Surrounding Mecklenburg County and Charlotte are several counties that support a growing number of "bedroom" communities. Although they differ in character, they all provide easy access to the city. Many families are finding them affordable and attractive alternatives to city living.

Cabarrus County (Concord, Kannapolis, and Harrisburg) - Area 11

Northeast of Charlotte, Cabarrus County is growing as fast as the cars that go around Lowe's Motor Speedway, one of the county's largest attractions. Another is the new Concord Mills Mall, North Carolina's second-largest mall with some 200 stores. The county seat, Concord, was incorporated in 1798 and named for the peaceful resolution of a dispute over where the town should be located. It is now home to a regional airport, a historic downtown, Barber-Scotia College, and thousands of new homeowners. Residents enjoy direct routes to Charlotte via U.S. Highway 29 and N.C. 49, and to Lake Norman via N.C. 73.

Catawba County (Hickory) - Area 29

Catawba County has been recognized as being one of the top ten areas in America to raise a family, and is building on its traditional business base of furniture, textile, and telecommunications. The cities and towns in the county are Claremont, Conover, Hickory, Long View, Maiden, and Newton. The county has two colleges: Lenoir-Rhyne College, a 113 year old liberal arts institution, and Catawba Valley Community College, a member of the NC Community College System. The county also boasts two outstanding hospitals (one county-owned), a large medical community, and nursing and rest homes. Catawba County has seven beautiful golf courses playable year-round; the Hickory Motor Speedway, which has been in continuous operation for 42 years; and the Crawdads, the Class A farm team of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Bass Tournaments are held from March through October on Lake Hickory and Lake Norman.

Gaston County (Mt. Holly, Belmont and Gastonia) - Area 16

Located just west of Charlotte across the Catawba River, Belmont and Mount Holly offer quiet living in historic Old South towns. Belmont, home of Belmont Abbey College and the Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens, was established in the 1870s around several cotton mills. Belmont planners anticipated the area's growth and in 1994 developed a strategic plan that includes the renovation and revitalization of the downtown area, adopted a new code that discourages suburban sprawl, adopted a tree protection ordinance, and began development of a National Register historic district. Mt. Holly, an older textile town, dates back to 1801. Like Belmont, it has tree-lined downtown streets. The current revitalization in downtown Gastonia, to the west of these towns, may accelerate home development there. Already planners estimate that new Gaston County homes and businesses are consuming more than 3,000 acres of undeveloped land each year. County population: 180,000.Textile production and trucking drives the county economy. Attractions include the C. Grier Beam Truck Museum in Cherryville, the Gaston County Museum of Art and History and the Schiele Museum of Natural History.

Iredell County (Mooresville and Statesville) - Area 12

North of Charlotte and Lake Norman, Iredell's Mooresville has emerged as another community popular with newcomers who don't mind driving 45 minutes or so down Interstate 77 to get to the city. In fact, so many businesses are popping up the county, the attractions of the city are diminishing. Mooresville was founded in 1873 and named for its first mayor, who donated land for the town's railroad depot. Today, development has moved west toward the lake, where new luxury homes coexist with more modest longtime residences. Known by locals as Race City USA due to the prevalence of NASCAR race team garages, the town has eight parks, 14 private and eight public tennis courts, one public and one private golf course and a country club. Shopping centers are not yet as plentiful as they are at other Lake Norman towns, but more are on the way.

Lincoln County (Denver) - Area 14

Located on the west side of Lake Norman, but easily accessible to Charlotte by taking Highway 16 south or Highway 73 east to Interstate 77, Denver is showing signs of new growth. Residential developers have been quick to snap up every inch of Lake Norman shoreline. SailView, an enormous waterfront community launched by the developers of South Charlotte's Ballantyne, has broken ground on half-acre home sites, with home prices soaring to more than $1 million. Retail shopping is popping up nearby. The county is the home of the Charlotte International Airport.

Union County (Weddington, Waxhaw and Indian Trail) - Area 10

What once were small rural communities to Charlotte's southeast are now development hot spots thanks to the open land available and improved roadways. Charlotte's busy Providence Road (N.C. Highway 16) runs right into Weddington, 15 miles from the city, just past a busy interchange of the Interstate 485 "outer loop." Almost daily, new homes of every size are popping up in this town of approximately 11 square miles. Indian Trail lies southeast of Matthews, off of U.S. 74, and just to the outside of the "outer loop." Its proximity to an I-485 interchange guarantees that more growth will soon be headed its way. Wingate is home to Wingate University and its 1,300 students.

Lancaster County, S.C. - Area 24

South of Charlotte, this county was founded by settlers from Lancaster County, Pa., in the 18th century, and is the birthplace of President Andrew Jackson (1767-1845). The county has three incorporated communities—Lancaster, Kershaw and Heath Springs—as well as eight townships. Bordered by the Catawba River and close to a number of lakes and waterways, the county is home to Springs Industries and the Andrew Jackson State Park. Although the county has been primarily agricultural, gold mining began there in the 1820s and textile manufacturing sprang up following the Civil War. Governor and U. S. Senator Stephen Decatur Miller (1787-1838), surgeon J. Marion Sims (1813-1883), industrialist Elliott White Springs (1896-1959), and astronaut Charles M. Duke, Jr. were all Lancaster County residents.

York County, S.C. (Rock Hill and Ft. Mill) - Area 17

Southwest of Charlotte, York county is home the Museum of York County, which possesses the largest displays of African animals and arts in the Southeast; the Charlotte Knights Triple A baseball team; Winthrop University; and York Technical College. Two battles were fought in this area during the Revolutionary War, Williamson's Plantation (July 12, 1780) and Kings Mountain (October 7, 1780); the latter battle was a major victory for the Americans. Small-scale cotton farming was prevalent in the county in the nineteenth century, but textile mills became important in the twentieth century, contributing to the growth of the county's largest city, Rock Hill. Some well-known natives of York County are Revolutionary leader Colonel William Bratton (1742-1815) and writer Dori Sanders.