The Queen City prides itself on its supportive business attitude and the vital, growing firms that benefit from it. In return, businesses and the services that support them have helped shape the city and the region - an area with a strong and diverse economy, high-quality expanding workforce, solid technical, educational and transportation resources, and vibrant communities and diverse lifestyles.

Finance is a major player here. With $855.5 billion in assets, Charlotte is second only to New York City. Two of the largest banks in the nation are headquartered in Charlotte: Bank of America Corp., ranked first, and Wachovia, ranked fourth largest nationally. The two institutions have branches throughout the nation and provide specialty-banking services worldwide.

Uptown`s skyline has been influenced by these and other banks, whose growth is reflected in skyscrapers such as Bank of America Corporate Center, Wachovia Center, and One (and Two and Three) First Union Center - soon to be renamed since the Wachovia/First Union merger.

Distribution plays another important role in Charlotte`s economy. The Charlotte region is the nation`s fifth largest in terms of trade and distribution, thanks to its location and its exceptional transportation network.

If you flew in for a job interview or a house-hunting trip, you`ve already seen Charlotte/Douglas International Airport, the nation`s 23rd busiest in terms of total operations. The facility, on the city`s west side, averages nearly 500 flights daily and moves more than 209,000 tons of cargo each year. And Charlotte is the largest hub for US Airways, which offers flights to points all over the United States as well as internationally.

Next, look at international business. According to the Charlotte Chamber, nearly 400 foreign-owned companies do business in Charlotte. Countries with the greatest representation include Germany, Japan, and Great Britain, with Canadian and Swiss firms on the rise. Charlotte`s banking industry has been extremely accommodating to start-up firms and minority businesses.

The city also has become a magnet for telephone service centers, or call centers, operated by EDS, Vanguard, Wachovia, DJL Direct, TIAA-CREF, GE Capital and other firms. Charlotte is also home to operations for several information technology firms, including Solectron, Microsoft, SAIC, and Information Architects.


All this business has given Charlotte an extremely healthy economy. The city has an exceptionally low unemployment rate and has continued to grow steadily.

Development seems to go nonstop here, with new business parks and mixed-use projects announced almost daily (especially along I-485, the 60-mile outer-belt or loop road, which is under construction.

Of the N.C. firms on the 2000 Fortune 500 list of industrial and service companies, Charlotte is home to seven: Bank of America, B.F. Goodrich, Duke Energy, Nucor Corp., Sonic Automotive, SPX Corp. and Wachovia. The city is home to operations for almost 200 industrial companies and more than 100 service industries listed on the Fortune 500. And Charlotte continues to attract top-notch firms. In 1999 alone, more than 800 firms came onto the Charlotte business scene employing more than 9,000 people, according to the Charlotte Chamber.

Business doesn`t stop at the county line, either. Other counties in the Charlotte metro region have equally healthy economies, thanks to their proximity to Charlotte`s amenities, as well as their own aggressive recruiting efforts and, in some cases, incentives to relocating businesses.

Even if business people don`t come here to stay, they come here to visit. The Greater Charlotte Hospitality and Tourism Alliance estimates that tourism - much of it business-related - brings more than $2 billion annually to Charlotte, supporting more than 40,000 jobs.

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