A: Sharon is a real place in the holy land, mentioned in the Book of Isaiah. Early farmers named Sharon Presbyterian Church in honor of that Bible verse. It became the hub of the Sharon community, near today's South Park Mall.
A: The Catawba people created the Nation's Path, a trade route through what is now the Carolinas and Virginia. It crossed the Catawba River at Nation's Ford (a shallow place) and ran along the hill-top (that's why we call uptown "uptown") where Tryon Street runs today.
A: Cotswold and Eastland areas were developed long after streetcars stopped running in 1938.
A: NoDa, Davidson & Cornelius.
a. Gunk engine cleaner
b. The orange traffic barrel, ubiquitous in construction zonesA & B: Both Gunk and those orange barrels are products of Radiator Specialty, run by the Blumenthal family - for whom the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center in uptown is named.
a. "Father of Bluegrass" Bill Monroe
b. "Godfather of Soul" James Brown
c. Indie rock pioneers R.E.M.A, B & C: Bill Monroe made his first-ever records here 1936 - 38, at a time when Charlotte outshined Nashville as a recording center. James Brown recorded the first "funk" record in 1965: "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag." R.E.M. came up from Athens, Georgia, to record their LP "Murmur" in 1983, start of today's indie rock sound.
A: Bonnie Cone was a teacher at Central High School when she launched college-level night classes for returning WWII veterans - which grew into UNC Charlotte.
A: The AME Zion religion is headquartered on Sugar Creek Road. The denomination was founded in New York but caught on strong in North Carolina after the Civil War, placing its national publishing house in the Queen City. In the 2000s it moved its main offices to Charlotte.
A: While Spanish, Vietnamese and Arabic speakers are more numerous, the number of new immigrants is declining. Immigration from Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar in the Himalayan Mountains is rising sharply, due to ethnic conflicts there.