What is at the true geographic center of Charlotte?

If you think about it, Charlotte has a lot of centers. The Levine Center for the Arts. The Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts+Culture. The Charlotte Center for Balanced Living (new discovery). The EpiCentre.

But its true geographic center is at 35.208 latitude and -80.831 longitude, according to Jackie Brim, interim survey supervisor for the city of Charlotte.

These numbers meant nothing to me, so obviously I had to go experience this for myself. I followed Brim’s handy-dandy treasure map and ended up in the Cherry neighborhood for the first time.

I climbed out of my car, walked over to the approximate spot and gazed toward skyline.

It probably would have been more of a transcendental experience if I had stretched my arms, raised my chin to the clouds and screamed the city’s name. But there were a lot of construction workers around and I felt compelled to act semi-normal. I already looked out-of-place investigating the scene, which revealed little more than red dirt, orange cones, a Starbucks frappuccino wrapper and broken glass.

I also checked out this foreshadowing of new homes for the neighborhood:

Then I got back in my car.

There were things to do, places to go. Like, say, the center of Mecklenburg County, only about 10 minutes away (driving time) from the center of the city. The coordinates: 35.247 latitude, -80.833 longitude.

Back to the treasure map!

I didn’t have a transcendental experience at the approximate center of the county, either. But again, I gazed toward the skyline.

Took in the barbed wire, the fencing, the American Dry Cleaners building, the R.E. Mason building, the signs against trespassing.

Then I got back in my car. There were things to do, places to go.

This story was originally published November 19, 2015 at 12:13 AM with the headline "What is at the true geographic center of Charlotte?."