Local

SouthPark neighborhood guide: Specialty shops, homes, Symphony Park

By Jeff A. Chamer

Updated July 10, 2025 7:16 PM

Welcome to SouthPark, a neighborhood which evolved from farmlands into ashopping and business hub that is synonymous with the shopping mall of the same name.

Since its opening in the 1970s, the SouthPark Mall has attracted people looking for high-end shopping and restaurants, luxury homes, and a quick commute to uptown Charlotte.

When not shopping at the mall, people can listen to free concerts at Symphony Park’s outdoor stage, grab a drink at Legion Brewing, or decompress at one of the many spas dotting the neighborhood.

Why it’s called

While the neighborhood’s name is derived from the shopping mall, it wasn’t always called SouthPark. According to southparkclt.org, it was once farmland a part the “Sharon” community — which coincidentally wasnamed after nearby Sharon Road. Farms dotted both side of the rode until the early 20th century, the website said.

“Following the end of the Civil War, formerly enslaved people worked as tenant farmers and sharecroppers, and with the support of Sharon Presbyterian Church, they built their own church, St. Lloyd Presbyterian, on what is now Colony Road,” the website said. “It served as a social center, providing spiritual guidance and an opportunity for developing black leadership.”

By the 1960s, the Belk and Ivey families of Charlotte began developing plans for a shopping area at the intersection of Fairview and Sharon roads.

During the next decade, SouthPark Mall would open its doors. Since then, the neighborhood has continued to grow, regularly attracting new businesses and families.

Average priced single-family home

$640,000, according to RedFin.com.

Apartment Rents

$2,050 per month, according to RedFin.com.

Who lives in South Park

SouthPark has a population of 2,151, according to Niche.com. The average household income is $126,083, and the neighborhood is 54% white and 40% Black.

Twelve percent have master’s degrees or higher, compared with 14% nationally. And forty-two percent have bachelor’s degrees, compared to 21% nationally.