Charlotte Community

Neighborhood news and community life

Secret Gardens of Fourth Ward garden tour returning May 16 and 17

Secret Gardens of Fourth Ward Tour Returns May 16-17

Jack Beckett·May 7, 2026

Latest in Community

Charlotte SHOUT! Opens Today: 17 Days, 200 Events, and Most of Them Are Free

Charlotte SHOUT! returns April 3–19 with more than 200 events across Uptown — from all-day jazz and whole-hog barbecue to 20-plus art installations…

Jack Beckett·Apr 3, 2026

Mecklenburg County ABC Labor Day Hours 2025: Eight Charlotte-Area Stores Open 11 a.m.–4 p.m., One MXB-Only

Mecklenburg County ABC will open eight select stores on Labor Day, Sept. 1, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., with one MXB-only site for bars and restaurants.

Jack Beckett·Aug 23, 2025

Summer 2025 Is Officially One of Charlotte's Hottest Summers Yet

Charlotte has sweated through one of its hottest summers on record. Daily highs, warm nights, and sweltering streaks prove it: 2025 is not your…

Jack Beckett·Jul 24, 2025

Waxhaw Banker Draws 15-Year Sentence in $17 Million Loan-Fraud Case

Waxhaw's Kotto Paul gets 15 years after steering a $17 million loan fraud that snagged 17 banks and eight allies, federal judges say.

Jack Beckett·Jul 10, 2025

12,000 Watch Fireworks in Uptown Charlotte as CMPD Seizes Guns, Cash, and Weed

SkyShow 2025 drew 12,000 to uptown Charlotte. CMPD reported no major incidents—unless you count the $5,000 in seized cash, guns, weed, and "drug…

Jack Beckett·Jul 4, 2025

About this beat

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

Charlotte is 874,579 people — 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.]