Uptown, Charlotte NC Real Estate, Uptown, Charlotte NC
Homes For Sale
Some of old Charlotte can be found tucked away between Uptown’s
high-rises and Charlotte’s southside suburbs. As you travel the broad, tree-lined,
leaf-canopied streets you’ll see the Charlotte of the turn of the last century
and pre-World War II, with spots of new homes sneaking in here and there.
Real estate listings for Charlotte’s center-city
neighborhoods are in areas 3, 4, 5 and 6 on the Multiple Listing Service. Start in the oldest suburb, Dilworth. The vision of Edward Dilworth Latta, this
neighborhood was developed in the 1890s thanks to the advent of the streetcar
and was the first place for Charlotteans to live outside the city. The streets
of Dilworth feature house after house with front porches. The homes are
primarily bungalows – with the occasional Queen Anne thrown in – and some
larger, two-story Colonial Revival homes that line Dilworth Road East and West.
East Boulevard
divides the residential areas. The road is lined with restaurants, offices and
shops, many located in renovated homes. New developments like Latta Pavilion –
named after Dilworth’s original entertainment center – offer condominiums,
office and retail space, landscaped courtyards and walkways. You also will find
the city’s only Greek Orthodox Cathedral, which draws thousands to its annual
Yiasou Greek Festival in September. At the other end of the boulevard is the
entrance to Freedom Park, well known for its annual arts
festival, athletic fields, walking paths and amphitheater.
Charlotte’s
largest hospital, Carolinas Medical Center,
is in Dilworth. This 861-bed teaching hospital is the region’s only Level 1
trauma center and is the centerpiece of the ever-expanding Carolinas Healthcare
System.
South End, one of Charlotte’s
hottest communities, is on Dilworth’s western edge. Just 15 years ago, the area
was an eyesore of run-down mills. Today, the mills have been renovated into
shops, restaurants and lofts, making it a trendy locale.
While the rebirth
initially generated commercial development, new residential options are cropping
up, including Summit Grandview and The Arlington, a 25-story condominium
high-rise with a pink hue.
South End is also home to
the Charlotte Trolley as it runs from Atherton Mill to Ninth Street Uptown. The
trolley line will also serve Charlotte’s
new light rail system, expected to begin operations in 2006. Residential and
commercial development has boomed near the tracks, and property values along the
route have skyrocketed in anticipation.
If you’re more
traditional than trendy, Myers
Park may be right for you
– if you can handle the price tag.
Myers
Park was developed in the
early 1900s by a real estate tycoon who wanted to create a neighborhood in the
country. Today his countryside is a mere five minutes from Uptown, but you can’t
help feeling miles away as you travel the curving boulevards and lanes with
their towering willow oaks that dwarf even the grandest Myers Park
homes.
While most of the homes
in Myers
Park
are older, traditional houses, a few infill projects offer new options. These
projects, primarily townhouses and condominiums come at a hefty price due to
skyrocketing land values. In fact,
Myers
Park features two of only
a handful of developments with units exceeding $1 million. Among them is 2400 Roswell, with luxury
condos and nearby St. Serrant, offering two balconies for each of its units.
Both developments provide lavish décor and amenities to appeal to the most
prestigious clientele.
The
Queens
University campus is on Selwyn Avenue, in
the heart of Myers
Park. This liberal arts
school was founded in 1857 and moved to its Myers Park
campus in 1914. In addition to undergraduate studies, the university offers
several graduate degrees, courses for working professionals and continuing
education classes.
The shops and restaurants
along and just off Providence Road
on Myers Park’s eastern edge – including Laurel
Market, the shops in the Villa and the old Manor Theater (rumored to be
haunted!) are neighborhood favorites.
Eastover, tucked between Providence and Randolph roads, was developed after Myers Park
and features majestic homes on broad, rolling lawns. Some of the original homes
have been replaced by even more grandiose homes or infill projects for the truly
discriminating buyer. The Crillion, an upscale development of 11 luxurious
townhomes in the heart of Eastover, features units priced over $1 million.
Eastover
is also home to the Mint Museum of Art, which garnered its name from the
building in which it is housed –
Charlotte’s original mint, which was moved from Uptown to
this site in 1936. The Mint specializes in art of the
Americas, from pre-Columbian to present day,
and presents many national exhibits.
Across Randolph Road is the charming community of
Elizabeth, a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood where
residents can walk to a variety of locally owned restaurants. The homes, located
off Randolph Road and 7th Street, are bungalows, but feature a
greater architectural variety than those of Dilworth. Consequently, the
neighborhood’s popularity means even the smallest homes fetch a hefty
per-square-foot price.
The main campus of Central Piedmont
Community College is located on the
edge of Elizabeth.
CPCC is the largest community college in the state and has satellite campuses
across the region.
A short walk from the
campus is Thompson Park, home to Mecklenburg’s
Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The quaint St. Mary’s Chapel, also in the park, is
owned by the city, but available to anyone to rent for weddings.
It’s hard to imagine three hospitals on one block, but that’s exactly what you
find at the intersection of
Randolph Road and
Caswell Avenue. Presbyterian
Hospital,
Presbyterian
Orthopedic
Hospital
and CMC-Mercy Hospital are a stone’s throw from one
another. Numerous medical offices are also nearby.
Next to
Elizabeth
is Chantilly, a small neighborhood popular
among young professionals who want to live in the shadows of Uptown. Chantilly features beautiful streets and charming
bungalows. It’s not yet as pricey as
Elizabeth, though it’s well on its way.
From Chantilly, you come
to Plaza-Midwood, a neighborhood comprising several smaller subdivisions. Plaza-Midwood
traces its development back to 1903, when the first roads and trolley line were
laid among the trees. The community is bordered by Central Avenue and The Plaza.
Central Avenue has
enjoyed a great deal of redevelopment lately that complements its antique shops
and vintage clothing stores. New restaurants and entertainment venues have made
it a hot destination.
The Plaza is a
residential boulevard lined with stately old homes, including the historic Van
Landingham Estate, which is available to rent for special events.
The wide variety of homes
in Plaza-Midwood may be the draw behind its diverse population. This is one of
the few historic neighborhoods ringing Uptown where you will still find
charming, affordable homes among larger, expensive homes. As with other historic
neighborhoods, Plaza-Midwood is seeing its share of infill projects where the
price per square foot is relatively high.
Charlotte Country Club,
the city’s oldest country club, is surrounded by grand homes dating back to
1920. The Country Club’s quiet, curving streets blends seamlessly with those of
Plaza-Midwood, making the two communities seem singular.
The
latest urban neighborhood to see a rebirth is Historic North Davidson, or “NoDa.”
The community, out North Davidson
Street at about 35th Street, is known for its funky
art galleries and colorful bungalows. In addition to the old shotgun homes, NoDa
has seen a boom in residential construction in the past few years. The
Renaissance offers 230 affordable townhomes with a variety of floor plan options
and the 100-year-old Highland Park Mill No. 3 at 33rd and North Davidson has
been renovated into urban apartments.