The area’s largest higher-education institution, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte is located here. At 20,000 students and counting, it’s the fastest-growing university in the state system. In addition, some of the area’s largest employers make University Research Park their corporate campus.University City as the northeast portion of Mecklenburg County is also called, has seen phenomenal growth in the last 15 years. The area is decorated with new neighborhoods, new shopping centers and new office buildings.  University City is home to more than 135,000 people, and its popularity continues to fuel population growth. The area is projected to grow past 165,000 by 2009. The University area takes its name from UNCC, the fourth largest of the state’s public universities. Enrollment at the university grows by about 1,000 students each year. The average freshman entering UNCC has a high school grade-point average of 3.6.Construction on campus is ubiquitous – the university recently celebrated the opening of new buildings for science and technology.

 After graduation, many students find careers right in University City, where numerous companies have offices in University Research Park off W.T. Harris Boulevard north of I-85. The park was created in the late 1950s to attract research and development companies. Today, the park has followed the lead of as a whole and is home to many back-office and support operations. With so many companies locating in the area, homes have readily followed. More new neighborhoods are appearing around the exits along I-85 headed toward Concord and Cabarrus County Highland Creek, one of Charlotte’s hottest-selling neighborhoods, grows by the day. Skybrook, a golf course neighborhood, offers newcomers the opportunity to build their new home with golf course views.

The area has seen an explosion in retail development, and it’s expected to continue. Concord Mills, off I-85, opened in 1999 to great fanfare. The state’s second-largest shopping center with 1.4 million square feet, Concord Mills is hailed as the state’s top tourist attraction, drawing 15.3 million visitors and thousands of tour buses annually. Shopping destinations include an outdoor store featuring indoor trout streams and a 20-foot rock-climbing wall. Nearby is Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, an outdoor arena on U.S. 29 that hosts summer performances by rock, pop and country artists. The theatre holds 20,000 and is on a roll from Spring to Fall! Northlake Mall opened in September 2005 to serve the North Mecklenburg/Lake Norman area. Anchored by Belk, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Dillard’s, Hecht’s and an AMC 14-screen cinema mega-plex, the mall also offers more than 140 specialty shops. Another popular shopping draw is University Place, a great spot near the university to catch a movie, enjoy dinner at one of several restaurants that encircle a manmade lake or do some power shopping at one of the big-box retailers nearby. On warm summer weekend evenings, it’s often possible to catch the sounds of an outdoor band while enjoying the ducks on the lake.

 Businesses and apartments, many offering housing to students, are clustered around the intersection of N.C. 49, called University City Boulevard, and W.T. Harris Boulevard. Farther down Harris at its intersection with Hickory Grove Road is another busy intersection of apartments, restaurants and businesses.

University Hospital on W.T. Harris Boulevard at U.S. 29, provides medical care to northeast Mecklenburg and Cabarrus residents. The hospital is part of Carolinas HealthCare System and includes a maternity center, sleep center, outpatient services and general medical-surgical services.

Recreation in the area includes numerous parks and recreational facilities. A growing 62,000 square foot YMCA is located at W.T. Harris Boulevard and Mallard Creek Road and features a crowd-drawing water park. The Mallard Creek and Clark’s Creek greenways offer 4.3 miles of walking trails along the creeks. The area also is home to one of the country’s largest indoor athletic facilities. Charlotte Sports Center – located just off Harris Boulevard on Hankins Road, near I-77 – is a 75,000-square-foot athletic center that offers indoor basketball, volleyball, inline hockey, soccer, flag football and a fitness center. Despite all the growth, University City still has a hometown feel. A juicy hamburger at Herlocker’s drive-in on North Tryon Street is still a favorite meal, and Reedy CreekPark, a county-operated nature preserve between Rocky River Road and The Plaza, is a picturesque 727-acre nature preserve, popular with families and nature lovers.