from whom the right-of-way was purchased, becoming known as Harris Depot. In 1874 the Post Office underwent a change of name from Harris Depot to Harrisburg.

A business district and town center developed down by the railroad, but in 1923, with the construction of what is now known as N.C. 49, Harrisburg's business district shifted to the new road. Harrisburg Depot closed in 1933.

Located in southwest Cabarrus County bordering Mecklenburg County, the Town of Harrisburg was incorporated in 1973. Government is by a seven member council and mayor. The town hall built in 1981 is located on N.C. 49. A town-wide water system was completed in 1980, followed by the town's wastewater system in 1985. Harrisburg's close neighbors include Charlotte Motor Speedway and the University of North Carolina-Charlotte. Harrisburg is served by the Harrisburg Rescue Squad and the Harrisburg Fire Department, Inc., all volunteers, and contracts with the Cabarrus County Sheriff's Department for full-time police protection.

Harrisburg's economic strength can best be judged by its business and industrial growth. With the building of an industrial park, availability of land and the quality of the work force, Harrisburg, a town on the move, reflects and maintains its rural heritage.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,493 people, 1,556 households, and 1,322 families residing in the town. The population density was 277.6/km² (718.4/mi²). There were 1,614 housing units at an average density of 99.7/km² (258.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.75% White, 3.23% African American, 0.42% Native American, 0.93% Asian, 0.22% from other races, and 0.45% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.82% of the population.

There were 1,556 households out of which 42.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 76.7% were married couples living together, 5.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 15.0% were non-families. 13.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.85 and the average family size was 3.13.

In the town the population was spread out with 28.0% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 25.9% from 45 to 64, and 9.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 97.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $65,086, and the median income for a family was $73,182. Males had a median income of $48,281 versus $31,808 for females. The per capita income for the town was $25,478. None of the families and 1.4% of the population were living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and 3.4% of those over 64.

Economy
Many residents of Harrisburg commute to nearby Charlotte for work. Charlotte has become a major U.S. financial center, and, based on assets, both the nation's second largest and fourth largest financial institutions call the city home (Bank of America and Wachovia, respectively). Bank of America' headquarters, along with other regional banking and financial services companies, are located primarily in the uptown financial district. Thanks in large part to the expansion of the city's banking industry, the Charlotte skyline has mushroomed in the past two decades and boasts the Bank of America Corporate Center, the tallest skyscraper between Philadelphia and Atlanta. The 60-story postmodern gothic tower, designed by renowned architect Cesar Pelli, stands 871 feet tall and was completed in 1992.

The following Fortune 500 companies are headquartered in the Charlotte metropolitan area:

• Bank of America
• Duke Energy
• Family Dollar
• Goodrich Corporation
• Lowe's
• Nucor
• Sonic Automotive
• SPX Corporation
• Wachovia

Other major companies headquartered in the Metro Charlotte include Time Warner Cable (a business unit of Fortune 500 company Time Warner), Continental Tire North America (formerly Continental/General Tire), Muzak, Belk, Harris Teeter, Meineke Car Care Centers, Lance, Inc, Bojangles', Carlisle Companies, LendingTree, Compass Group USA and Food Lion in suburban Salisbury. Also, neighboring Gastonia is home to Choice Beverage, Inc., makers of SunDrop and Cheerwine, and Parkdale Mills world headquarters.

Charlotte is also a major center in the US motorsports industry, with NASCAR having multiple offices in and around Charlotte. Approximately 75% of the industry's employees and drivers are based within two hours of downtown Charlotte. Charlotte is also the future home of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, expected to be completed in 2009. The center city/uptown area of Charlotte has seen remarkable growth over the last decade. Numerous residential units continue to be built uptown, including over 20 skyscapers either under construction, recently completed, or in the planning stage. Many new restaurants, bars and clubs now operate in the uptown area.

Attractions
There are many attractions around Harrisburg. The Blue Ridge Mountains begin along the western edge of the region and the descent (the fall line) to the coastal plain begins along the eastern edge. Amid this varied topography, the Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens and several state parks (Morrow Mountain, Crowders Mountain, South Mountains, Duke Power, Landsford Canal, Andrew Jackson) offer recreational possibilities, along with the Uwharrie National Forest just east and northeast of Albemarle, and the Sumter National Forest at the southwest corner of the area. Kings Mountain National Military Park is partially located in York County and in Cherokee County near Blacksburg, South Carolina.

