The first known historic tribe to settle in the area were the Catawba Native Americans around 1567. Nearly two hundred years later around 1755, European colonists arrived, but sadly, by 1759, and with no immunity, half the Catawba tribe died from contracting smallpox, a disease the European colonists had brought with them. First to develop the city “proper” were the Scottish-Irish Presbyterians who arrived from Northern Ireland. Once referred to as the "Queen City,” Charlotte was later named specifically after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the Queen Consort of British King George III of Great Britain and Ireland in 1761. The Mecklenburg Resolves, a form of independence from British rule, was signed in 1775 to become the first independence documents on the route to the American Revolution. Following the Civil War, Charlotte became an important cotton processing center and railroad hub. In the 1970s and 1980s, largely due to North Carolina National Bank’s aggressive takeovers and merger with BankAmerica to eventually become Bank of America, Charlotte was well and truly put on the USA financial map. Of the assets managed by the city’s financial institutions, Charlotte became the second largest US banking center in the United States after New York City. First Union also grew dramatically and was taken over by Wells Fargo in 2008, becoming the East Coast operations center for Wells Fargo.

There are many annual festivals and special events in Charlotte. Since 1987, the Yiasou Greek Festival has been taking place and is now one of Charlotte's largest cultural events with everything Greek on show. The oldest and largest independent annual comic book conventions in the country, Heroes Convention, is held at the Charlotte Convention Center in June each year.

The city is famed for its soul food and really great coffee, attracting coffee enthusiasts from near and far. It’s also on the map for beer and wine, with many breweries and vineyards, such as Dennison, Stony Mountain and Vesuvius, offering unique experiences unavailable elsewhere. There is truly great shopping in both the larger retail malls and independent boutiques happily sitting side-by-side and plenty of restaurants serving food from all around the world.

If you're looking for live music and/or great nightlife, you'll find it in Charlotte with plenty of bars, restaurants, pubs, clubs, live music and events. There is always something on musically, both paid-for and free.

For all the family and despite not being near the sea, there is even a beach in Charlotte at Cornelius on Lake Norman, offering a great day out by the water. And not only are owners of mobile homes in Charlotte near a beach, but there are the mountains within easy reach of Charlotte. There is the Crowders Mountain State Park that is just a 30 to 40 minute drive from Charlotte. Here you can find both easy and challenging hikes, towering cliffs and incredible world-class postcard views. There are over nine acres of lakes where you can enjoy a great day out fishing. You are never too far from the great outdoors in Charlotte.