Now the nation’s second leading financial center, the city was fittingly built upon the crossroads of two affluent Native American trading paths. The intersection of these two paths, now major streets, is known as the heart of Charlotte -- “Trade & Tryon.”

The discovery of a 17-pound gold nugget in 1799 drew many immigrants to the area to follow the nation’s first gold rush. However, the boom was short-lived. The many Charlotte opportunists ready to strike it rich flocked to California in 1848. Agriculture, mainly tobacco and cotton, was the major revenue provider for the region up until the Civil War. After the War, textile industries sprang to life when the city became a cotton processing center and a major railroad hub.

Through the success of the railroads, Charlotte became the Carolina’s largest city and a Southeastern textile and distribution hub. The city’s neighborhoods and development continued to expand with the addition of the streetcar system followed by skyscrapers, suburbs, and leading businesses. City planners like the renowned John Nolen helped to shape Charlotte’s modern day suburbs like Myers Park and Dilworth.

As businesses continued to flock to Charlotte, the city’s banking industry gained real momentum in the 1970’s and 1980’s under the leadership of financier Hugh McColl. McColl transformed the North Carolina National Bank into the present day Bank of America. The combinations of both Bank of America and Wachovia have made Charlotte the largest banking headquarters, second only to New York City.