In west Charlotte, you’ll find some of the most reasonable housing prices in the city. And as you travel farther into the northwestern portion of the county, you’ll find some of the most unspoiled beauty in the entire Charlotte area.

The west and northwest regions encompass urban areas near Charlotte’s uptown and extend west to the Gaston County line, northwest to Mountain Island Lake and north to Lake Norman. Real estate listings are in areas 8 and 9.

In town, this area offers easy access to uptown, interstates and other major thoroughfares, including Wilkinson Boulevard, West Trade Street, Beatties Ford Road and Statesville Road. You’ll find reasonably priced bungalow-style homes in some quaint, older neighborhoods near downtown.

Also near the center of town is Johnson C. Smith University, off West Trade Street. The university is a private, historically black, four-year liberal arts institution located on a 100-acre campus within blocks of uptown Charlotte. JCSU offers nearly 1,400 students academically progressive programs in 26 fields of study that lead to a bachelor of science, bachelor of arts or a bachelor of social work degree. One of the nation’s oldest and strongest black universities, JCSU is noted for its nationally acclaimed Centers of Excellence: Banking and Finance; Honors College; International Studies; Liberal Studies; and Mathematics and Science.

JCSU is completing a multiyear capital campaign that will increase the school’s endowment and finance construction, including expansion of the library. The school recently embarked on a $5.5 million effort to restore Biddle Memorial Hall, a 117-year-old administration building listed on the National Historic Landmark Registry.

One of the city’s newer public libraries is Beatties Ford Road library, which is tied to surrounding communities through walking paths. The library is equipped with a community meeting room, computers and a significant collection of print, media and electronic materials on African-American history and culture. City services are brought closer to the west Charlotte community at the Adam Service Area Center on Wilkinson Boulevard. This mini-city hall is an outpost for police, but also is staffed to provide a number of city services, including a place to pay water bills or purchase a dog license.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is building a new high school near the intersection of Neck Road and Beatties Ford Road. It will be the first built in the area since 1950, when North Mecklenburg High was built on Old Statesville Road. When it opens for the 2001-02 school year, the new 1,600-student school will ease crowding at North Mecklenburg.

Moving away from the city in west and northwest Charlotte, the area takes on a spacious, rural feel. Coulwood, off Belhaven Boulevard and Mount Holly Road, is a semi-rural area near Pine Island Country Club. There are new developments with moderate to upscale home prices along Mount Holly-Huntersville Road. In the most northwestern part of the county, you’ll find Mountain Island Lake, the source of water for numerous area municipalities, including Charlotte. The Trust for Public Land recently purchased 429 acres along the lakeside to preserve the area from development and protect drinking water.

Historic Latta Plantation Park, located off Beatties Ford Road, shows visitors what life was like for planters, slaves and yeoman farmers on a cotton plantation in early 19th-century North Carolina. The park offers hiking and horseback riding trails, canoe rentals and fishing permits. Nearby is the Carolina Raptor Center, a rehabilitation facility for birds of prey that includes exhibits, programs and a gift shop.
 

Lake Norman is an exceptional drawing card for homeowners looking to combine the relaxed atmosphere of lake living with the work opportunities offered in Charlotte. The manmade lake is the state’s largest, and it helps generate hydroelectric power for locally based Duke Energy. It also provides boundless recreation opportunities, including boating, skiing, sailing and fishing.

As you move closer to I-77 and Lake Norman, you’ll encounter more shopping and higher-density housing. Many popular subdivisions have sprung up along the exits of I-77, which provide a direct route to downtown Charlotte. Birkdale, to the west on Sam Furr Road, offers luxury homes in a golf-course community.

NorthCross, on Sam Furr Road and I-77, is a popular shopping destination that provides well-stocked grocery stores, restaurants, quaint shops and big-box retailers as well as North County Regional Library. (For more details on North Mecklenburg, see our story on Lake Norman/southern Iredell.)