Lots to Do at APS AmeriStamp Expo 2008
in Charlotte, North Carolina

The largest city in the Carolinas, Charlotte has a metropolitan population of nearly 1.6 million, but still retains a great deal of the family-friendly small-town feel and gracious, neighborly Southern charm that have delighted generations of new arrivals. They have helped make it one of the nation’s five fastest-growing cities, though many are surprised to know that Charlotte is second only to New York City as a U.S. center of banking and finance.

First settled in 1755, the town and adjoining county were named for named for Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the German-born wife of British King George III, in whose honor it is still often called “the Queen City.”  When charming the Crown failed, its citizens skirmished fiercely for American independence, for which the town was cursed by British General Cornwallis as “a Hornet’s Nest,” a nickname worn as a badge of pride by Charlotteans ever since the Revolution.  Later, in the early to mid 1800s it became known as “the City of Churches” for its many houses of worship. Today, as home to the future NASCAR Hall of Fame as well as nine foreign consulates, Charlotte is on its way to yet another nickname as the International Gateway to the New South.

The Official Charlotte Visitors Guide is a color-illustrated 6-1/2- by 9-1/2-inch 84-page brochure highlighting the city’s year-round events, packed with information to make your visit a pleasant one, with details on sightseeing, restaurants, nightlife, neighborhoods, shopping, the performing arts and more. Included is a fold-out 14-1/2- by 16-inch color map of downtown Charlotte on one side and historic Mecklenburg County on the other. Order your free copy online at http://tinyurl.com/2j34wa or order one from the Charlotte Visitor Information Call center by calling toll free 1-800-231-4636. Surf in and sample the many attractions the Queen City has to offer online at www.visitcharlotte.com

An Center City Map is available in pdf format.