Charlotte's Second Ward is located in the southeast quad of center city Charlotte, bordered by Trade and Tryon Street and the I-277 highway loop. Today the Second Ward is known as "the government district", but the Second Ward was once called "Brooklyn". In the 1960's Charlotte's urban renewal program bulldozed most of Brooklyn's residential community. Over the following decades, the area became dominated by city and government buildings. In recent years, however, the Second Ward has undergoing a surge in exciting new residential, entertainment and commercial growth. The Second Ward now features several up-scale condominium residences, a new mega-entertainment district called EpiCenter, and is the home of Charlotte's new NASCAR Hall of Fame, and a new convention center. Second Ward also features a new park called "The Green", several retail shops, restaurants and hotels, and also a new county courthouse. A major draw to the Second Ward is the restaurants, bars, movie theatre and entertainment venues surrounding The Green and the EpiCentre. The EpiCenter features dozens of venues including Strike City, a glow-in-the-dark rockin bowling alley, Le Mez, a dine-in & drink movie theatre, and popular nightspots like Whiskey River and a dual piano bar called, Howl at the Moon.
Charlotte's Center City 2010 Vision Plan recommends a master plan be produced for Second Ward with a major emphasis on creating a new neighborhood with lots of housing, restaurants, shops, and a neighborhood park. A new development called, Brooklyn Village is in the planning stages, but hopes are for new retail, new residential homes and a new, Second Ward high school.
Some major residential communities in Charlotte's Second Ward include:
The Ratcliffe, 230 South Tryon, The Trust, The Epicenter / 210 Trade, The Tower, Catalyst, The Iveys.
