North Carolina’s largest city, Charlotte (pics) has certainly put itself on the map in the past few years.  With the headquarters for Bank of America and the east coast operations for Wells Fargo, it is the second largest financial center by assets following New York City.  In 2012 Charlotte played host to the Democratic National Convention.

In the world of sports Charlotte is home to the Charlotte Motor Speedway and the NASCAR Hall of Fame.  In the downtown area you will find the Bank of America Stadium, home to the Carolina Panthers NFL team and the Time Warner Cable Area, home to the Carolina Bobcats NBA team.

From the perspective of history, Charlotte and Mecklenburg County are recognized as “the cradle of liberty”.  In 1775, the patriots of Mecklenburg County declared themselves free and independent of Great Britain by signing the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence which preceded the national Declaration of Independence by more than one year.  This signing took place in a rustic courthouse that was located near the heart of what is now downtown Charlotte.

For our visit to Charlotte, we only had part of a rainy Sunday to look around.  It seems like a very nice city worthy of a much more comprehensive visit.