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To secure favor with King George III, the settlers of present-day Charlotte named the area after the king’s wife, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, in 1775, giving birth to the nickname “The Queen City.”
Before settlers arrived, the area was home to the Catawban Indian tribe. In 1763, the British settlers negotiated a land deal, setting aside 144,000 acres along the Catawba River for the Catawban people. The city was officially established in 1768.
The city was originally built at the crossroads between two Native-American trading paths – today’s intersection of Trade and Tryron in the heart of Charlotte.