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43-690: The Observer primarily serves Charlotte and Mecklenburg County and the surrounding counties of Iredell , Cabarrus , Union , Lancaster , York , Gaston , Catawba , and Lincoln . Home delivery service in outlying counties has declined in recent years, with delivery times growing later as the paper has outsourced circulation services outside the primary Charlotte area. Circulation at The Charlotte Observer has been declining for many years. The period of May 2011 showed that Charlotte Observer circulation totaled 155,497 daily and 212,318 Sunday. 2017 Print Circulation Daily: 69,987 and Sunday: 106,434. The newspaper has an online presence and its staff also oversees

86-506: A NASCAR news website, and a corresponding syndicated feature, That's Racin' . The Charlotte Observer also operates a food, drink and lifestyle vertical called CharlotteFive . The paper's television partner is WBTV . The Observer offices also include editors and designers that makeup the McClatchy NewsDesk-East , which is responsible for the production of The Charlotte Observer and McClatchy newspapers from across

129-478: A female householder with no husband present, and 36.00% were non-families. 27.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.06. In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.10% under the age of 18, 9.70% from 18 to 24, 36.40% from 25 to 44, 20.30% from 45 to 64, and 8.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age

172-486: A million by 1990. A proposal to form a consolidated city-county government with Charlotte was considered, but voted down by residents in 1971. The metropolitan statistical area now includes 11 counties in both North Carolina and South Carolina , and had an estimated combined population of 2,805,115 in 2023. In mid-2020, the county was the site of the 2020 Colonial Pipeline oil spill , wherein about 2,000,000 U.S. gal (7,600,000 L) of gasoline leaked from

215-550: A sister publication of the state's largest paper, The News & Observer of Raleigh ; and of The Herald of Rock Hill, the primary newspaper for the South Carolina side of the metro area. As of spring 2008, it is the fifth-largest newspaper in the McClatchy chain (behind The Kansas City Star , Miami Herald , Sacramento Bee and Fort Worth Star-Telegram ). McClatchy's share value has been in decline since

258-607: Is a county located in the southwestern region of the U.S. state of North Carolina , in the United States . As of the 2020 census , the population was 1,115,482, making it the second-most populous county in North Carolina (after Wake County ), and the first county in the Carolinas to surpass one million in population. Its county seat is Charlotte , the state's largest municipality. Mecklenburg County

301-751: Is a proposed 29-mile (47 km) east-west light rail line that would connect the outlying cities and towns of Belmont , Matthews , Stallings and Indian Trail to Uptown Charlotte and the Charlotte Douglas International Airport . Originally setup as two separate projects known as the Southeast Corridor and West Corridor, they were merged in 2019 by the Metropolitan Transit Commission. The tentative opening date in 2037. Mecklenburg's manufacturing base, its central location on

344-478: Is higher outside Mecklenburg & adjacent counties/states. As of 2020, an annual digital subscription is $ 15.99 per month. [REDACTED] Media related to The Charlotte Observer at Wikimedia Commons 35°13′15″N 80°50′36″W  /  35.220831°N 80.843422°W  / 35.220831; -80.843422  ( Charlotte Observere ) Mecklenburg County, North Carolina Mecklenburg County ( / ˈ m ɛ k l ə n ˌ b ɜːr ɡ / )

387-507: Is home to ten Fortune 1000 companies. Wachovia , a former Fortune 500 company, had its headquarters in Charlotte until it was acquired by Wells Fargo for $ 15.1 billion. Wells Fargo maintains the majority of the former company's operations in Charlotte. Goodrich Corporation , a former Fortune 500 company, had its headquarters in Charlotte until it was acquired by United Technologies Corporation for $ 18.4 billion. Charlotte

430-630: Is located at 1914 North Tryon Street . A new centralized multimodal train station, Gateway Station, has been planned for the city. It is expected to house the future LYNX Purple Line, the new Greyhound bus station, and the Crescent line that passes through Uptown Charlotte. Mecklenburg County is the proposed southern terminus for the initial segment of the Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor operating between Charlotte and Washington, D.C. Currently in conceptual design,

