The area has seen an explosion in retail development, and it’s expected to continue. Concord Mills, off I-85, opened in 1999 to great fanfare. The state’s second-largest shopping center with 1.4 million square feet, Concord Mills is hailed as the state’s top tourist attraction, drawing 15.3 million visitors and thousands of tour buses annually. Shopping destinations include an outdoor store featuring indoor trout streams and a NASCAR-themed fun park.
Nearby is Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, an outdoor arena on U.S. 29 that hosts summer performances by rock, pop and country artists.
Northlake Mall opened in 2005 to serve the North Mecklenburg/Lake Norman area. Anchored by Belk, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Dillard’s, Macy’s and an AMC 14-screen cinema megaplex, the mall also offers more than 140 specialty shops.
Another popular shopping draw is University Place, a great spot near the university to catch a movie, enjoy dinner at one of several restaurants that encircle a manmade lake or do some power shopping at one of the big-box retailers nearby. On warm summer weekend evenings, it’s often possible to catch the sounds of an outdoor band while enjoying the ducks on the lake.
Businesses and apartments, many offering housing to students, are clustered around the intersection of N.C. 49, called University City Boulevard, and W.T. Harris Boulevard. Farther down Harris at its intersection with Hickory Grove Road is another busy intersection of apartments, restaurants and businesses.
Carolinas Medical Center – University, on W.T. Harris Boulevard at U.S. 29, provides medical care to northeast Mecklenburg and Cabarrus County residents. The hospital is part of Carolinas HealthCare System and includes a maternity center, sleep center, outpatient services, general medical-surgical services and a women’s center.
Recreation in the area includes numerous parks and recreational facilities. A growing 62,000-square-foot YMCA is located at W.T. Harris Boulevard and Mallard Creek Road and features a crowd-drawing water park.
The Mallard Creek and Clark’s Creek greenways offer six miles of walking and biking trails along the creeks.
The area also is home to one of the country’s largest indoor athletic facilities. Charlotte Sports Center – located just off Harris Boulevard on Hankins Road, near I-77 – is a 75,000-square-foot athletic center that offers indoor basketball, volleyball, inline hockey, soccer, flag football and a fitness center.
Reedy Creek Park, a county-operated nature preserve between Rocky River Road and The Plaza, is a picturesque 727-acre nature preserve, popular with families and nature lovers. |
