Our Neighborhoods
Explore the Five Points Neighborhoods
Biddleville-Smallwood
Biddleville is widely recognized as Charlotte’s oldest surviving Black neighborhood and is closely tied to the history of Johnson C. Smith University. Established in the 1870s around Biddle Memorial Institute, it became home to educators, students, professionals, and families who helped shape Charlotte’s African American heritage.
Biddleville also played a pivotal role in Charlotte’s Civil Rights Movement. Students from Johnson C. Smith University led the 1960 sit-in movement that helped desegregate Charlotte’s lunch counters, while Dorothy Counts-Scoggins and Charles Jones advanced educational and social equality.
Today, Johnson C. Smith University remains central to the neighborhood, continuing to influence Biddleville’s culture, education, and identity.
Seversville
Seversville developed in the late 1800s as one of Charlotte’s early streetcar and mill neighborhoods. Its growth was closely tied to nearby Savona Mill and the expansion of West Trade Street, providing housing for mill workers and their families. As Charlotte expanded, Seversville became known for its hardworking spirit and convenient access to Uptown.
Like many nearby neighborhoods, Seversville experienced significant change during the twentieth century as urban renewal, highway construction, and disinvestment reshaped the area. Even through these challenges, it preserved its character while advocating for continued investment.
Today, Seversville blends its industrial heritage with new investment. With the CityLYNX Gold Line providing direct access to Uptown, it continues to play an important role on Charlotte’s west side.
Wesley Heights
Founded in 1911, Wesley Heights was Charlotte’s first streetcar suburb on the city’s west side and later became one of its first locally designated historic districts. Developed on the former farmland of John Wadsworth, the neighborhood features Bungalow-style homes, tree-lined streets, granite curbs, retaining walls, and other architectural elements that reflect its heritage.
Wesley Heights has retained much of its original layout and architecture, earning listing on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994 as one of Charlotte’s best-preserved streetcar suburbs.
Today, walkable streets, a mature tree canopy, greenway access, and proximity to Uptown continue to define one of Charlotte’s most desirable historic neighborhoods.