473-484: Is now the headquarters for UTC Aerospace Systems . The county's primary commercial aviation airport is Charlotte Douglas International Airport in Charlotte. With twenty-five freight trains a day, Mecklenburg is a freight railroad transportation center, largely due to its place on the NS main line between Washington and Atlanta, and the large volumes of freight moving in and out of the county via truck. Mecklenburg County

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516-500: Is served daily by three Amtrak routes. The Crescent train connects Charlotte with New York , Philadelphia , Baltimore , Washington , Charlottesville , and Greensboro to the north, and Atlanta , Birmingham and New Orleans to the southwest. The Carolinian train connects Charlotte with New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Richmond , Raleigh , Durham and Greensboro. The Piedmont train connects Charlotte with Raleigh, Durham and Greensboro. The Amtrak station

559-720: Is the central county of the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC Metropolitan Statistical Area . On September 12, 2013, it was estimated the county surpassed one million residents. Like its seat, the county is named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz , Queen of the United Kingdom (1761–1818), whose name is derived from the region of Mecklenburg in Germany . It was named for Mecklenburg Castle (Mecklenburg meaning "large castle" in Low German ) in

602-553: Is water. Nature preserves in Charlotte: As of the 2020 census , there were 1,115,482 people, 426,313 households, and 254,759 families residing in the county. At the 2000 census , there were 695,454 people, 273,416 households, and 174,986 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,322 people per square mile (510 people/km ). There were 292,780 housing units at an average density of 556 units per square mile (215 units/km ). The racial makeup of

645-578: The Charlotte Transportation Center and future Charlotte Gateway Station , before continuing to French Street in Biddleville (Charlotte neighborhood) , near the campus of Johnson C. Smith University . Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) bus service serves all of Mecklenburg County, including Charlotte, and the municipalities of Davidson, Huntersville, Cornelius, Matthews, Pineville, and Mint Hill. The Lynx Silver Line

688-549: The Colonial Pipeline in the Oehler Nature Preserve near Huntersville . It is one of the largest gasoline spills in U.S. history, and cleanup efforts are expected to last for several years. According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 546.09 square miles (1,414.4 km ), of which 523.61 square miles (1,356.1 km ) is land and 22.48 square miles (58.2 km ) (4.12%)

731-524: The Observer made the Saturday edition digital only. In July 2024, the newspaper announced it will decrease the number of print editions to three a week: Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. The paper will also be delivered by the postal service instead of by carrier. The Charlotte Observer has won five Pulitzer Prizes : The Charlotte Observer prices are: daily, $ 2 and Sunday/Thanksgiving Day, $ 3. Price

774-482: The University of North Carolina at Charlotte ) were built. Lake Norman was also completed in 1964, after a five-year construction period. In the mid-20th century, the county continued to see rapid growth. Many new government buildings were constructed, and Charlotte Douglas International Airport was expanded in 1954. By 1960, a quarter million people were living in the county, with the population reaching half

817-481: The poverty line , including 11.50% of those under age 18 and 9.30% of those age 65 or over. Mecklenburg County is a member of the regional Centralina Council of Governments . The county is governed by the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners (BOCC). The BOCC is a nine-member board made up of representatives elected from six single-member districts , and three at-large representatives elected by

860-544: The Board of County Commissioners are: Mecklenburg County was one of the first parts of North Carolina to break away from a Solid South voting pattern. It was a Republican-leaning swing county for most of the second half of the 20th century, supporting the GOP all but three times from 1952 to 2000. However, the county has strongly trended Democratic in the 21st century, particularly in federal and statewide elections. The expansion of

903-718: The City of Charlotte and the towns of Cornelius, Davidson, and Huntersville (north of Charlotte); and the towns of Matthews, Mint Hill, and Pineville (south and southeast of Charlotte). A small portion of Stallings is also in Mecklenburg County, though most of that town is in Union County . Extraterritorial jurisdictions within the county are annexed by municipalities as soon as they reach sufficient concentrations. Townships are administrative divisions of unincorporated county land and do not have any government function. By

