Charlotte

Population: 827,445
Tax Rate: $1.2775/$100 property value

Charlotte was named after Queen Charlotte of the United Kingdom back in 1692, hence the nickname “The Queen City”.
Cool facts:
The Charlotte region led US gold productionfrom the late 1700’s through the early 1900’s. The Reed Gold Mine is still open to the public and is a terrific day trip.
There was a US Mint in Charlotte until the start of the Civil War. While it was never put back into service, today it houses the Mint Museum of Art.
After the Civil War, Charlotte was a cotton processing center and railroad hub.
Today, Charlotte is the 2nd largest banking capital in the US, trailing New York City.
Some of the Fortune 500 companies with headquarters here are: Bank of America, Wachovia, Duke Energy, TIAA_CREF, Goodrich, Nucor and Family Dollar. Others include Lending Tree, Belk, Harris Teeter, Time Warner, Lance, Muzak and Bojangles.

• www.visitcharlotte.com