The neighborhood was Charlotte's first streetcar suburb and was established by Edward Dilworth Latta[2] in the 1890s on 250 acres (1 km²) southwest of the original city limits.

These precursor streetcars and walking were Charlotteans' primary mode of transportation which kept development close to Trade and Tryon Streets, Charlotte's urban core.

The first electric streetcar, Latta's Charlotte Street Railway Company, began operation May 18, 1891, just two days before Dilworth was opened.

This car was used for many purposes over the years and was about to be scrapped when it was located by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission and meticulously restored as part of a project to bring Trolleys back to Charlotte.

The homes are primarily bungalows — with the occasional Queen Anne — and some larger, two-story Colonial Revivals lining Dilworth Road East and West.