SouthPark is the part of Charlotte most people know for one thing: the mall. But the area around the intersection of Fairview and Sharon roads is also one of the city's largest office districts, a cluster of established neighborhoods and, increasingly, a place where people live in apartments and condos above shops. This guide covers where SouthPark is, how it grew, and what to know about parks, getting around and schools before you move.

Where SouthPark is

SouthPark is centered on the intersection of Fairview Road and Sharon Road, about six miles south of uptown Charlotte. It's inside Charlotte city limits, so residents get city services and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.

The commercial core has its own management organization. SouthPark Community Partners is an independent nonprofit, established in 2022, that manages Municipal Service District 6, about one square mile of the commercial center, under an annual contract with the City of Charlotte, according to the group. Charlotte City Council approved the district on April 11, 2022, making it the city's sixth municipal service district, the Charlotte Business Journal reported. Property owners in the district pay an additional property tax that funds those services.

From a governor's farm to an edge city

Before the mall, this was farm country along Sharon Road. SouthPark Community Partners' history of the area notes that after the Civil War, formerly enslaved tenant farmers built St. Lloyd Presbyterian Church on what is now Colony Road, with support from Sharon Presbyterian Church.

In the 1920s, former North Carolina Gov. Cameron Morrison bought about 3,000 acres here for his Morrocroft dairy farm and estate. Decades later, the Belk and Ivey department store families planned a regional mall on part of that land at Fairview and Sharon. SouthPark Mall opened on Feb. 12, 1970, with Sears, Belk and Ivey's as anchors. Charlotte Magazine reports the mall cost $25 million and opened with 77 stores, and that it was the vision of James J. Harris, Morrison's son-in-law.

Offices followed the shoppers. National Gypsum moved its headquarters to Rexford Road in 1977, Coca-Cola Consolidated moved nearby in 1986 and Nucor arrived in 1991, according to SouthPark Community Partners. Mixed-use projects came next: Phillips Place off Fairview Road, then Piedmont Town Center, Morrison and Apex SouthPark in the 2000s and 2010s.

Some of the farm's history survives. Morrison's manor house still stands on its original site, and nearby neighborhoods such as Barclay Downs, Foxcroft and Morrocroft grew up around the old homestead, Wikipedia's SouthPark article notes. The Morrocroft name comes from Morrison's farm.

Shopping and dining

  • SouthPark Mall is still the center of gravity. Wikipedia puts it at nearly 1.8 million square feet, which makes it the largest mall in Charlotte.
  • The Village at SouthPark, beside the mall's Sharon Road entrance, opened in 2007 with apartments above street-level shops. It was one of the first projects of its kind for mall owner Simon Property Group.
  • Phillips Place, Piedmont Town Center and Morrison add restaurants, shops and homes within a short drive or walk of the mall.

SouthPark's restaurants get plenty of attention. Little Mama's on Sharon Road is back among Charlotte's Michelin Recommended restaurants for 2026. We'll cover more spots in our Food & Dining section.

Parks and the outdoors

Symphony Park. The lawn and pond behind the mall at 4400 Sharon Road has long been SouthPark's outdoor stage. The Charlotte Symphony's Summer Pops series held its 43rd season there in June 2026, which the symphony described as the park's last major event before renovation, in its March 2026 announcement. Now called TowneBank Symphony Park, it's due for a full rebuild. The project's FAQ says construction will begin by early 2027 and the park should reopen by early 2028. The public can't use the park during construction. The schedule has already slipped once: in July 2026, the Charlotte Observer reported that a longer design process and extra soil analysis had pushed the start back. The FAQ lists the funding as $8 million from the City of Charlotte through bonds, $8 million from Simon Property Group (which is also permanently committing the land) and $8 million from a SouthPark Community Partners capital campaign. LandDesign and Neighboring Concepts are the designers. The development plan includes:

  • A 500-foot segment of the SouthPark Loop along Carnegie Boulevard and two wooden boardwalks across the pond.
  • A 1,400-square-foot building with public restrooms and shaded seating.
  • A play area with interactive musical instruments, plus more public art.
  • Permanent indoor and outdoor restaurant space, with Simon leading leasing.

Park Road Park. At 6220 Park Road, this 122-acre Mecklenburg County park sits on SouthPark's western side. Its 11-acre lake is ringed by trails. It also has lighted tennis courts, basketball courts, baseball fields, volleyball courts, playgrounds and picnic shelters (Wikipedia). Mecklenburg County added a lakeside pavilion that can be rented for groups of up to 120.

