What an incredible year it’s been for our city and our state (both good and bad).

We’ve seen almost every natural disaster, including flooding, tornadoes, and hurricanes, and witnessed some truly unbelievable events, a shoot-out in Uptown Charlotte, UFO sightings, and even a naked man walking down 485.

Since January 1st, 2017, CharlotteStories.com has published over 1,000 articles that have been viewed over 9,517,051 times.

These are the top 10 most-viewed Charlotte Stories for 2017:

#10 Top 10 Best Neighborhoods of Charlotte

Published September 26, 2017 – 58,465 total views

Charlotte is now one of the largest cities in America in terms of physical geography (due to its history of annexing so much of the land around it). It’s now an extremely diverse city in terms of areas and neighborhoods – it even has a few smaller cities within it, such as Ballantyne and South Park.

We have streetcar-era communities where buildings range from vintage factories to grand Southern estates…READ MORE

#9 Check Out This NASCAR Driver’s New 30,000 Sq Ft Futuristic Castle on Lake Norman

Published August 30, 2017 – 62,320 total views

The winner of 30 NASCAR Cup Series races, including the 2016 Daytona 500, has opened up his new 30,000 square-foot Lake Norman castle for a private tour.

Denny Hamlin’s Cornelius home sits on a private Lake Norman peninsula. He started construction in late 2016 and just put the finishing touches on the state-of-the-art complex…READ MORE

#8 5 Massive Homes On Lake Norman You Can Rent For Under $30 Per Night

Published September 18, 2017 – 74,282 total views

Now that Fall is here, it’s the perfect time to get on the lake and do some swimming, fishing, laying in the sun, or doing some insane tricks on those new water trampolines.

We recently discovered some incredible deals for huge homes for rent on a daily/weekly basis, and if you break them down on per-person basis, they are incredibly affordable…READ MORE

#7 North Carolina’s Fall Colors Are Expected To Be The Brightest in Decades

Published August 29, 2017 – 102,102 total views

North Carolina’s 2017 fall colors are expected to be the brightest and most beautiful in decades. According to NOAA Climate Scientist Jake Crouch, the North Carolina mountains have experienced its second warmest year on record. The average high temperature this year is 58.8 degrees – 3.5 degrees above normal. The summer has also been fairly dry this year. “Drier soils typically mean brighter fall color in the mountains,” commented Crouch…READ MORE

#6 Girl Makes Viral Dance Video With Late-Night Charlotte Douglas Workers After Missing Flight

Published September 28, 2017 – 108,579 total views

Have you ever missed your connecting flight and became instantly miserable at the thought of spending another 6 hours in the airport?

That happened to Mahshid Mazooji this past weekend at the Charlotte Douglas airport, but instead of letting it get her down, she decided to through a spontaneous dance party with…READ MORE

#5 People Have No Idea That These Towns Under Lake Norman Exist

Published March 23, 2017 – 132,082 total views

Beneath the waters of Lake Norman lies huge sections of some of North Carolina’s most unique towns from the past. Although over half a century has passed, many roads, facilities, and even homes still sit eerily undisturbed beneath the water.

The East Monbo and Long Island cotton mills, were originally shut down in the 50s, to make way for Lake Norman – the largest man-made lake in…READ MORE

#4 Over 58,000 People Joined Together To Re-Direct Hurricane Irma Using Fans

Published September 7, 2017 – 209,264 total views

This past Summer, Category 5 Hurricane Irma made its way across a string of Caribbean islands toward the US mainland. There was a chance it would the US mainland altogether and travel North-East back out to sea.

Several people decided to start an online campaign to help encourage the storm to take that more easterly path using a rather ridiculous method – electric fans…a lot of them…READ MORE

#3 If You See Purple Fence Posts In North Carolina Get Away

Published July 7, 2017 – 312,620 total views

If you like to hike or explore around North Carolina woods, authorities are warning people to be on the lookout for purple fence posts – especially if you have a pet.

