Unhurried charm, tranquillity and elegance are the bywords in Charlotte, the number one trading centre in south-eastern United States.

The region has produced such famous Charlotteans as award-winning journalist Charles Kuralt, evangelist Billy Graham and athlete Jim Beatty, the first person to break the four-minute mile indoors.

Scottish and Irish immigrants settled in the area in 1740 and the city itself was incorporated and named after Queen Charlotte, wife of Britain's King George III.

Charlotte has a population of 465,000 people and is the largest city between Atlanta and Washington.

A visitor's first taste of the city predictably starts at the Charlotte/Douglas International Airport, which was opened in 1982 and handles about 500 daily flights and nearly 8.5 million passengers a year.

However once outside the bustle of arriving and departing planes and passengers, a calmness pervades the air.

This is due mainly to an impressive swathe of trees and verdant lawns that ring the outskirts of uptown Charlotte.

Perhaps the most striking feature of the uptown core is that there is a bank on practically every corner.

Further probing reveals that Charlotte is the second largest financial centre in the United States, behind New York and boasts $176 billion in banking resources.

Unsurprisingly, two of the United States' top ten banks -- NationsBank and First Union -- have their corporate headquarters there.

A scant 30 years ago, the city centre was a pasture -- a bovine haven in fact -- but today that same land has been transformed, with skyscrapers dotting the heavens.

Fortunately, developers have managed to keep a green touch in the areas that encircle the uptown hub.

There are rows of trees interspersed among the exclusive homes some with single but many others with two-car garages.

Apart from the friendly winters -- below freezing and sub-zero temperatures have only occurred on five occasions since 1878; there are also and favourable summers.

Temperatures in the summer average 76 degrees Fahrenheit.

Weather notwithstanding, Charlotte has much to offer vacation hungry Bermudians desperate to escape "rock fever''.

While shopping may be the draw for many, Charlotte also offers an impressive array of cultural opportunities which include music, theatre, dance and art museums.

Take Discovery Place as an example. It is Charlotte's award winning, hands- on museum of science and technology where visitors can touch the exhibits which range from rain-forests, to displays that feature diagrams of the ear and heart.

Both the men's and women's bathrooms at Discovery Place are equipped with diaper decks so that babies and small children can have their needs attended to with little bother.

If sports tickles your fancy then an in-season trip may get you a ticket at a Charlotte Hornets' basketball game or seats to watch the National Football League's Carolina Panthers.

There is also the lure of NASCAR racing at the Charlotte Motor Speedway and the Charlotte Knights "AAA'' baseball team.

But if it isn't sports or science that interests you and you're in the mood to spend a little cash then there are several malls in the area and outlet stores.

Just a stone's throw from the South Park Suites hotel which is 15 minutes from uptown Charlotte, and 20 minutes from the airport by car, there is a large shopping complex with well-known brands such as Sears and JC Penny.

Bermudians wishing to visit Charlotte can do so via US Air which has a 14-day advance purchase mid week excursion fare to the region for $429.