Charlotte has always been a melting pot of immigrants from a variety of cultures. Waves of settlers moved here for our nation’s first gold rush in the early 1800s, the textile boom of the early 1900s, and now we’re seeing booms across a variety of sectors.

Charlotte has also become home to a growing number of refugees from over a dozen different countries.

The Queen City has become a true melting pot city, representing almost every culture and people group in the world. Nowhere is that reflected more than in our CMS classrooms.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg School system now teaches over 40,000 students who speak English as a second language. Over the past year, that number increased by almost 3,600 students, according to a recent CMS report.

The top 5 most common first languages among those students are; Spanish, Vietnamese, Arabic, French and Telugu. Telugu is a Dravidian language that’s spoken in southern India.

This year’s CMS report indicated that:

How do you feel about the growing diversity in our city?

Charlotte’s earliest establishment as a finance center began as the site of the nation’s first Gold Rush at the turn of the 19^th century, which helped drive its selection as a branch of the U.S. Mint in 1835.

In what would become a significant date in CLT250 history, President Andrew Jackson appointed leadership to the Charlotte Mint on Jan. 19, 1837, making it the first official branch of the U.S. Mint in the country outside of Philadelphia. When the Charlotte Mint opened later that year, the superintendent’s salary was $2,000 per year. The chief coiner earned $1,500 per year, while the men who melted, refined and analyzed, the gold made $1,000 per year.

Second only to agriculture, gold prospecting became the chief source of employment in the state during that time. Those early beginnings as a center for commerce 184 years ago have influenced Charlotte’s present day. The region now boasts more than 70 financial institutions with more than 70,000 employees and serves as an emerging FinTech hub with a growing entrepreneurial scene. Accounting for approximately 9 percent of area jobs, but nearly 17 percent of all wages, finance is fundamental to the Charlotte economy.

WAYS TO EXPERIENCE CLT250

Explore these CLT250 themed events and activities in January.

• 2019 Atrium Health Charlotte-Mecklenburg Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. National Holiday Celebrations: The City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County honor the legacy of Dr. King through activities and events that promote his spirit of love, understanding and service to one another; all shared ideals rooted in the promotion of the CLT250 anniversary this year. The 2019 Atrium Health Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade kicks off at 10 a.m. on Jan. 19 with more than 100 community organizations, marching bands and step and drill teams set to participate. Explore the full list of community events surrounding Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
• Arts & Science Council Connect with Culture Day: Back again for its fifth year, residents benefit from free access to arts, science and history experiences across Charlotte Jan. 25 – 26. From story times with a Charlotte Ballet ballerina in Pineville to Afro-Brazilian dance classes in University City, engaging programs and events can be found in every corner of Charlotte during Connect with Culture Day that showcase the community’s wide-ranging depth and range of cultural assets.
• Levine Museum of the New South: StoryMining 250: This “StoryCorps” inspired series seeks to document and share the lives of Charlotteans at this moment in time, through oral histories, exhibits, and special programs, 250 years since the city was founded. Submit your story or nominate a storyteller to share your piece of Charlotte history.
• Call for Legacy Projects: Join organizations, neighborhoods and resident groups across the community who are looking to leave their CLT250 mark through legacy projects. Whether it’s planting 250 trees like TreesCharlotte, cleaning 250 miles of city streets with the City’s Adopt-a-Street program or creating something uniquely your own, CLT250 and Share Charlotte are on hand to help support community-building initiatives that will create hope and promise for the next 250 years. Interested groups and residents should submit at com.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED

Throughout the year, you can get involved in CLT250 by volunteering sponsoring or creating an event. Visit CLT250.com to explore how you can mark the 250th anniversary of the city’s founding in your own unique ways. Together, these events will add to Charlotte’s commitment to become a friendlier, healthier, more equitable and more accessible city.

CLT250 is a community-led engagement, presented by Atrium Health, in partnership with the City of Charlotte, the Arts & Science Council, Charlotte Center City Partners, Charlotte Regional Business Alliance, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, CMS Foundation, Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority, Foundation for the Carolinas and other corporate partners including Albemarle, Ally Bank, Bank of America, Barings, Compass Group, Duke Energy-Piedmont Natural Gas, Lowe’s, Moore & Van Allen, Novant Health, Townsquare Interactive, Wells Fargo and Wray Ward.

For more information about the yearlong celebration of Charlotte’s 250th anniversary, visit CLT250.com.

Charlotte just took another step toward embracing the Cannabis Industry.