Attractions in Charlotte include the Afro-American Cultural Center, Discovery Place, Spirit Square, the soon to be built NASCAR Hall of Fame, the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, Children's Theatre of Charlotte, The Mint Museums, the Charlotte Museum Of History, Levine Museum of the New South, and the Wing Haven Gardens.

Other places of interest in the Charlotte suburbs include the Schiele Museum (in Gastonia), Carowinds Theme Park (in Mecklenburg County, NC and York County, SC), Lowes Motor Speedway (in Concord), the Carolina Raptor Center (in Huntersville), Latta Plantation (in Huntersville), Historic Brattonsville (in McConnells), the North Carolina Transportation Museum (in Spencer), Fort Dobbs historical site (in Statesville), the Museum Of York County (in Rock Hill), James K. Polk historical site (in Pineville), the Catawba Cultural Center (in York County), the Museum Of The Waxhaws (in Waxhaw), Glencairn Gardens (in Rock Hill), and the Reed Gold Mine (in Locust).

The Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Charlotte is located in Charlotte in the University City community of Charlotte. The performing arts ampitheatre has hosted many popular music concerts. The U.S. National Whitewater Center, The U.S. National Whitewater Center (USNWC) is the world’s premier outdoor recreation and environmental education center. Alongside mountain-biking and running trails, a climbing center, and challenge course, the park’s unique feature is a multiple-channel, customized whitewater river for rafting and canoe/kayak enthusiasts of all abilities.

The USNWC is only 10 minutes from downtown Charlotte and provides over 300 acres of woodlands along the scenic Catawba River. Olympic-caliber athletes, weekend warriors and casual observers share this world-class sports and training center.

Inspired by the successful Penrith Whitewater Stadium built for the 2000 Olympics and the stadium built for the 2004 Athens Games, the USNWC is the world’s only multi-channel recirculating whitewater river. The USOC has designated the USNWC an official Olympic Training Site.

Regional-scale Shopping malls include SouthPark Mall, Northlake Mall, Eastland Mall (all in Charlotte), Carolina Place Mall (Pineville), Rock Hill Galleria (Rock Hill), Westfield Shoppingtown Eastridge (Gastonia), Concord Mills (Concord) and Valley Hills Mall (Hickory). Other important malls in the area include Carolina Mall (Concord), Gaston Mall (Gastonia), Monroe Mall (Monroe), and Signal Hill Mall (Statesville). Concord Mills is unique in that it does not feature the typical anchor stores found at the other mall; it focuses more on attracting outlet store tenants. As of 2006, the mall is the state's largest tourist attraction, visited by over 15 million annually.

Alongside enclosed malls and strip centers are several other shopping districts. Several downtowns can claim an abundance of shopping options, along with restaurants and other entertainment, and a few other specific districts have emerged: Central Avenue, especially in the Plaza-Midwood area; the NoDa area of North Charlotte; and the Arboretum in southeast Charlotte (geographically, south), to offer a handful of examples. Several of these areas are at the center of the area's growing immigrant business communities.

Education
The Cabarrus County Schools system services all of the county with the exception of parts of Kannapolis, which operates its own school district. The system is generally regarded as one of the better school districts in the state with high student achievement and low instances of violence and other problems.

The county is also home to the much-maligned Barber-Scotia College, the Cabarrus College of Health Sciences (a four year college), and a branch of Rowan-Cabarrus Community College. UNC Charlotte, although in Mecklenburg County, is actually located near Harrisburg and is easily accessible to Cabarrus residents via Interstate 85.

Transportation
The nearest airport is the Charlotte/Douglas International Airport. It is the 11th busiest airport in the world, as measured by traffic movements. It is served by many international and domestic airlines, and is the largest hub of US Airways. American Airlines, Air Canada, Continental, Delta, Northwest, United, AirTran Airways, JetBlue and Lufthansa are some of the major carriers that serve the airport. Nonstop flights are available to many destinations across the United States, Europe, the Caribbean, Latin America and Canada.