North Carolina Carolina at Chapel Hill). More than 200 years later, the University of North Carolina system encompasses 17 public universities including North Carolina State University, North Carolina A&T State University, North Carolina Central University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, East Carolina University, Western Carolina University, Winston-Salem State University, the University of North Carolina at Asheville, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, UNC Wilmington, Elizabeth City State University, Appalachian State University, Fayetteville State University, and UNC School of the Arts, and . Along with
Independence Park (Charlotte, North Carolina) Independence Park (Charlotte, North Carolina) Independence Park is a 24-acre urban park at 300 Hawthorne Lane situated at the western end of the Elizabeth neighborhood in Charlotte, North Carolina. The park was created in 1924 at the urging of Charlotte industrialist Daniel Augustus Tompkins, founder of the "Charlotte Observer", and is the oldest public park in Charlotte. Independence Park is split into two sections by Hawthorne Lane. Both sections lie below street level which gives the park a secluded and tranquil atmosphere, despite the fact that the site commands excellent views of the Charlotte skyline. The lower park contains a