North Carolina law now allows landowners to protect their land by marking the outskirts of their territory with…READ MORE

#2 NC House Passed HB 330 – Allowing Drivers To Drive Through Protesters

Published May 4th, 2017 – 332,767 total views 

A new bill has passed the NC House that would allow North Carolina drivers to drive through protesters who are blocking the road without being sued, as long as they “exercise due care.”

The North Carolina House passed HB 330 with a 67-48 vote…READ MORE

#1 Charlotte Church Released A Christmas Video That’s Going Viral 

Published December 26, 2016 – 1,675,548 views in 2017 (1,911,786 total views)

Forest Hill’s creative team produced a video released on Facebook at the end of last year to introduce the new message series and it immediately blew up on the internet. Recently, the article we wrote last year also began to go viral, receiving over 1.5 million views in the past month alone.

The video itself has now been shared over 80,000 times and viewed over 4.6 million times…WATCH VIDEO

What’s your favorite Charlotte Stories News article from 2017? 

If you have any news tips or interesting story ideas, please Email us at Press@cltstories.com

A massive house fire has just erupted in North East Charlotte.

3 Fire trucks, medical units, and police are now on scene as firefighters battle the blaze.

The Charlotte Fire Department just posted these shots of the scene;

CFD operating at a house fire off Penninger Ln. in northeast Charlotte. pic.twitter.com/oTvTzCHNue

— Charlotte Fire Dept (@CharlotteFD) December 29, 2017

The fire started at around 3pm this afternoon at 2709 Penninger Circle;

The Charlotte Fire Department does not yet know the cause of the fire or how exensive the damage is.

We will update this article as new information comes in.

Drain your fountains, let your faucets drip, and put on as many layers as you can – it’s about to get cold!

Over the next 7 days, we will be seeing one of the longest and coldest fronts in over 2 years as a massive wave of arctic air sweeps across America.

From December 31st through January 7th, Charlotte’s highs will remain in the 30s and our lows will drop to the teens and below (wind chills could even hit 0).

This is one cold 10-day forecast. Stay warm folks! #cltwx #ncwx #scwx pic.twitter.com/tfXq4NqNBe

— Brad Panovich (@wxbrad) December 29, 2017

If you moved here from Ohio or New York (like myself), you may be rolling your eyes, but if you’re from Florida or California, get ready.

To prepare your car, top off all your fluids, especially your oil, power steering fluid, and antifreeze. You’ll also want to check your tires and make sure your air pressure is over 32 PSI.

To prepare your home, make sure to drain all fountains and exterior water fixtures. Always let at least one of your faucets drip to avoid freezing pipes. Consider buying a humidifier if you’re sensitive to dry air. If you have an older home with older windows, investing in some shrink film insulation will save you a ton on your heating bill.

To prepare yourself, buy some thermal gloves, a warm hat, and a winter jacket. If you’re going to spend any length of time outside, you may even want to consider buying an electric heating jacket.

If you have a pet – make sure to read our article about how to keep your furry friend warm!

Please share this article with anyone who just moved here from the South West, California, or Florida!

With the passage of President Trump’s new tax plan people across the country have been rushing to pre-pay their property taxes before the first of the year when the policies will go into effect.

The new tax code limits the amount of money you will be able to deduct for your state income and property taxes to $10,000. Under the old tax code, taxpayers were able to deduct all of their property taxes and state income taxes from their federal income taxes.

This past Wednesday, the IRS officially announced that anyone who pre-payments their 2018 property taxes may be able to deduct the full amount from their federal taxes, if they’re made before the end of the year and if the tax was also assessed before the end of the year.

Mecklenburg County officials have also announced that they’re now able to accept 2018 prepayments after their system was taken down earlier this month by hackers.

They’re still not completely back up, so they can only accept prepayments in check or money order.

The county said that all prepayments must include a note that indicates the property’s parcel number and that it’s for a 2018 prepayment.

Prepayments must be dropped off at the Mecklenburg County Tax Offices at 700 E. Stonewall St. in Uptown Charlotte by the end of the day today.