Charlotte Magazine’s Most Popular Stories of 2021
From neighborhood explorations to restaurant histories
1. Served History: The Story Behind Gus’ Sir Beef
Through more than five decades, the spot has served the famous and humble fried squash and other delectables from fresh its farm
By Kathleen Purvis
Photo by Peter Taylor
2. 25 Unexpected Places and Things to Discover in Charlotte
Welcome to our first-ever Great Fall Scavenger Hunt
By Taylor Bowler, Allison Braden, Greg Lacour, & Andy Smith
Illustration by Natalie Andrewson
3. How a New Medical School Aims to Change Charlotte
For years, Charlotte has been one of the largest American cities that lacked a four-year medical school. The health care professionals who finally made it happen overcame a series of setbacks, false starts, and failures, and they plan to use their clean slate to create a new kind of community asset
By Greg Lacour
COURTESY ATRIUM HEALTH
4. 2021 BOB Awards: The Best of the Best in Charlotte
We’ve named the Best of the Best every year for the past 22, and they’ve always meant something. This year, they mean a little more. Each restaurant, watering hole, beauty salon, recreational hub, and fitness studio—and the others, 396 in all—is a testament to resilience in the face of a public health crisis that tested everyone. So patronize, visit, play. We’ve gotten through it together. We’ll handle the future that way, too.
By CM Staff & Contributors
PHOTO BY LOGAN CYRUS
5. After COVID, What Does the Future Hold for Charlotte Workplaces?
Leaders from Lowe’s, Truist, Red Ventures, and the Charlotte Hornets weigh in
By Ely Portillo
PHOTO BY RUSTY WILLIAMS
6. Inside the Charlotte Airport’s Evolution
Things changed in 2020 at the world’s seventh-busiest airport, but CLT fared far better than others in the year of COVID. Airport leaders explain how they’ve kept the planes aloft when so much else was forced to remain on the ground
By Andy Smith
Photo by Tim Buchman
7. A Look Inside the Past and Future of Eastland
A decade after the mall closed, the city finally lands on a concrete plan for the east side’s anchor
By Greg Lacour
Photo courtesy of Charlotte Observer Archives, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library
8. Kannapolis Resurrected: Inside a Once-‘Dead’ Mill Town’s Boom
It’s come back to life with a revitalization strategy similar to Durham’s. Is it a new antidote to Charlotte’s skyrocketing real estate prices?
By Jen McGivney
PHOTO BY TRAVIS DOVE
9. East Side Story: The Future for Charlotte’s Most Diverse Area
As Charlotte continues to build, community leaders are making sure residents don’t get left behind
By Allison Braden
PHOTO BY LOGAN CYRUS
10. Life Lessons: Allison Latos of WSOC
The WSOC anchor on her hard trek from one episode of loss and grief to another—and the meaning of resilience
By Taylor Bowler
Photo by Rick Hovis
