Fun Facts
A few surprises about North Carolina
Charlotte shows up in more places than you'd guess — on movie screens, on race day, on a basketball court, and (if you know where to look) all the way back to a Revolutionary War insult. A few of our favorites, just for fun.
The Hunger Games was filmed here
The Capitol scenes — hundreds of costumed extras and all — were filmed right in Uptown Charlotte. District 12 is even more real: it's Henry River Mill Village, a genuine ghost town nearby you can actually visit.
Our neighbor is basically Hollywood
Wilmington, NC — about a 3-hour drive from Charlotte — has been called "Hollywood East" since 1984, home to the largest soundstage in America east of Los Angeles. Iron Man 3 and The Conjuring filmed there, along with Dawson's Creek, One Tree Hill, and the recent hit The Summer I Turned Pretty.
The real "Miracle on the Hudson" plane was headed here
US Airways Flight 1549 — the flight dramatized in the movie Sully — took off from New York bound for Charlotte when it famously ditched in the Hudson River in 2009. The real aircraft is now on permanent display at the Sullenberger Aviation Museum, right here in Charlotte.
The Carolina Panthers
Joined the NFL in 1993 and began play in 1995, right in Uptown Charlotte. Their debut 7–9 season was, at the time, the best-ever first season for an NFL expansion team. They've reached two Super Bowls.
Charlotte FC's record-breaking debut
MLS's 28th club began play in 2022 — and its very first home match drew 74,479 fans, at the time the largest crowd in MLS history.
Ninety percent of NASCAR calls Charlotte home
More than 90% of NASCAR teams are headquartered in the Charlotte area. Charlotte Motor Speedway, just outside the city, seats about 95,000 — and the NASCAR Hall of Fame opened Uptown in 2010.
1982 — the shot that started it all
A University of North Carolina freshman named Michael Jordan hit the game-winning shot in the 1982 NCAA championship game.
2010–2023 — owner of the Hornets
Jordan became minority owner of Charlotte's NBA team in 2006, then majority owner in 2010 — running the franchise for 13 years before selling his stake in 2023.
Today — a NASCAR team, too
Jordan now co-owns 23XI Racing, a NASCAR Cup Series team headquartered right in the Charlotte area, alongside driver Denny Hamlin.
And the name? It's 1780 all over again
"Hornets" isn't a random mascot — it's the very same "hornet's nest of rebellion" line the British used for Charlotte in 1780. Same city, same nickname, almost 250 years later.