East Charlotte
The City, an area with many different faces, offering strip shopping centers, Eastland Mall, and car dealerships, is bordered by trim 1950s and 1960s tract homes. Served by an ever-growing demand for housing, it has an expanding population. Once outside the city, it quicly becomes suburban. The town of Mint Hill was incorporated in 1970 to avoid annexation by Charlotte and to promote a large-lot, rural lifestyle. With Interstate 485’s outer-belt now running beyond Mint Hill the town, along with other suburban county communities, are under pressure to improve services and allow for expansion.
Highlights: Central Avenue, the best place to monitor Charlotte’s changing face: from Central Piedmont Community College to Eastland Mall, it is the main street for a variety of restaurants and food stores. Central is also the place to find avant-garde shops, particularly near Plaza-Midwood.
Look for: The Hezekiah Alexander home site and the Charlotte Museum of History; A reproduction 1770s home of one of Charlotte’s forefathers, and a 1,700-square-foot modest museum explaining local history.
