Community Profile

Summary

With one of the best tree canopies in the US, the city of Charlotte is the largest city in North Carolina and 15th largest in the US. Charlotte is proud to be one of the top ten cities for wildlife as noted by the National Wildlife Federation. As the second largest financial center in the United States, it is a diverse community of people from every corner of the world. The city is just three hours from the Atlantic and two hours from some of the oldest mountains on the planet - the Blue Ridge Mountains. While hosting 325 of the Fortune 500 companies, Charlotte has abundant green spaces, including over 35 miles of trails, 21,000 acres of parks, 27 nature preserves and nearly 65 miles of greenways offering a host of outdoor activities including hiking, biking, kayaking, fishing, horseback riding, and observing flora and fauna. There's even a public campground in a 1,132 acre nature preserve in the city. Charlotte has many areas of protected lands as part of the Central Carolinas Biodiversity Trail including rare Piedmont prairies and important wetlands. Charlotte demonstrates a working balance between economic development and preserving natural and quality green space for wildlife as well as expanding tree canopy. Charlotte Wildlife Stewards, the Charlotte Chapter of the North Carolina Wildlife Federation certified the city in 2015, and offers free nature related community programs and events throughout the year. Our webpage is one of the city’s top go-to resources for local and regional environmental information. Currently, the city has over 1,670 certified wildlife habitats. (set video playback to 1080p) Visit our website: www.Charlottewildlife.org