Charlotte is fast becoming one of the most desirable places to live in the United States.  With beaches and mountains in close proximity, Charlotte living includes world-class restaurants, big-city culture and active outdoors with boating on nearby lakes.  In recent years, Charlotte has experienced a significant increase in population from residents of New York, California and Florida.  Charlotte also enjoys the lowest cost of living in the southern half of the US (Q2, 2007).  As Charlotte grows, so does the business community supporting it.  Here are some fast facts on the Queen City and the Metro Area:

1)  Charlotte is the nation's fifth largest urban region. While the city-wide population is just 664,342, there are 7.1 million people living within a 100-mile radius of the city. This radius population well exceeds Miami's 5.9 million and the 2.7 million around Memphis.

2)  During the past ten years, 8,662 new firms have invested $12.8 billion in new Charlotte facilities. Office space is conveniently located throughout the city, with 5.4 million square feet available for lease.

3)  328 of the Fortune 500 companies have a presence in Charlotte, nine of which are headquartered in the Charlotte area, ranking the city 6th nationally in the number of headquartered firms.

4)  Charlotte is first and foremost a banking city. With more than $2 trillion in assets, it is the second largest financial center in the nation, behind only New York.

5)  The region has 1,868 manufacturers that employ more than 72,918 workers. In addition to the traditional furniture and textile industries, the electronics, printing, plastics, industrial machinery and metal working industries have significant presence in the area.

6)  Small and medium-size companies are equally important to Charlotte's economy. The city has been cited by Entrepreneur magazine as one of the nation's best large cities for entrepreneurs to start and run a small business. Of the 24,953 companies with operations in Charlotte, 23,196 employ fewer than 50 workers and 1,708 employ between 50 and 500 workers. Only 111 firms employ more than 500 workers.

7)  The Charlotte area currently operates the largest public transit system between Washington DC and Atlanta; more than 40 county-wide bus line routes carry over 18 million passengers a year.

The Charlotte Chamber of Commerce estimates the Metro Service Area population will increase from 1.6 million to 4.5 million in the next 20 years.