SouthPark
Encyclopedia
Edge city
"Edge city" is an American term for a concentration of business, shopping, and entertainment outside a traditional urban area in what had recently been a residential suburb or semi-rural community...
in Charlotte
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
, 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...
, USA. Its name is derived from the upscale SouthPark Mall
SouthPark Mall (Charlotte, North Carolina)
SouthPark Mall is an upscale shopping mall located in Charlotte, North Carolina. With , SouthPark Mall is the largest mall in Charlotte and the Carolinas. It is the 10th largest on the East Coast and is the 28th largest in the United States. The area around SouthPark Mall is the most congested...
, which opened on February 12, 1970. At nearly 1.8 million square feet, SouthPark Mall
SouthPark Mall (Charlotte, North Carolina)
SouthPark Mall is an upscale shopping mall located in Charlotte, North Carolina. With , SouthPark Mall is the largest mall in Charlotte and the Carolinas. It is the 10th largest on the East Coast and is the 28th largest in the United States. The area around SouthPark Mall is the most congested...
is the largest shopping mall in Charlotte and all of North Carolina.
The area is geographically centered at the intersection of Fairview Road and Sharon Road in the south central sector of the city, about six miles south of Uptown Charlotte
Charlotte center city
Charlotte center city is the central area of Charlotte, North Carolina. The headquarters for the Fortune 500 companies Bank of America and Duke Energy are located here, as well as the headquarters for East Coast operations for Wells Fargo.Museums, sporting venues, shops, hotels, restaurants, and...
. In addition to being home to the mall, SouthPark is also a residential area and one of the largest business districts in Charlotte and the state of North Carolina, with an estimated 40,000 employees. Some place SouthPark akin to Atlanta's Perimeter Center
Perimeter Center
Perimeter Center is a neighborhood and major edge city in metro Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It is centered on Perimeter Mall, the nucleus around which it has formed. Perimeter Center is located north-northeast of Atlanta proper, and lies within two cities - Dunwoody and Sandy Springs...
district.
History
The neighborhood was once a part of a 3,000 acre (12 km²) farm owned by former North Carolina Governor Cameron Morrison.Directly adjacent to SouthPark Mall
SouthPark Mall (Charlotte, North Carolina)
SouthPark Mall is an upscale shopping mall located in Charlotte, North Carolina. With , SouthPark Mall is the largest mall in Charlotte and the Carolinas. It is the 10th largest on the East Coast and is the 28th largest in the United States. The area around SouthPark Mall is the most congested...
is Morrison Boulevard, which connects SouthPark with the Barclay Downs neighborhood.
Mass Transit
Charlotte Area Transit SystemCharlotte Area Transit System
The Charlotte Area Transit System, commonly referred to as CATS, is the public transit system in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. It operates bus service around the Metrolina area and a historical trolley in Uptown Charlotte, and operates a light rail system, called LYNX which opened on November 24,...
bus lines #18 & #20 serve SouthPark. Access is provided by the bus lines to several LYNX Blue Line
LYNX Rapid Transit Services
Lynx Rapid Transit Services comprises a light rail line serviced by the Charlotte Area Transit System in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States...
stations.
Roads
Fairview Road (which turns into Tyvola Road), Colony Road, Park Road, Sharon Road, Sharon Lane, and Morrison Boulevard are important thoroughfares in SouthPark. Interstate 77Interstate 77
Interstate 77 is an Interstate Highway in the eastern United States. It traverses diverse terrain, from the mountainous state of West Virginia to the rolling farmlands of North Carolina and Ohio. It largely supplants the old U.S...
also serves SouthPark via Tyvola Road.
Economy
SouthPark is the home to the Fortune 500Fortune 500
The Fortune 500 is an annual list compiled and published by Fortune magazine that ranks the top 500 U.S. closely held and public corporations as ranked by their gross revenue after adjustments made by Fortune to exclude the impact of excise taxes companies collect. The list includes publicly and...
company Nucor
Nucor
Nucor Corporation , a Fortune 300 company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, is one of the largest steel producers in the United States, and the largest of the "mini-mill" operators...
, as well as Dixon Hughes Goodman, National Gypsum, Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated
Coca-Cola Bottling Co.
Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated , headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, is the largest independent Coca-Cola bottler in the United States, producing, marketing, and distributing nonalcoholic beverages—primarily licensed products of the Coca-Cola Company -- in North Carolina, South...
