North Carolina Highway 218 is a primary state highway

State highway

State highway, state road or state route can refer to one of three related concepts, two of them related to a state or provincial government in a country that is divided into states or provinces :#A...

 in the state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of North Carolina

North Carolina

North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

. The highway runs east–west from Mint Hill

Mint Hill, North Carolina

Mint Hill is a suburban town in southeastern Mecklenburg and northwestern Union counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina, it is a major suburb on the outskirts of Charlotte and near the Cabarrus County line...

 to Polkton

Polkton, North Carolina

Polkton is a town in Anson County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 1,195.The town is named after its founder, Leonidas L...

.

Route description

NC 218 traverses 31.6 miles (50.9 km); starting in Mint Hill

Mint Hill, North Carolina

Mint Hill is a suburban town in southeastern Mecklenburg and northwestern Union counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina, it is a major suburb on the outskirts of Charlotte and near the Cabarrus County line...

, it goes through northern Union County

Union County, North Carolina

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 123,677 people, 43,390 households, and 34,278 families residing in the county. The population density was 194 people per square mile . There were 45,695 housing units at an average density of 72 per square mile...

, then ends in Polkton

Polkton, North Carolina

Polkton is a town in Anson County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 1,195.The town is named after its founder, Leonidas L...

. The entire route is a two-lane rural highway with little traffic, except in Mecklenburg County

Mecklenburg County, North Carolina

-Air:The county's primary commercial aviation airport is Charlotte Douglas International Airport in Charlotte.- Intercity rail :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...

 where farmland is making way to new bedroom communities.

History

Established as a new primary routing in 1935, it connected the towns of Mint Hill

Mint Hill, North Carolina

Mint Hill is a suburban town in southeastern Mecklenburg and northwestern Union counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina, it is a major suburb on the outskirts of Charlotte and near the Cabarrus County line...

 and Polkton

Polkton, North Carolina

Polkton is a town in Anson County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 1,195.The town is named after its founder, Leonidas L...

. In the early 1940s, it was extended in Polkton when US 74

U.S. Route 74

U.S. Route 74 is an east–west United States highway that runs for from Cleveland, Tennessee to Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina.-Tennessee:Established in 1987, US-74 western terminus is exit 20 on I-75 in Cleveland...

 was rerouted further south from town. In the 1960s, NC 218 was moved onto a new extension of Williams Street in Polkton, leaving Old U.S. 74.

Junction list

{| class="wikitable"
!County
!Location
!Mile
!Destinations
!Notes
|-
|rowspan=2|Mecklenburg

Mecklenburg County, North Carolina

-Air:The county's primary commercial aviation airport is Charlotte Douglas International Airport in Charlotte.- Intercity rail :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...

|rowspan=2|Mint Hill

Mint Hill, North Carolina

Mint Hill is a suburban town in southeastern Mecklenburg and northwestern Union counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina, it is a major suburb on the outskirts of Charlotte and near the Cabarrus County line...

|0
|
|NC 218 begins
|-
|1
|
|
|-
|rowspan=3|Union

Union County, North Carolina

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 123,677 people, 43,390 households, and 34,278 families residing in the county. The population density was 194 people per square mile . There were 45,695 housing units at an average density of 72 per square mile...

|Fairview

Fairview, North Carolina

Fairview is a census-designated place in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 2,733 in 2007. It is part of the Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The unincorporated CDP of Fairview should not be confused with the town of Fairview , which incorporated in 2001...

|7.5
|
|
|-
|
|14
|
|
|-
|New Salem

New Salem, North Carolina

New Salem is an unincorporated community in Union County, North Carolina, United States. It is located northeast of Monroe, at the intersection of NC 205 and NC 218....

|18
|
|
|-
|Anson

Anson County, North Carolina

-See also:*National Register of Historic Places listings in Anson County, North Carolina-External links:*...

|Polkton

Polkton, North Carolina

Polkton is a town in Anson County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 1,195.The town is named after its founder, Leonidas L...

|31.6
|
|NC 218 ends
|-