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Huntersville, North
Carolina represents Southern living at its finest. An
elegant town located in Mecklenburg
County, Huntersville lies only twelve miles north of downtown Charlotte,
NC’s ‘Queen City’. Charlotte’s rapid growth and prosperous future lend
security to Huntersville residents, along with all the cultural amenities and
bright lights that a large city provides. At the same time, Huntersville retains
a small-town grace and charm, a sense of community and history often lacking in
bustling cities.
Huntersville, NC began as an agricultural community, taking advantage of the
fine, fertile soil. Incorporated in 1873, the construction of rail lines brought
quick growth. A cotton mill and brickyard emerged as Huntersville’s first
businesses. Later, textile mills moved in, bringing with them more residents.
The failure in the cotton plantation systems left abundant farmland through out
the town’s 30 square miles. In 1959, Gov.
Terry Sanford dug Lake
Norman nearby, the largest man-made lake in North Carolina. Sometimes called
the “Inland Sea”, Lake Norman provides 520 miles of beautiful shore land and
wonderful recreational opportunities.
In 1990, Huntersville’s population stood at 3,000. With Charlotte’s
amazing growth, and offering serene farmland and access to Lake Norman,
Huntersville’s population increased by 728 percent in the last decade. Census
2000 reported Huntersville’s population at just under 25,000, while the
2003 estimate was over 32,000. The boom in real estate and new housing
construction results in a wide variety of options for newcomers. Careful city
planners design elegant greenways, leave plenty of parks, and room for hiking
trails. Brand new waterfront condominiums are available as well as stately older
North Carolinian homes
from previous centuries.
While boasting much retail and residential new construction, Huntersville
also maintains eighteen historic sites. The Hugh
Torrance House and Cedar Grove Store is Huntersville’s oldest store, built
in 1770. The Hopewell
Presbyterian Church, rebuilt in the 1740’s after fire destroyed the
original, is a lovely site, and the stone walls surrounding its cemetery are
more than 200 years old. At the historic Latta
Plantation, visitors can view a working plantation just as it appeared in
the 19th century, complete with Afro-American slave
cabins. The lovely grounds around the plantation include a nature preserve,
with miles of hiking, equestrian trails and exhibits. Also found here is the Carolina
Raptor Conservatory, where injured and orphaned birds of prey receive
healing and rehabilitation.
The glittering lights of Charlotte are only ten-minutes away, but
Huntersville residents never need to leave town. Full scale shopping, dining and
culture await patrons in the Birkdale
Village section of Huntersville, a planned community centered on Main
Street. Even Charlotte residents come out to explore the unique boutiques and
charming ambience of the village. Hosted here are a number of events, live
music, and fireworks.
While many residents commute to work in Charlotte, Huntersville itself is a
fine location for business. The 650-acre immaculately landscaped Huntersville
Business Park is home to corporations such as Keller
Technology, General Electric,
Siegling America
and Joe Gibbs Racing.
Census 2000 data showed Huntersville as being a well-educated town, with almost
half the residents earning college degrees. The median household reported was
$71,932, almost $30,000 higher than the national average.
Huntersville,
NC offers quiet, elegant neighborhoods and friendly townspeople. Money
Magazine (2005) ranked Huntersville in the top 100 Best Places to Live in
America, and of the top 20 places in North Carolina to retire. It is easy to see
why Grey House Publishing
ranked Huntersville as one of America’s Top-Rated Smaller Cities.
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