WAXHAW, N.C. — The Town of Waxhaw is located in Union County, North Carolina. It is less than 25 minutes from Charlotte, North Carolina, and just a few miles from the South Carolina border.
WCNC Charlotte's Larry Sprinkle caught up with Mayor Ron Pappas for some quick history of the town of Waxhaw.
While the town was known for its antique stores in the past, lots of growth has turned this town into a destination point for many travelers as the town has grown in population over the years.
Pappas said with over 21,600 people in the town, people have brought their families and allowed them to grow. He also feels that the community of Waxhaw has become vibrant.
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There are many great landmarks around the city such as the Museum of the Alphabet, Mexico-Cárdenas Museum, JAARS, and Cane Creek Park. The food and nightlife really show the community coming together.
Exploring Waxhaw, NC
"We've become kind of the NoDa of the food industry over here down this end of town,” Pappas said.
One of the keynotes is that Andrew Jackson, the seventh president, was born there. There is a running debate on whether it was North Carolina or South Carolina, but Pappas says they will take it.
The town of Waxhaw also has an overhead bridge that used to allow cars to cross over the railroad tracks.
In the 1940s the bridge was converted to a pedestrian-only bridge. In 2008 the bridge was restored with a partnership between the Town of Waxhaw, CSX Transportation, McBride Building Supplies and Hardware, and other contributors.
"We bought the bridge recently, from CSX, just to make sure we have an established the town of Waxhaw owns this bridge, we're standing right now," Pappas said.
The water tank/tower is one of the most recognizable monuments indicating that you have reached downtown. For years it was the primary water source for the town.
The Belk Building is the oldest Belk structure still around. Like many of the other structures in the area, a lot of the original structure has not been changed.
The mayor said they have taken it upon themselves to develop a new downtown park by next year.
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"We want to move some of our activities off this community corner over here, put some down there," Pappas said.
It's a 10-acre park and will have an amphitheater in it. The hopes are that it will be ready around September of 2023.
Contact Larry Sprinkle at lsprinkle@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.