Fact Friday 409 - Charlotte Aspires to be South's 'Queen City'
Happy Friday!
I happened to stumble upon this newspaper clipping from 1928 that I just had to share with you all. Essentially, it's an economic development piece that ran in the Baltimore-American describing the growth of Charlotte at the time, likely as a way to promote the city to the business community in the Baltimore region. We all know Charlotte as the Queen City today. But what's interesting about this news clipping is that it pretty much timestamps the time period when the city began seeking to become known as the Queen City. It's also interesting how some of the cities listed as our population competitors at that time remain our economic development peers today. Below is a visual of the clipping and a transcription of the portions that weren't cut off.
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Charlotte, N.C. Seeks Title of ‘Queen City’
Charlotte, N.C., Sept. 22 - With an official count under supervision of the Federal Census Bureau showing a population of more than 80,000, Charlotte takes rank as one of the leading entities of the Southeast and is preparing to challenge Richmond, Atlanta, Nashville, Birmingham, Jacksonville…[cut off]
…with reference to north, south, east, and west railway lines and its proximity to that greatest of Southern industrial phenomena, the vast system of hydro-electric giants in the Piedmont and adjacent sections.
Charlotte, it will be observed, is located in close proximity to the North Carolina-South Carolina…[cut off]
Charlote, N.C., with a population of ore than 80,000, is out for the title of Queen City of the Southeast. Its rapid development from a farming belt town of small consequence to a municipality which promises to become one of the South’s greatest industrial and commercial centers is a testimony to the initiative of its people and the ability of their leaders. Effective team work between city and county authorities is one of the explanations of its growth. The “key men” responsible are F. Marion Redd, Mayor; R. Neal Hood, chairman of the Mecklenburg County Commissioners; Charles A. Williams, Sr., president of the Chamber of Commerce, and C. O. Kuester, secretary of the Chamber of Commerce. The new million dollar city hall pictured, with its municipal group, gives an idea of the progress which Charlotte is making.
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Until next week.
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Source:
Further sourcing:
"Charlotte Aspires to Be South's 'Queen City"' newspaper clipping, Baltimore-American, September 22, 1928.
F. Marion Redd Papers, University of North Carolina at Charlotte Library
Charlotte, N.C.: J. Murrey Atkins Library Special Collections
Email chris@704shop.com if you have interesting Charlotte facts you’d like to share or just to provide feedback!
“History is not the past, it is the present. We carry our history with us. We are our history.” - James Baldwin