound,
offering everything from office supplies to discount clothing to natural
foods. Eastland Mall, at the intersection of Central Avenue and Sharon
Amity, provides department-store shopping and the area’s only
Spanish-language cinema.
• Other highlights: The homesite of Hezekiah Alexander, one of the signers
of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence. The newly expanded and
modernized Charlotte Museum of History provides a grand entrance to the
site and a reproduction of Alexander’s 1770s home.
• New or coming additions: Some developers have noted the affordable land
values in the east side, and have talked about scattering midpriced
town-home developments in the area. Planning commission staffers also have
discussed creating an International District, celebrating the international
businesses along Central Avenue.
• Defining characteristic: The east side has become a melting pot of
flavors, languages, and cultures that coexist, for the most part, in
harmony.

South Charlotte
• Profile: It’s hard to believe, but about thirty years ago, the area south
of the Park Road Shopping Center was mostly farmland. The completion of
SouthPark mall changed the landscape, bringing shopping and residential
dollars farther south. Land here was more plentiful, and houses cost less
than ones in the older Charlotte neighborhoods, so Charlotteans began
flocking here in the late 1970s.
• Style of home: Varied, with one primary characteristic: Most are large,
taking advantage of their larger lot size. You’ll find modest homes at
not-so-modest prices, as well as houses topping out at several thousand
square feet—and several million dollars.
• Shopping: Perhaps the greatest concentration of the best shopping in
town. SouthPark mall boasts a newly expanded Belk, Nordstrom is on the
horizon, and Saks is rumored to be in the wings. Meanwhile, the Shops on
the Park, across from the mall, feature high-end favorites like Talbot’s
and Williams-Sonoma. Just down the street is Phillips Place, home of
upscale home furnishings, gardening, and antiques stores—as well as a
splendid day spa. Then there’s Morrocroft Shopping Center, with upscale
clothiers, stationers, and the area’s flagship Harris Teeter store.
• New or coming additions: SouthPark mall is nearing completion on a
brand-new high-fashion wing, adding several new stores. Other
retail/office/residential development has been proposed.
• Defining characteristic: Expensive SUVs and stylish clothes.