The Backlot Trail. The first phase of this trail opened in October 2023. It runs 0.3 miles and is 10 feet wide, connecting Park Road Park to Little Sugar Creek Greenway and the Cross Charlotte Trail, Axios Charlotte reported. The roughly $2.5 million segment was paid for with SouthPark neighborhood improvement funds, and later phases toward McMullen Creek Greenway don't have funding yet, according to Partners for Parks.

The SouthPark Loop

The biggest long-term change for walkers and cyclists is the SouthPark Loop, a planned trail of about 3 miles with a 14-foot multi-use path circling the commercial core. The City of Charlotte and Kimley-Horn produced the framework plan in 2019. SouthPark Community Partners lists finished segments on Roxborough Parkway Drive, Carnegie Boulevard and Piedmont Row Drive, along with Loop-branded crosswalks at Sharon and Carnegie, Sharon and Fairview, and Carnegie and Barclay Downs. More pieces are in design. There's no completion date, Axios Charlotte noted in December 2024. Expect it to fill in piece by piece as developments and city projects add segments.

Getting around

SouthPark is mostly car-oriented, and there's no light rail. Fairview, Sharon, Park and Providence roads carry most of the traffic, and the area around the mall gets busy on weekends and during the holidays.

Bus riders have a hub. The SouthPark Community Transit Center, in the mall parking deck between Belk and Dillard's, opened in December 2004 as Charlotte's first community transit center, according to CATS. It has a climate-controlled waiting area and connects Routes 19, 28, 30 and 57. Check current schedules with CATS before relying on a route.

Housing: what to expect

SouthPark has some of Charlotte's most established neighborhoods, with mature trees and single-family homes on curving streets. Closer to the mall, the housing mix shifts to condos, townhomes and apartments, many of them in mixed-use buildings with shops on the ground floor.

Prices change constantly, so we don't quote numbers here. A local agent and current listings are the best sources. When you compare homes, ask about HOA or condo association rules and fees, how close the home is to the busiest roads, and whether nearby parcels are slated for redevelopment.

Schools

SouthPark addresses are served by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, and the area also has private schools. Assignments depend on the home address and can change when CMS redraws boundaries. Our South Charlotte schools guide explains how to look up an address and how magnet lotteries work. For the next cycle, see our story on the CMS School Choice Lottery for 2027-28.

Who tends to like SouthPark

People who are happy here often want:

  • A central location between uptown, Ballantyne and the Park Road corridor.
  • Major shopping, restaurants and offices within minutes.
  • Established neighborhoods with big trees, or a condo where you can walk to dinner.
  • Large parks and greenway connections nearby.

People who want newer, larger homes at a lower price per square foot often look farther south. For that, see our guides to Ballantyne and Steele Creek.

Things to check before you move

  • Confirm school assignments with CMS for the exact address.
  • Read HOA or condo documents and fee schedules.
  • Drive Fairview and Sharon roads at rush hour and on a Saturday afternoon.
  • Check for planned development or road projects near the property.
  • Plan for Symphony Park's closure during construction if you're counting on it for walks or events.

Our SouthPark page collects all of our local coverage, and Moving to South Charlotte compares SouthPark with the rest of the region.

Frequently asked questions

Is SouthPark part of Charlotte?

Yes. SouthPark is an area inside the City of Charlotte, centered on Fairview and Sharon roads about six miles south of uptown. Its commercial core is a city municipal service district managed by SouthPark Community Partners.

When did SouthPark Mall open?

SouthPark Mall opened on Feb. 12, 1970, on land that had been part of former Gov. Cameron Morrison's Morrocroft farm. Its original anchors were Sears, Belk and Ivey's.

Is Symphony Park closing for renovation?

Yes. TowneBank Symphony Park, behind SouthPark Mall at 4400 Sharon Road, is scheduled for a full renovation. The project's site says construction will begin by early 2027, the park will be closed to the public during the work, and it is expected to reopen by early 2028.

What is the SouthPark Loop?

The SouthPark Loop is a planned urban trail of about 3 miles with a 14-foot-wide multi-use path circling SouthPark's commercial core. Several segments are built, and others are in design. No completion date has been set.

What schools serve SouthPark?

SouthPark is in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. Assignments are based on the home address and can change when boundaries are redrawn, so use the CMS address lookup for the exact property.

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