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The northeast area of Mecklenburg County is better known as University City, named for the high-growth area around the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, the state's fourth largest university with a student population of more than 20,000.
The Charlotte University area has seen phenomenal growth in the last 15 years. The area offers new Charlotte University area homes for sale, new shopping centers and new office buildings. University City is an eclectic and diverse mix of more than 135,000 people drawn to the area by higher education and jobs in the finance, insurance and high tech fields. The region has an estimated $8.4 billion economic impact on the seven-county region and provides nearly 74,000 jobs. Some of the area's largest employers make University Research Park their corporate campus. Companies such as Wachovia, TIAA-Cref, IBM and Allstate have large presence in the area, in addition to UNC-Charlotte and Carolinas Medical University Hospital.
With so many companies locating to the area, new homes have quickly followed. The University City area, which encompasses real estate MLS areas 1 and 2, includes numerous developments that was once farm land along Eastfield Road, Mallard Creek Road and Prosperity Church Road. More new Charlotte University area properties are appearing around the exits along I-85 headed toward Concord and Cabarrus County.
Charlotte University City homes for sale include Highland Creek, one of Charlotte's hottest-selling neighborhoods. With 50 acres of parks and 500 acres of open space, Highland Creek also includes a golf club and swim club. Homes range from the mid-$100s to the $500s.
Skybrook, another golf course community, offers newcomers the opportunity to build their new home with golf course views. The community offers single-family homes from the $220s to the $900s and townhomes from the $170s to the $350s. Then, there are the elegant and more established communities such as Lexington, Fountaingrove and Radbourne among others priced from the 200s to 500s.
The Northeast area has seen an explosion in retail development which is expected to continue. Concord Mills, off I-85, opened in 1999 to great fanfare. The state's second-largest shopping center with 1.4 million square feet, Concord Mills is hailed as the state's top tourist attraction, drawing 15.3 million visitors and thousands of tour buses annually. Shopping destinations include an outdoor store featuring indoor trout streams and a NASCAR-themed fun park. The proximity of Concord Mills and Lowes Motor Speedway has spurred a housing boon in that area as well. One of the newer developments is Christenbury, a premier luxury community between Concord Mills and Highland Creek.
Nearby is Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, an outdoor arena on U.S. 29 that hosts summer concert performances by national artists. Northlake Mall opened in 2005 to serve the North Mecklenburg/Lake Norman area. Anchored by Belk, Dick's Sporting Goods, Dillard's, Macy's and an AMC 14-screen cinema megaplex, the mall also offers more than 140 specialty shops.
Another popular shopping draw is University Place, a great spot near the university to catch a movie, enjoy dinner at one of several restaurants that encircle a manmade lake or do some power shopping at one of the big-box retailers nearby. On warm summer weekend evenings, it's often possible to catch the sounds of an outdoor band while enjoying the ducks on the lake.
Carolinas Medical Center - University, on W.T. Harris Boulevard at U.S. 29, provides medical care to northeast Mecklenburg and Cabarrus County residents. The hospital is part of Carolinas HealthCare System and includes a maternity center, sleep center, outpatient services, general medical-surgical services and a women's center.
Recreation in the area includes numerous parks and recreational facilities. A growing 62,000-square-foot YMCA is located at W.T. Harris Boulevard and Mallard Creek Road and features a crowd-drawing water park.
The Mallard Creek and Clark's Creek greenways offer six miles of walking and biking trails along the creeks.
The area also is home to one of the country's largest indoor athletic facilities. Charlotte Sports Center - located just off Harris Boulevard on Hankins Road, near I-77 - is a 75,000-square-foot athletic center that offers indoor basketball, volleyball, inline hockey, soccer, flag football and a fitness center.
Reedy Creek Park, a county-operated nature preserve between Rocky River Road and The Plaza, is a picturesque 727-acre nature preserve, popular with families and nature lovers. |
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