, and Piedmont Natural Gas. Fluor, Bank of America
Bank of America
Bank of America Corporation, an American multinational banking and financial services corporation, is the second largest bank holding company in the United States by assets, and the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by market capitalization. The bank is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina...
Mortgage, First Citizens Bank
First Citizens Bank
First Citizens Bank is a bank based in Trinidad and Tobago. First Citizens has assets of over TT$15 billion, 22 branches in Trinidad and two on Tobago. It wholly owns First Citizens First Citizens Bank is a bank based in Trinidad and Tobago. First Citizens has assets of over TT$15 billion, 22...
, and CSX have major divisional operations located in SouthPark.
Shopping
Within the limits of SouthPark, the upscale SouthPark MallSouthPark Mall (Charlotte, North Carolina)
SouthPark Mall is an upscale shopping mall located in Charlotte, North Carolina. With , SouthPark Mall is the largest mall in Charlotte and the Carolinas. It is the 10th largest on the East Coast and is the 28th largest in the United States. The area around SouthPark Mall is the most congested...
features many high-end designers and botiques such as Kate Spade
Kate Spade
Kate Brosnahan Spade is the co-founder and namesake of the designer brand, Kate Spade New York .- Early life and beginnings :...
, Burberry
Burberry
Burberry Group plc is a British luxury fashion house, manufacturing clothing, fragrance, and fashion accessories. Its distinctive tartan pattern has become one of its most widely copied trademarks. Burberry is most famous for its iconic trench coat, which was invented by founder Thomas Burberry...
, Tiffany & Co, Hermès
Hermès
Hermès International S.A., or simply Hermès is a French high fashion house established in 1837, today specializing in leather, lifestyle accessories, perfumery, luxury goods, and ready-to-wear...
, Kenneth Cole
Kenneth Cole Productions
Kenneth Cole Productions, Inc. is an American fashion house founded in 1982 by Kenneth Cole. He originally named the company Kenneth Cole Incorporated in September 1982 and planned to showcase his new line of shoes during market week at the Hilton New York Hotel...
, Polo Ralph Lauren
Polo Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren Corporation is a luxury clothing and goods company of the American fashion designer Ralph Lauren. Ralph Lauren specializes in high-end casual/semi-formal wear for men and women, as well as accessories, fragrances, home and housewares...
, Lacoste, Juicy Couture
Juicy Couture
Juicy Couture is a contemporary line of both casual and dressy apparel based in Arleta, Los Angeles, California founded by Pamela Skaist-Levy and Gela Nash-Taylor in 1996...
, Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton Malletier – commonly referred to as Louis Vuitton , or shortened to LV – is a French fashion house founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton. The label is well known for its LV monogram, which is featured on most products, ranging from luxury trunks and leather goods to ready-to-wear, shoes,...
, Coach, Cole Haan
Cole Haan
Cole Haan is a fashion label that was founded in Chicago, Illinois, United States, in 1928.The name comes from founders Trafton Cole and Eddie Haan. Originally Cole Haan was a men's footwear label...
, and many others. SouthPark Mall is also anchored by Dillard's
Dillard's
Dillard's, Inc. is a department store chain in the United States, with 330 stores in 29 states. Headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, Dillard's locations are concentrated in Texas and Florida; with a major presence in other states including Arizona, Iowa, Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, Missouri,...
, the flagship store for Belk
Belk
Belk is a department store chain founded in 1888 in Monroe, North Carolina, today part of the Charlotte metropolitan area. After the founding of the first Belk store, the company grew in size and influence throughout the South via the chain in the USA, with its stores primarily located in the...
, North Carolina's second Nordstrom
Nordstrom
Nordstrom, Inc. is an upscale department store chain in the United States, founded by John W. Nordstrom and Carl F. Wallin. Initially a shoe retailer, the company today also sells clothing, accessories, handbags, jewelry, cosmetics, fragrances, and in some locations, home furnishings...
, Neiman Marcus
Neiman Marcus
Neiman Marcus, formerly Neiman-Marcus, is a luxury specialty retail department store operated by the Neiman Marcus Group in the United States. The company is headquartered in the One Marcus Square building in Downtown Dallas, Texas, and competes with other department stores such as Saks Fifth...