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946-1034: The Eastern Seaboard, and the intersection of two major interstates in the county have made it a hub for the trucking industry. Also located in the county is the Inland Port of Charlotte , which is a major rail corridor for CSX rail lines. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) serves the entire county; however, the State of North Carolina also has approved a number of charter schools in Mecklenburg County (independently operated schools financed with tax dollars). The Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County serves residents of Mecklenburg County. Library cards from any branch can be used at all 20 locations. The library has an extensive collection (over 1.5 million items) of reference and popular materials including DVDs, books on CD, best sellers, downloadable media, and books. The Billy Graham Library contains

989-543: The Knight Ridder chain (behind The Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News , Detroit Free Press and Miami Herald ). In 1959, The Observer purchased The Charlotte News , Charlotte's afternoon newspaper. All operations were merged except editorial content, which was fused in 1983. The Observer ended circulation of the afternoon News in 1985. McClatchy purchased most of Knight Ridder's newspapers, including The Observer , in 2006. This made The Observer

1032-541: The Mecklenburg County Commission are required by North Carolina State law to choose a chair and vice-chair once a year (at the first meeting of December). Historically, the individual elected was the 'top-vote-getter', typically one of three at-large members. In 2014 this unofficial rule was changed by the Board to allow any member to serve as Chair or vice-chair as long as they received support from 4 members plus their own vote. The nine members of

1075-628: The SEHSR would eventually run from Washington, D.C. to Macon, Georgia . Light rail service in Mecklenburg County is provided by LYNX Rapid Transit Services . Currently, the 19-mile (31 km) Lynx Blue Line runs from University of North Carolina at Charlotte , through Uptown Charlotte , to Pineville ; build-out is expected to be complete by 2034. The CityLynx Gold Line , a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) streetcar line runs from Sunnyside Avenue, in Plaza-Midwood , through Uptown Charlotte , stopping at

1118-433: The county was 64.02% White , 27.87% Black or African American , 0.35% American Indian/Alaska Native , 3.15% Asian , 0.05% Pacific Islander , 3.01% from other races , and 1.55% from two or more races. 6.45% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 273,416 households, out of which 32.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.70% were married couples living together, 12.40% had

1161-580: The declaration each year in May, the date of which is included on the flag of North Carolina . The first gold rush in the United States, the Carolina Gold Rush , began after a 12-year-old boy named Conrad Reed discovered a gold nugget in a stream in neighboring Cabarrus County . Many miners and merchants began settling in the county during that time. The first United States branch mint

1204-489: The entire county. This electoral structure favors at-large candidates who appeal to the majority population of the county. Each District has a population of approximately 165,000 individuals. All seats are partisan and are for 2-year terms (elections occur in even years). The current chairman of the Mecklenburg BOCC is George Dunlap (D, District 3). The Current Vice-chair is Elaine Powell (D, District 1). Members of

1247-453: The financial and business communities since the late 20th century attracted many newcomers from other areas of the country, with more diverse voting patterns. The more ethnically diverse core and northern sections of Charlotte trend Democratic, while wealthier and whiter suburban areas to the south of the city lean more Republican. In 2004, John Kerry became only the fourth Democrat to carry Mecklenburg County since Harry Truman in 1948, and

1290-579: The fiscal year 2022, MEDIC responded to over 160,000 calls for service and transported over 107,000 patients. While MEDIC is a division of Mecklenburg County Government, a board guides and directs MEDIC that consists of members affiliated with Atrium Health , Novant Health and a swing vote provided by the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners. Atrium and Novant are the two major medical institutions in Charlotte, North Carolina. Mecklenburg County contains seven municipalities including

1333-416: The papers and memorabilia related to the career of the well-known 20th century evangelist, Billy Graham . Two major healthcare providers exist within Mecklenburg County, Atrium Health , and Novant Health . The two healthcare systems combined offer 14 emergency departments throughout Mecklenburg County, including a psychiatric emergency department and two children's emergency departments. Two hospitals in

