Ballantyne (Charlotte neighborhood) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ballantyne
Edge City / Neighborhood
Ballantyne at the intersection of Johnston Rd and Ballantyne Commons Parkway
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
County	Mecklenburg County
City	Charlotte
Council District	7
Neighborhood Profile Areas	75, 169, 187, 188, 189, 253, 255, 257, 355, 356
Founded	1992
Annexed	1999–2003
Founded by	Bissell Companies
Area
• Total	5,114 acre (2,070 ha)
Population  (2016)
• Total	70,582
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
Zip Code	28277
Area codes	704 and 980
Quality of Life Dashboard

Ballantyne is a neighborhood and developing edge city on the southside of Charlotte, occupying a 2,000-acre (8.1 km²) area of land adjacent to the South Carolina border. The neighborhood is home to St. Matthew Catholic Church, the largest Catholic congregation in the United States.

In June 2013, Wingate University announced that it was moving its Matthews campus to Ballantyne.

History

Ballantyne was originally a large hunting tract owned by the Harris family, descendants of former North Carolina Governor Cameron A. Morrison. With construction of nearby Interstate 485 adding value to the land, Johnny Harris and his brother-in-law, Smoky Bissell, quietly acquired surrounding lands from neighbors and farmers until they had about 2,000 acres and had the land commercially rezoned. Another developer, Crescent Resources, had already purchased the 610 acres that would later become the Ballantyne Country Club and the accompanying residential development. In October 1995, Bissell bought out his brothers-in-law’s shares for $20 million and established Ballantyne, named after his maternal grandmother; homebuilding started shortly after in 1996. Bissell also developed and designed the Ballantyne Hotel & Lodge and the Ballantyne Country Club, which he designed after visiting 34 golf courses around Phoenix, Arizona

At the intersection of Johnston Road and Ballantyne Commons stand four 30-foot monuments representing transportation, technology, finance, and the human spirit of Charlotte. The art installation was commissioned by Yugoslavian artist Boris Tomic, who spent three years crafting them at a brick factory in Salisbury.

Demographics

As of 2011, Ballantyne had a population of 20,936. The racial makeup of the neighborhood was 69.2% White American, 11.3% Asian American, 10.3% Black or African American, and 2.5% of some other race. Hispanic or Latino American of any race were 6.7% of the population. The median household income for the area was $96,435.

Notable residents

• Allen Iverson, former NBA player, member of Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame