Determining the final boundaries of these "western" areas between North and South Carolina was a decades-long process.

Mecklenburg continues to celebrate the declaration each year in May,[7] the date of which is included on the flag of North Carolina.

[8] A proposal to form a consolidated city-county government with Charlotte was considered, but voted down by residents in 1971.

[15] Nature preserves in Charlotte:[25] As of the 2020 census, there were 1,115,482 people, 426,313 households, and 254,759 families residing in the county.

This electoral structure favors at-large candidates who appeal to the majority population of the county.

Members of the Mecklenburg County Commission are required by North Carolina State law to choose a chair and vice-chair once a year (at the first meeting of December).

The expansion of the financial and business communities since the late 20th century attracted many newcomers from other areas of the country, with more diverse voting patterns.

The more ethnically diverse core and northern sections of Charlotte trend Democratic, while wealthier and whiter suburban areas to the south of the city lean more Republican.

[37] In 2004, John Kerry became only the fourth Democrat to carry Mecklenburg County since Harry Truman in 1948, and the third to win it with a majority since Franklin Roosevelt's last campaign in 1944.

Obama's 100,100-vote margin in the county helped him become the first Democrat to carry North Carolina since 1976.

At the same time, John McCain became the first Republican to win less than 40 percent of the county's vote since 1948.

The county swung even further in favor of Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Joe Biden in 2020, with both beating Obama's 2008 total.

[38] The post of 'High Sheriff' of Mecklenburg County dates back to 1763 and is mandated in the constitution of North Carolina.

[40] Wachovia, a former Fortune 500 company, had its headquarters in Charlotte until it was acquired by Wells Fargo for $15.1 billion.

The Crescent train connects Charlotte with New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Charlottesville, and Greensboro to the north, and Atlanta, Birmingham and New Orleans to the southwest.

The Carolinian train connects Charlotte with New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Richmond, Raleigh, Durham and Greensboro.

Mecklenburg County is the proposed southern terminus for the initial segment of the Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor operating between Charlotte and Washington, D.C.

Currently in conceptual design, the SEHSR would eventually run from Washington, D.C. to Macon, Georgia.

Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) bus service serves all of Mecklenburg County, including Charlotte, and the municipalities of Davidson, Huntersville, Cornelius, Matthews, Pineville, and Mint Hill.

The Lynx Silver Line is a proposed 29-mile (47 km) east-west light rail line that would connect the outlying cities and towns of Belmont, Matthews, Stallings and Indian Trail to Uptown Charlotte and the Charlotte Douglas International Airport.

[48] Mecklenburg's manufacturing base, its central location on the Eastern Seaboard, and the intersection of two major interstates in the county have made it a hub for the trucking industry.

[54] While MEDIC is a division of Mecklenburg County Government, a board guides and directs MEDIC that consists of members affiliated with Atrium Health, Novant Health and a swing vote provided by the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners.

Extraterritorial jurisdictions within the county are annexed by municipalities as soon as they reach sufficient concentrations.

Townships are administrative divisions of unincorporated county land and do not have any government function.

By the requirements of the North Carolina Constitution of 1868, Mecklenburg County was divided into 15 townships.