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1376-568: The purchase. The stock has lost over 95% of its value, far worse than many remaining newspaper companies. On February 13, 2020, The McClatchy Company and 54 affiliated companies filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York . The company cited pension obligations and excessive debt as the primary reasons for the filing. On March 7, 2020,

1419-542: The region offer trauma services with one level I trauma center and one level II . Atrium Health , legally Charlotte-Mecklenburg Hospital Authority, is the public hospital authority of the county. The residents of Mecklenburg County are provided emergency medical service by MEDIC, the Mecklenburg EMS Agency. All emergency ambulance service is provided by MEDIC. No other emergency transport companies are allowed to operate within Mecklenburg County. In

1462-458: The region. From 1927 to 2016, The Charlotte Observer was headquartered at 600 South Tryon Street. The facility included editorial offices, management offices, advertising offices, production, plus a large printing facility with a tunnel and underground railway system to feed paper to the presses. In 2016, the editorial offices moved to the NASCAR building on South Caldwell Street. The old facility

1505-570: The requirements of the North Carolina Constitution of 1868 , Mecklenburg County was divided into 15 townships . However, one township, Sharon, was later annexed to the Charlotte township and ceased to exist. The townships, which are both numbered and named, are as follows: Pulitzer Prizes Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include

1548-546: The same time, John McCain became the first Republican to win less than 40 percent of the county's vote since 1948. Obama won the county almost as easily in 2012. The county swung even further in favor of Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Joe Biden in 2020, with both beating Obama's 2008 total. However, Republicans continue to retain some strength in local races. The major industries of Mecklenburg County are banking , manufacturing , and professional services, especially those supporting banking and medicine . Mecklenburg County

1591-559: The state of South Carolina . In 1768, most of this area (the part of Mecklenburg County west of the Catawba River ) was designated Tryon County , North Carolina. Determining the final boundaries of these "western" areas between North and South Carolina was a decades-long process. As population increased in the area following the American Revolutionary War , in 1792 the northeastern part of Mecklenburg County

1634-464: The third to win it with a majority since Franklin Roosevelt 's last campaign in 1944. In 2008, the county swung dramatically to support Barack Obama , who won 60.8 percent of the county's vote, at the time the strongest showing for a Democrat in the county since Roosevelt's landslides. Obama's 100,100-vote margin in the county helped him become the first Democrat to carry North Carolina since 1976. At

1677-519: The village of Dorf Mecklenburg . Mecklenburg County was formed by English colonists in 1762 from the western part of Anson County , both in the Piedmont section of the state. It was named in commemoration of the marriage of King George III to Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz , for whom the county seat Charlotte is named. Due to unsure boundaries, a large part of south and western Mecklenburg County extended into areas that would later form part of

1720-413: Was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 96.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.60 males. The median income for a household in the county was $ 50,579, and the median income for a family was $ 60,608. Males had a median income of $ 40,934 versus $ 30,100 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 27,352. About 6.60% of families and 9.20% of the population were below

1763-564: Was demolished and redeveloped into office space. The paper was founded in 1886 as the Charlotte Chronicle. The Chronicle was sold to Joseph Caldwell in 1892, and began appearing as the Charlotte Daily Observer on March 13, 1892. It was purchased by Knight Newspapers in 1955. Knight merged with Ridder Publications to form Knight Ridder in 1974. The Observer eventually became the fourth-largest newspaper in

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1806-464: Was established in 1837 in Charlotte and continued operations until 1913. The original building was moved from its original site and redeveloped as a museum . In 1917, during World War I , Camp Greene was established west of Charlotte as an army training camp. In 1919, after the end of WWI, it was decommissioned. Around the 1930s and 1940s, the population began to rapidly increase. During this time, Carolinas Medical Center and Charlotte College (now

1849-591: Was taken by the North Carolina legislature for Cabarrus County . Finally, in 1842 the southeastern part of Mecklenburg County was combined with the western part of Anson County to form Union County . The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence was allegedly signed on May 20, 1775, and if the document is genuine, Mecklenburg County was the first part of the Thirteen Colonies to declare independence from Great Britain. The "Mecklenburg Resolves" were adopted on May 31, 1775. Mecklenburg continues to celebrate

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