Are you ready to really get to know Charlotte? If you want to learn more about the culture, people, neighborhoods, food, history and challenges of the Queen City, take a look at some of these online news sources. All of these websites publish original content that will introduce you the Charlotte community in a way you might be missing. This is a vibrant time for Charlotte and it’s also an exciting time for Charlotte media, with more online publications entering the scene. We all know about Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Magazine and Creative Loafing, all of which provide excellent news and culture coverage. But here are some that you might not know about yet:
- CharlotteFive: CharlotteFive publishes five original stories about Charlotte every weekday. The topics are wide-ranging, anything from a new art gallery to the story behind the Duke Energy Building’s light displays to opening to profiles of little-known neighborhoods. They also tracked every one of Luke Keuchly’s tackles this season. They also have a podcast, The Good News Is. You can sign up for a daily email that includes links to those stories as well as some bonus content.
- Charlotte Agenda: Like CharlotteFive, Charlotte Agenda also digs deep into a wide range of Charlotte topics. They do especially well writing about Charlotte startups, and have published some thought-provoking perspective pieces. They’ve got a killer Instagram account and also have a jobs board.
- Charlotte Beer: There’s no better way to keep up on Charlotte’s burgeoning brewery scene than by reading Charlotte Beer.
- Charlotte on the Cheap: If you’re reading this you probably know that what we do on Charlotte on the Cheap is write about free and cheap things to do in the Charlotte area. You can subscribe for daily emails that will contain links to all the recent posts.
- My City Magazine: A print and online magazine that spotlights local people, events, food and community issues. It also has an “Ask the Clown” advice column. The cover art is amazing, always worth checking out.
- QC Metro: Focuses on the African American community, but with content that should be of interest to everyone. Profiles, art, culture, health, and more.
- Qnotes: Focus on the people, events and issues of the LGBT community of Charlotte.
- Off the Eaten Path: If you love food, definitely check out this website. It features write-ups on a huge number of Charlotte restaurants, including many that are, as the title suggests, not that well known. I like that the publisher leaves up write-ups of restaurants that are closed, but notes that they are closed, even though it makes me a little bit sad. Other writers weigh on on “Charlotte’s Best Bites” with guest posts.
- Shutter 16: Although this music website covers more than just Charlotte sounds, it’s based on Charlotte so there’s tons of local content. If you want to learn about bands and concerts this is a good place to start. The concert photography is great.
- CLTURE: This website covers music, film, food and art, and, like Shutter 16, its coverage goes beyond the Charlotte area, but it does have a special focus on Charlotte. It’s easy to find the Charlotte and North Carolina content on the site, as the menu system separates them out.
- Macaroni Kid South Charlotte: If you’ve got kids and you live in South Charlotte, or near South Charlotte, this comprehensive family website will be useful to you.
Do you know of another good local source for Charlotte information? Let me know!
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