, and Macy's
Macy's
Macy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...
(formally Hecht's
Hecht's
Hecht's, also known as Hecht Brothers, Hecht Bros. and the Hecht Company, was a large chain of department stores located mainly in the mid-Atlantic and southern region of the United States....
). Dick's Sporting Goods
Dick's Sporting Goods
Dick's Sporting Goods, Inc. , or Dick's, is a Fortune 500 American corporation in the sporting goods and retail industries.The company's headquarters are on the grounds of Pittsburgh International Airport in Findlay Township near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Dick's has 451 stores in 42 states as of...
and The Container Store
The Container Store
The Container Store is a specialty retail chain that sells storage solutions for home and office.On July 1, 1978, The Container Store opened its doors in a small, retail space in Dallas...
serve as additional anchors at the mall. The Village at SouthPark recently opened adjacent to the Dillard's
Dillard's
Dillard's, Inc. is a department store chain in the United States, with 330 stores in 29 states. Headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, Dillard's locations are concentrated in Texas and Florida; with a major presence in other states including Arizona, Iowa, Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, Missouri,...
store. Additional high-end boutiques and restaurants are enclosed alongside a Crate & Barrel store. Other shopping complexes such as Phillips Place are within a close radius to SouthPark Mall and feature a diverse mix of tenants.
Healthcare
Carolinas Medical CenterCarolinas Medical Center
Carolinas Medical Center is a large, public, non-profit hospital located in Charlotte, North Carolina. The hospital was organized in 1940 as Charlotte Memorial Hospital on Blythe Boulevard in the Dilworth neighborhood. Since that time, the hospital has undergone several major expansions and...
, owned and operated by Carolinas Healthcare System
Carolinas Healthcare System
Carolinas HealthCare System is a hospital network located throughout North and South Carolina. About 90% of the hospitals affiliated with the system are located within a 75 mile radius of Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, North Carolina...
, serves SouthPark and surrounding areas. Carolinas Healthcare System
Carolinas Healthcare System
Carolinas HealthCare System is a hospital network located throughout North and South Carolina. About 90% of the hospitals affiliated with the system are located within a 75 mile radius of Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, North Carolina...
recently opened a new medical office complex within SouthPark featuring a medical office tower. Local community hospitals also serve SouthPark and its outlying areas.
School systems
Residents of SouthPark attend Charlotte-Mecklenburg SchoolsCharlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is a local education agency headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina and is the public school system for Mecklenburg County. With over 133,600 students enrolled, it is the second-largest school district in North Carolina and the twentieth-largest in the nation...
, including South Mecklenburg High School
South Mecklenburg High School
South Mecklenburg High School is a public secondary school located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and is part of the Charlotte Mecklenburg School District. It is locally known as "South Meck", or just "South"...
and Myers Park High School
Myers Park High School
Myers Park High School is a secondary school in Charlotte, North Carolina.-History:The school opened its doors in 1951 and has a rich sense of history and a legacy of academic success.-Facilities:...
.
Libraries
SouthPark is served by the Morrison branch of the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg CountyPublic Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County
The Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County , is the public library system of the city of Charlotte and County of Mecklenburg in North Carolina- About :...
.
Sites of interest
- Morrocroft Mansion
- The architecturally notable Rotunda Building is located in SouthPark.
- The Symphony Park amphitheater at SouthPark is home to Charlotte Symphony’sCharlotte Symphony OrchestraThe Charlotte Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Charlotte, North Carolina. As the largest and most active professional performing arts organization in the central Carolinas, the Charlotte Symphony plays approximately 100 performances each season and employs 100 professional...
free Summer Pops concerts.
- SouthPark Mall hosts an annual Christmas treeChristmas treeThe Christmas tree is a decorated evergreen coniferous tree, real or artificial, and a tradition associated with the celebration of Christmas. The tradition of decorating an evergreen tree at Christmas started in Livonia and Germany in the 16th century...
lighting, which takes place on Thanksgiving Day.
See also
- Charlotte metropolitan areaCharlotte metropolitan areaThe Charlotte metropolitan area is a metropolitan area/region of North and South Carolina within and surrounding the city of Charlotte...
- SouthPark MallSouthpark MallSouthpark Mall may refer to:*South Park Mall *SouthPark Mall *Southpark Mall *SouthPark Mall *Southpark Mall *Southpark Mall...