Lifted, an Elevated Experience, is a new CBD Dispensary located inside 15th Street Market.

Located in the Optimist Park neighborhood, just outside of Uptown Charlotte, this Dispensary & Market combo is the first of its kind for the Queen City.

The market features a rotating selection of local beers on tap and in the bottle, as well as plenty of snacks.

The dispensary will be centered around the highest quality hemp flower, tinctures, topicals, edibles, concentrates, and vapes.

They even offer CBD-infused dog treats;

Lifted co-founders Adam Cozzolino and Matt Houser have hand-picked, researched, and tested every item in the dispensary and are excited to bring top-notch products to the Charlotte area.

“We use patented machines to Cold Press USDA Certified Organic hemp at 20,000 pounds per square inch, never using any heat, solvents or CO2 in our extraction process,” commented Houser (who also owns Tar Heal Pharms). “By doing things this way, it allows all beneficial fibers, including natural, rich terpenes, chlorophyll and phytonutrients to remain intact. We never add any additional ingredients, flavors or preservatives to any of our full spectrum oils.”

Lifted CLT is also the first CBD dispensary in Charlotte that sources the majority of their products directly from organic farmers around the country.

“We believe establishing relationships with the farmers themselves allows us to have first-hand quality assurance and to know exactly what is going into our flower.  We know the type of soil, nutrients, foliars, and water that is used on most of the farms we purchase from,” said Cozzolino. “These relationships also allow us the opportunity to grow with the farms with the hopes of longevity.”

The passage of the 2018 Farm Bill legalized Industrial Hemp containing CBD, paving the way for a new industry to open up in cities like Charlotte.

“We are excited to continue shining light on the Hemp industry without the legal gray area,” Cozzolino said. “We all love the plant, love learning about it, and continuing to see it change people’s lives for the better!”

Charlotte Lately (CL) just announced that former Panthers’ running back Jonathan Stewart and his wife Natalie have just purchased their platform from founder Courtney Schramm.

Schramm started Charlotte Lately as an Instagram page in 2015 to showcase Charlotte businesses. The brand soon expanded to include networking and community events; in 2018, it launched a print publication.

“From the beginning, Charlotte Lately had a loyal following of people who are not just followers, but are doers of this city,” said Schramm.

Two of those loyal followers and “doers” are Charlotte residents, Natalie and Jonathan Stewart, the latter of whom was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft. Stewart played for the Panthers for ten years; he currently plays for the New York Giants. Together, the Stewarts are passionate about Charlotte community initiatives including Inspire the Fire, Inc., the Charlotte-based non- profit committed to providing creative outlets for young people.

The couple’s fierce community involvement and action-oriented approach made them natural fits to lead the CL brand moving forward. “The Stewarts take action,” said Schramm. “They are sensitive to the issues people experience here in Charlotte; they want to see the city succeed, and they are committed to growing the brand in a way that celebrates authenticity, creativity and connection.”

Loyal CL fans need not worry – the Stewarts see themselves as stewards of Schramm’s vision and intentionality who are ready and eager to add their creative spin to the brand. “We will always strive to celebrate diversity, support local businesses, build strong, professional relationships,” says Natalie Stewart.

The brand, which includes the Instagram handle @Charlotte_Lately, local partnerships, networking events, and the print publication, will continue to share stories from Charlotte’s favorite places, people, and businesses; most importantly though, the Stewarts want it these stories to support Charlotte’s growth.

“Charlotte has been my home for over a decade, and I’m amazed by its growth,” says Jonathan Stewart. “Charlotte Lately is one of the first social platforms and print publications that offered a more diverse view of all of the things we have going on in Charlotte right now. In moving forward, we want to use Charlotte Lately to give others a platform to share their pride in our city, as well.”

Today we’ll finally start to see the weather warm back up into the mid-50s and even into the 60s by Friday – but don’t think that spring has sprung just yet. The polar vortex that’s been circling above Canada is about to send another major cold front our way.

Starting early next week, the Charlotte region will be seeing similar temperatures to what we saw earlier this week – and possibly even colder.

According to the NOAA, there’s over a 60% chance of seeing colder than average temperatures next week;

They’re also predicting almost an inch of precipitation that could turn into snow or freezing rain at night and early morning hours between the 24th and 26th;

Charlotte temperatures will mostly stay in the 40s during the day and 30s at night, and even into the 20s next weekend, according to the Weather Channel;

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, you might need to make some changes to prepare for the coming winter temperatures.

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!