Around Town

Neighborhood news and community life

Neighborhoods

Victorian houses in Historic Fourth Ward at night, decorated for the holidays with wreaths, porch lights and a red bow wrapped around a balcony, with Uptown Charlotte towers lit blue behind them.

Fourth Ward's Holiday Sip & Stroll Returns Dec. 3–5

Historic Fourth Ward's holiday Sip & Stroll and Home Tour runs Dec. 3 to 5 in Uptown. Tickets are $40 to $100 and went on sale Oct. 16.

Jack Beckett·Oct 16, 2026

Events & City Life

Illustration of a pale green movie ticket on a plaid picnic blanket. It reads: Food and Film, Blanket Encouraged. Shrek, on the outfield at Truist Field. Friday, Oct. 9, Gates 6:30, Movie 7:30. The tear-off stub reads Admit One, $10, Proceeds to Knights Charities.

Knights Show Shrek at Truist Field Friday Night

It is the second Food and Film night of the year, and the menu is Shrek-themed, down to a Swamp Dog Basket.

Jack Beckett·Oct 9, 2026

An author arranges stacks of her novel at a festival book table under a white tent, beside text reading Charlotte BookPalooza, Saturday, Oct. 10, Truist Field, 86 authors, one ballpark.

Charlotte BookPalooza Brings 86 Authors to Truist Field

Charlotte BookPalooza fills Truist Field on Saturday, Oct. 10, with 86 indie authors, local booksellers and a day of activities for readers.

Jack Beckett·Sep 28, 2026

Performers and children sing together on stage at the Tosco Music Beatles Tribute under jumping silhouettes, beside text reading FabFest, Charlotte's Beatles Festival, Free Saturday at CPCC.

FabFest Beatles Festival Is This Weekend; Saturday Is Free

First place in the Beatles Cover Song Contest pays $100 per performer, or $400 for a band of four or more.

Jack Beckett·Sep 28, 2026

Every story in this section, by month

About this beat

Neighborhoods, residents, and the life of the city between the headlines.

Charlotte counted 874,579 people in the 2020 Census, and the Charlotte Mercury doesn't just cover the institutions that govern them, it covers the communities they've built. From the historic wards of Uptown to the fast-changing corridors of east and west Charlotte, we report on the people, organizations, and neighborhood fights that make this city what it is.

What We Cover

Section	Focus
Neighborhood News	Development fights, community meetings, rezoning impacts on residents
People & Profiles	The Charlotteans shaping their blocks, blocks, and wards
Organizations & Nonprofits	Who's doing the work, what they're building, how they're funded
Events & Civic Life	Town halls, community cleanups, rallies, and public gatherings
Immigration & New Communities	Charlotte's growing international communities and the issues they navigate
Housing & Displacement	Affordability, evictions, gentrification, and where people can afford to live

The Neighborhoods We Watch

Charlotte's communities don't all have the same voice in city politics. We prioritize coverage of neighborhoods facing the biggest pressures, displacement, disinvestment, rapid change, and we bring those stories to the same readers who follow city hall.

Neighborhoods we follow closely: First Ward, Second Ward, Third Ward, Fourth Ward, Belmont, Grier Heights, Lakewood, Hidden Valley, University City, Steele Creek, South End, NoDa, Camp North End corridor.

Related Coverage

City Council, Where neighborhood decisions get made
Government, Full government beat
The Charlotte Mercury, Full newsroom

[The Charlotte Mercury publishes under Creative Commons BY-ND 4.0.]