Charlotte became a banking center almost by accident. NCNB (North Carolina National Bank) began acquiring other banks in the 1980s, eventually becoming NationsBank, then merging with BankAmerica to create Bank of America - headquartered not in San Francisco but in Charlotte. Wachovia grew similarly before collapsing in 2008 and being absorbed by Wells Fargo, which kept the Charlotte operations. The result is a skyline dominated by bank towers, a economy dependent on financial services, and a city culture shaped by the MBA sensibility. The banking employment provides prosperity; the 2008 crisis revealed the fragility. Charlotte remains America's second-largest banking center, the number that defines its ambitions.

In 1799, a 12-year-old named Conrad Reed found a 17-pound rock in a creek on his family's farm. The family used it as a doorstop for three years before discovering it was gold. The North Carolina gold rush that followed made Charlotte a mint city - the Charlotte Mint operated from 1837 to 1861, the only branch mint in the South. The California rush of 1849 ended North Carolina's dominance; the mines played out; the mint became a hospital during the Civil War. But Charlotte's banking culture traces to that gold - the city learned early that money meant power, a lesson it never forgot.

Stock car racing began in the Carolina Piedmont, where bootleggers modified cars to outrun federal agents. The skills developed running moonshine transferred directly to racing; the first NASCAR race was held in Charlotte in 1949. The Charlotte Motor Speedway, built in 1959, became the sport's flagship venue. NASCAR headquarters moved to Daytona, but the teams stayed in Charlotte - the speed shops and fabricators clustered in the suburbs, the drivers living on Lake Norman, the culture deeply embedded in the region. The sport has nationalized, but Charlotte remains NASCAR country, the moonshine heritage transformed into billion-dollar motorsport.

Charlotte's population has roughly tripled since 1980, the growth fed by relocations from the Northeast and Midwest, by immigration from Latin America and Asia, by young professionals seeking affordable alternatives to Atlanta or DC. The sprawl extends in every direction - suburban developments, strip malls, the infrastructure of car-dependent growth. The light rail connects Uptown to the southern suburbs; expansion continues slowly. The character of the city changes with the growth - more diverse, more cosmopolitan, less distinctly Southern. The question facing Charlotte is whether growth can continue without losing what made the city attractive in the first place.

Charlotte is served by Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT), a major American Airlines hub. The NASCAR Hall of Fame tells the sport's history with interactive exhibits. The Mint Museum occupies the original 1837 mint building. The Billy Graham Library honors the Charlotte-born evangelist. Uptown (Charlotte calls its downtown 'Uptown') offers restaurants and sports venues. The NoDa arts district provides local color. The Blue Ridge Parkway begins 80 miles west. The barbecue is Lexington-style, tomato-based, served with red slaw. The weather is mild; summer is hot and humid; ice storms occasionally paralyze the city.