Plaza-Midwood is a neighborhood located approximately one mile to the northeast of Uptown in Charlotte, North Carolina. The neighborhood is roughly bound by Hawthorne Lane to the west, The Plaza to the north, Briar Creek Road and the Charlotte Country Club to the east and Central Avenue to the south.[4]
Locally known as one of Charlotte's most diverse and eclectic neighborhoods, it is filled with art galleries, funky stores, and restaurants.[5][6] Just south of Central Avenue in the Plaza-Midwood neighborhood is the 19 acre Veterans Park.[7]
History
Plaza-Midwood was first established in 1910 as a streetcar suburb of Charlotte. The Oakland Land Company was responsible for the layout of the roads within the neighborhood. Through the Great Depression, Plaza-Midwood would thrive, before its decline commenced in the 1950s.[6]
By 1975, the Plaza Midwood Neighborhood Association was established to protect and preserve the neighborhood.[6]
Since the mid-1990s, the area has seen a dramatic comeback as reinvestment has transformed once dilapidated homes into funky urban dwellings. It continued redevelopment has spilled over into other surrounding neighborhoods, and resulted in the overall renaissance of the former inner-ring suburbs of old Charlotte.[6][8][9]
Plaza-Midwood's Historic District is located in the western section of the neighborhood and is maintained by residents and business operators. The area along The Plaza, Thomas Avenue and parts of Pecan and Clement were designated as a Local Historic District in 1992. The district is now regulated by the Historic District Commission.
Five stops are planned for the future CityLynx Gold Linestreetcar, with stations proposed for Hawthorne at Barnhardt, the Plaza, St. Julien Street, Iris Drive, and Morningside Drive.[12] There are also possible plans for a stop along the future Silver Linelight rail in Plaza-Midwood, though an alignment for the line hasn't been finalized.[13]
Roads
The major thoroughfares are Central Avenue, Hawthorne Lane and The Plaza.[14]
Education and libraries
The Plaza-Midwood branch of the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County
School system
Residents of Plaza-Midwood attend Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, including Eastway Middle School, Garinger High School and Shamrock Gardens Elementary School.[15][16]
Pop musician Jon Lindsay included a reference to the neighborhood (in which he also owns a home) in the title of his official label debut LP, Escape From Plaza-Midwood, released August 17, 2010 on Chocolate Lab Records. Plaza Midwood was also used as Little Korea for the USA Network pilot for the show "The Novice" in December 2013 [18]
