North Carolina is home to one of the most diverse geographies east of the Mississippi. The Blue Ridge Mountains stretch across the western border, dividing North Carolina from Tennessee. Across the state, the Atlantic Ocean serves as the eastern border. Of course, the economic engine lies in the Piedmont region between the mountains and the beaches. But is Charlotte in the Piedmont region of North Carolina?
Is Charlotte In the Piedmont Region of North Carolina?
Charlotte is part of Mecklenburg County and the Piedmont region of North Carolina. While most people know the state for the mountains and ocean, the five largest cities call the Piedmont home, including Charlotte, Raleigh, Greensboro, Durham, and Winston-Salem.
Charlotte is located in the southernmost part of the state and only miles away from the South Carolina border.
What is The Piedmont Region?
While Charlotte is in the Piedmont region of North Carolina, the Piedmont stretches well beyond the state. The Piedmont is defined by a flat region situated between the Appalachian Mountains and the Atlantic coastal regions. Surprisingly, the plateau region stretches all the way from Alabama in the south to New York in the north.
So while the Piedmont terminology might be most familiar in North Carolina, the term is far from exclusive to North Carolina. Still, there’s a reason that the name is so prominent in the southern state. The Piedmont plateau is as much as 300 miles wide across the state of North Carolina.
The name Piedmont comes from a term referring to foothills. Indeed, the plateau running from Charlotte and north through Raleigh can be quite hilly in certain areas.
More About Charlotte, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital of North Carolina, but Charlotte is the largest city. In fact, the Queen City is the largest city in North Carolina or any of the neighboring states. And as you might imagine, Charlotte has plenty of things to do and an impressive skyline to match the population.
Still, Charlotte is close enough to both the mountains and the ocean that you can take some awesome day trips from Charlotte. You can go up to the mountains to visit the high country attractions near Boone or find one of the waterfalls near Charlotte to go for a hike. Wrightsville Beach, near Wilmington, is the closest beach to Charlotte.
Charlotte is known as a major banking center, but it is also home to the Whitewater Center, multiple professional sports teams, and various cultural and entertainment attractions. You can attend Opera Carolina at the Belk Theater (which also hosts Broadway musicals) or a country music concert at the PNC Pavillion.
Charlotte really offers something for everyone, and all of these options make Charlotte, NC, worth visiting.
In comparing Charlotte vs. Raleigh, Charlotte is home to more big headquarters, while the Raleigh area serves as home to the state government and multiple universities. UNC-Chapel Hill, Duke, and NC State serve as the three corners of the Research Triangle.
If you are looking for a guide to Charlotte, NC, we recommend starting with the Whitewater Center, then exploring Uptown, and finishing with a stroll along the Rail Trail.
Other Cities in the Piedmont Region
Outside of Charlotte, the Research Triangle is likely the best-known region of North Carolina, and it is certainly the second most populated region. Raleigh is the state capital and home to North Carolina State University (NC State). Durham, North Carolina, is only a few miles away. It’s only a 25-minute drive from NC State’s campus in Raleigh to Duke’s campus in Durham.
Surprisingly, Duke is only a 15-minute drive from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). And UNC is a short 30-minute drive back down to NC State in Raleigh. It is fairly incredible that three highly prominent universities are so close together, but this is the reason that the Research Triangle is known as such an institutional powerhouse across the country.
Companies like Apple have announced plans to build a campus near all of this tech talent, so the Research Triangle is an important part of the Piedmont region.
While not as prominent as Charlotte or the Research Triangle, Greensboro and Winston-Salem are no slouches, either. Some of their more prominent companies and organizations have moved to Charlotte in recent years. Fortunately, the cities are still thriving and have fun downtowns.
Characteristics Defining the North Carolina Piedmont
The Piedmont region is defined by hot and humid summers and mild winters. Of course, Charlotte is further south than the other North Carolina piedmont cities, so it doesn’t get quite as much snow as some areas.
Charlotte is along the state line of South Carolina, so while Charlotte is in North Carolina, sometimes people get confused.
North Carolina is known for beautiful fall foliage in the mountains, but the Piedmont region also experiences breathtaking foliage. The views are better from the mountaintop, but the peaceful colors are present throughout the Piedmont region, including in Charlotte.
Charlotte sits closer in the foothills to the mountains than some of the other cities throughout the Piedmont region. Charlotte is only 2 hours from Boone and several areas of the high country that are worth visiting. The Moses Cone Manor is our favorite place to drive to see an elevated view of the foliage along the Blue Ridge Parkway.
The Wilderness Run Alpine Coaster and Hawksnest Snow Tubing and Zipline are also not far from Boone. Beyond the famous Blue Ridge Parkway and Boone, we also enjoy visiting Tweetsie Railroad. The small amusement park centers around a ride on a steam locomotive.
The access to the mountains and the beach is one of the defining selling points for choosing a city in the Piedmont region. In fact, it is one of the reasons that we love living in the Charlotte area. Charlotte does not have a beach or mountains, but they are a short drive away.
Charlotte and the Piedmont Region
So, is Charlotte in the Piedmont region? Yes, Charlotte is one of the most prominent cities in the Piedmont region. The plateau forming the Piedmont stretches from Alabama all the way up to New York. Still, it is widest through the Carolinas. Raleigh, Durham, Greensboro, and Winston-Salem also sit in the 300-mile stretch forming the Piedmont plateau across North Carolina.
While the Piedmont sits between the mountains and the ocean, that doesn’t mean it is flat. Remember, piedmont is derived from a word meaning foothills, and several areas are quite hilly. Still, today the Piedmont is known as much for its economic engine across the major cities as it is known for its physical geography.
People come to North Carolina to visit the mountains to the west and the beaches to the east, but they move to the central region of the state. Many good jobs and economic opportunities are more prevalent across the Piedmont cities.
