|
Charlotte is the largest city in North Carolina. In 2008, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated its population at 687,000 with over 1.7 million people living in the surrounding region, a figure generally comparable to the Hampton Roads region. The city is home to some of the nation’s largest banking interests, a host of Fortune 500 and other large companies, and several major league sports activity centers. Charlotte has a large, growing, central core, served by a grid street pattern.
Charlotte boasts a diversified transportation network, with a major hub airport and direct interstate highway access to major markets in any direction. An inner beltway road encircles the downtown and an outer beltway has been partially completed. Charlotte is served daily by three Amtrak routes. The city is currently planning a new centralized multi-modal transit station called the Gateway Station, which will facilitate intermodal connections between the bus, light rail, and Amtrak services.
The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) operates mass transit in Charlotte, and Mecklenburg County. Mass transit options include: bus service, historical trolleys, express shuttles, and light rail transit. Charlotte’s new light rail line is a 9.6-mile line north-south line that is part of a long-term plan to create a regional transit system. This plan, the “2025 Integrated Transit/Land-Use Plan for Charlotte-Mecklenburg” was adopted in 1998 along with a one-half cent sales tax to be used to fund public. This long range plan envisions a system of light rail, commuter rail, streetcars and bus rapid transit along five corridors. Completion of the entire system is presently estimated by 2034. Tags: Charlotte | light rail | LYNX |
Learn More 
