Center of Finance
- Second-largest banking capital in the United States (New York City ranks first)
- Nine Fortune 500 firms headquartered in the Charlotte region
- Bank of America, the nation’s largest bank in assets, is headquartered in uptown Charlotte
- Operating costs below the national average; urban amenities and downtown location at fraction of cost of major U.S. banking cities
- Restructuring of nation’s top banks allows opportunity for new employers to tap into skilled, available talent base; high concentration in financial services and IT professionals
- Attractive quality of life that rivals larger urban markets
- Largest metropolitan area between Washington, D.C. and Atlanta; region attracts nearly 100,000 newcomers each year
- Bank of America, Wells Fargo, TIAA-CREF, LendingTree and Fifth Third Bank among largest employers
“We believe it will continue to be a great place to have a major financial services operation because of the skill set here.” - Roger Ferguson, chief executive of retirement services, TIAA-CREF, when asked how Charlotte will fare during the economic recovery.
Center of International Business
- Largest concentration of foreign-owned firms between Washington, D.C. and Atlanta; German, British and Japanese parent companies represent the countries with the largest representation of foreign-owned firms
- Home to Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT), sixth-busiest airport in the U.S. and only 15 minutes from uptown Charlotte
- Never more than one plane change away from any business destination
- If the Carolinas were a country, would be the 17th largest economy in the world
- More than 40 languages spoken in the Charlotte region
- Five language immersion programs in French, German, Mandarin Chinese, Spanish and Japanese
- Eleven honorary consuls located within the Charlotte region
- More than 650 daily departures to 130+ destinations, including nonstop daily service to international business destinations such as London, Frankfurt, Munich, Rome, Paris, Mexico City and Rio de Janeiro
- Foreign Trade Zone #57 with 16 subzones throughout the region
- Siemens Energy, Areva NP, Dessaulte Systems, Okuma, Toshiba and Compass among largest foreign-owned firms
“Charlotte is a great place to live. ...I can drive downtown in 15 minutes from our office. You can't do that in other cities.” - Scott Carr, president of Biotage, a Swiss company that moved its North American headquarters to Charlotte in 2009.
Center of Logistics
- More than 100 distribution centers
- Home to Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT), the sixth-busiest airport in U.S. (24th-busiest worldwide)
- 75 percent of industrial parks within five miles of an interstate
- Two inland intermodal terminals operated by N.C. State Ports Authority
- More than 300 trucking companies in the region; five truck driving training schools
“Getting into and out of the airport is very easy... air service was something we looked at pretty hard.” - Steve Huggins, senior vice president at Goodrich Corporation, on relocating its headquarters to Charlotte from Ohio in 1999.
Center of Manufacturing
- Largest concentration of manufacturing employment in the Carolinas
- Center of I-85 manufacturing corridor that stretches from Atlanta, Ga. to Richmond, Va.
- Interstate frontage property still available
- Half of all Charlotte USA counties exceed 20 percent manufacturing employment.
- Average wage for production occupations consistently below the national average
- Industry-driven research to foster commercialization at Charlotte Research Institute and the Polymers Center of Excellence
- On-site custom training programs available through local community colleges
- North Carolina ranked fourth, South Carolina ranked fifth among “States with Best Workforce Training Programs” by Expansion Management magazine
Center of Entertainment
- Home to professional motorsports, football, hockey, golf, baseball, whitewater rafting, basketball and swimming teams
- Local production studios for SpeedChannel, ESPN, Inspiration Network and NASCAR Media Group produce TV, radio, Web segments and shows
- NASCAR Hall of Fame
- Economic impact of local film/TV production and distribution activity estimated at more than $500 million in 2008 alone
- Performing arts centers, museums, art studios, concert halls, arenas, public parks and outside amphitheaters
- Carolina Thread Trail, to link five counties and over 2 million people with hundreds of miles of hiking, biking and running trails
- Newly constructed Wells Fargo Cultural Campus in uptown Charlotte boasts three museums and a theater
- Uptown
