by Olivia Kay

Created on: April 05, 2009   Last Updated: May 26, 2009

How did the city of Charlotte became known as "The City of Churches"? Answering that question is possible through a look into the city's history that dates back more than two centuries.

North Carolina's largest city, Charlotte, most commonly known as the Queen City, was originally named for the German princess, Charlotte of Mecklenburg, who married the reigning king of England, King George III, the year before the city founded. However, something you and many others may not know is that Charlotte has another less well-known nickname as well, "The City of Churches".

Charlotte, or Charlotte Town as it was originally known, was officially incorporated as a town in 1768 and it didn't take long for people to flock to the area and become new inhabitants. As the population grew, churches began to appear on the scene as well, many, many churches, including churches founded by Baptists, Catholics, Episcopalians, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians amongst others. By the early 1800s, there were so many churches in existence that Charlotte coined the nickname, "The City of Churches".

This nickname is not simply a nickname of the past, however, it is one that is very familiar to most locals and is still known and widely used in present times. The city of Charlotte has many ties to and holds significance in the religious world. For one, Charlotte is the birth place of the well-known evangelist, Billy Graham and the Billy Graham Envangelistic Association. It is also home to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte, a diocese that includes the counties of Western North Carolina. However, although Charlotte holds this significance in the Catholic community, a majority of all residents identify with Protestant faiths. One particular Protestant faith, the Presbyterian faith, has been very important in the city of Charlotte throughout history, making it the historic seat of Southern Presbyterianism. The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church and the baptist Peace Fellowship of North America are both headquartered in Charlotte as well. Charlotte is also home to many religious- based colleges and universities, including Wingate University, Lee University-Charlotte, the Reformed Seminary, and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. In addition, the religious education departments at most all of Charlotte's other universities are well-represented amongst all other majors offered.

Charlotte offers a great variety of options in places of worship to its residents as their are over 700 options to choose from. This makes it no wonder that most all residents of Charlotte identify with some sort of religion and worship somewhere on a regular basis. With religion and church life being so significant to Charlotte residents and the community itself, there's no doubt that the city will be identified as "The City of Churches" for many, many years to come.

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