The 9th Congressional District is located in the middle of North Carolina, called the Piedmont, and is composed of parts of Gaston, Mecklenburg and Union Counties. The area contains some of the most beautiful land and most friendly people you will find anywhere in America.

The 9th District covers all of Gaston County except for the cities of Cherryville and Kings Mountain in the western part of the county. Gastonia, the county seat, contains 35% of the population of Gaston County. However, with I-485 (the Charlotte Outer-Belt) extending out into Gaston County, communities in the eastern part of the county around the Belmont and Mt. Holly area are growing at substantial rates. Residential growth in these areas is expected to continue as jobs increase. The county has long been one of the largest textile centers in the nation, and serves as the headquarters of the National Council of Textile Organizations. The county is also experiencing a shift in the business environment as different industries come to Gaston to diversify the economy. Gastonia is located to the west of Charlotte.

About half of Mecklenburg County is also in the 9th District. The district includes the southern area of Mecklenburg including Ballantyne, Matthews, South Park, Eastover and Dilworth, the western area of the county and the northern parts including Huntersville and parts of Cornelius. Before his defeat at Yorktown, General Cornwallis visited Charlotte which he described as “An agreeable village but in a damn rebellious country. A veritable nest of hornets.” This town, settled by Scots-Irish and German colonists who came down the Blue Ridge from Pennsylvania, is now a metropolitan area of 1.4 million people. Before the California gold rush, Charlotte was the gold mining capital of the country, and in 1837, the U.S. Mint established a branch here. Now, Charlotte is headquarters to two of the nation’s biggest banks: Bank of America formed from the 1998 merger of Charlotte-based Nations Bank and San Francisco’s Bank of America; and Wachovia, created by the 2001 merger of Charlotte’s First Union and Winston-Salem’s Wachovia. All told $1.5 trillion in banking resources are headquartered in Charlotte - more than in any American city except New York. Charlotte is also home to eight companies in the Fortune 500, including Duke Energy, Sonic Automotive, B.F. Goodrich and Nucor and serves as an airline hub for USAirways. Charlotte has a growing sports market with the Carolina Panthers (NFL), the Charlotte Bobcats (NBA) and the largest NASCAR market in the nation. Mecklenburg County has experienced ongoing growth in both jobs and people over the past two decades, a trend not expected to stop any time soon.

Western Union County is also a part of the 9th District. Cities and towns such as Waxhaw, Weddington, Mint Hill, Indian Trail and Unionville all have their different styles and different attractions but one thing remains; the people are extremely friendly. The people have helped Union County attain the name “Sweet Union.” Union County has a very diverse workforce with many manufacturing companies in the area, as well as a large construction industry. It is also North Carolina’s fastest growing county. Over the last 15 years the county population has increased more than 82% because of low taxes and good schools. Union County is located to the east of Charlotte.