Charlotte.

Charlotte, the seat of North Carolina's Mecklenberg County, has been engaged in trade since its founding. It is now the largest city in North Carolina, and is the second largest banking center in the United States, after New York. The city's wealth and financial institutions make it an attractive headquarters for a diverse range of businesses. Charlotte's economy remains robust even in times of national recession. Second only to New York as a financial center, it is home to several major banks, including Bank of America. During the twentieth century, raw and manufactured goods of all kinds passed through Charlotte: textiles, hosiery, dyes, machinery and electrical equipment, furniture, cardboard, flour, fertilizer, and cottonseed oil. At the start of the twenty-first century, diversification continued to contribute to Charlotte's commercial strength.