In the 16th-century, Native American traders - from decades of trading goods- succeeded in blazing two trails through the wilderness that would ultimately be known as Mecklenburg County. One traveled east-west and the other north-south.

A settlement called Charlotte would be founded at the intersection of those two trails. Over time, the trails became streets, and the streets were named. The north-south path was called Tryon Street; its east-west counterpart, Trade Street. Residents and businesses expanded to occupy the areas formed by the Tryon and Trade junction. These distinct quadrants were called 'wards.'

Today, those one-time paths are the crossroads of this burgeoning community of Charlotte. And the wards are still there. Starting in the Northeast quadrant of The Square (the intersection of Trade and Tryon) and moving clockwise, they are First Ward, Second Ward, Third Ward and Fourth Ward.

Although the city has grown far beyond anything early settlers could have remotely imagined, many constants remain. Among them is the importance of its unique neighborhoods.