Another piece of Americana, minor-league baseball, is alive and well in Kannapolis, where the Kannapolis Intimidators, a single-A farm club of the Chicago White Sox, play ball at Fieldcrest Cannon Stadium.
Fieldcrest Cannon, maker of sheets, towels, and other textiles, has left a huge legacy in Kannapolis. Among other things, the textile giant lent its name to Cannon Village, a restored Colonial-style village featuring antiques, outlet and specialty shops developed by a former Cannon Mills owner. The tree-lined streets and brick sidewalks of Cannon Village bring back a bygone era. A 9-foot bronze statue of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and a textile museum are also part of the shopping center.
Kannapolis is also the site of the North Carolina Research Campus, an ambitious project that is expected to transform this mill town into a center of biotechnology research. When completed, the 350-acre campus will encompass more than 100 biotechnology companies, 1 million square feet of office space, 350,000 square feet of retail and commercial space and about 1,000 residential units.
Concord Mills, off I-85, is unforgettable. The complex features more than 200 outlets, specialty retailers, theme restaurants, a 24-screen theater, virtual-reality game centers and dozens of other entertainment venues. One of the tenants, Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World, features aquariums, waterfalls, trout streams and an indoor shooting range.
A few miles away, the huge Philip Morris cigarette manufacturing plant recently underwent expansion. The facility, south of Concord, houses an impressive collection of American folk art that is open to visitors on organized tours.
As the fourth-busiest airport in the state, Concord Regional Airport has spurred development, including business parks and housing, along the I-85/Poplar Tent Road area.
Housing in this growing community can range from a grand old historic beauty on Concord’s Union Street, just a few blocks from downtown, to a new brick and vinyl home offered by Charlotte-based builders or national companies. New subdivisions are popping up along N.C. 73, Rocky River Road and N.C. 49. There are many more near Kannapolis. From stately, century-old homes to sprawling ranches and modern townhouses, the options in Cabarrus are nicely varied. You’ll find Cabarrus real estate listings in Area 11.
Families living in Cabarrus will enjoy excellent local health care and educational opportunities. Named in the nation’s top 100 hospitals for four consecutive years, NorthEast Medical Center continues to expand its state-of-the-art facility to provide quality health care to residents of Cabarrus and surrounding neighbors.
Cabarrus County is served by two public school systems, Cabarrus County Schools and Kannapolis City Schools. Higher education opportunities abound as well. They include Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, which has a facility in western Cabarrus, and the Cabarrus College of Health Sciences at NorthEast Medical Center.
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