Charlotte - October 1986

[clarkjam1]

This brings back a number of memories. Some I could not remember because I was only 7 years old. But, after watching and seeing what Charlotte looked like then and now, It seems and shows that life back then was less stressful. I worked in downtown Charlotte in 1998. and it seems every ten years the skyline changes. Great vid! :)

[bearfan83]

Right before game 7 of the Mets/Red Sox world series game. Dont worry Red Sox fans there still time to overcome Buckner's error!

Very enjoyable videos! I'm only 28 so my memories of the 80's are limited to bits and pieces. Enjoyable to see daily life in Charlotte during that time. Thanks for posting!

[bossman55ify]

yep i remember them good old days in the queen city gas was cheap as hell damn wish it would be like that again tho

[seanglane]

My earliest memories in life were riding to church down Independence.. There was a big fabric store and Dine-In movie theatre to the left.. I remember some houses further down, and i think i remember a lamp store as you neared "uptown." Wow. Thanks for posting, it really took me back

[coderising01]

wwwwwoooowwwww. A freakin Fast Fare.

That brings back memories.

[pettyofficer30]

.69 for a gallon of gas!

[ncmattj]

I love that you can see the Wachovia Center, which would be completed in 1988, under very early construction.

[lonestarrooster]

Awesome videos...thanks for sharing! Note the reference to the unforgettable 1986 World Series at the very end of the video (and the Game 7 that should have never happened).

[thetimedshow]

89 cents for gas..these prices are too outrageous for anyone to pay...oh wait it's not 2011.

[discountbacon]

What amazes me the most about your videos is, it's almost like you had some type of precognition that you would have a purpose for them a few decades later.

Let's be honest, 20+ years ago, who would ever film a POV video like this from their vehicles? Not very many, I can imagine. Most people don't think so far off in the future to create this type of time capsule of videos, which you've proven to be very valuable to have later on.

[sweetwater88]

Amazing it's like a totally different city.

[shanewhite1717]

yeah! this is when charlotte looked like greensboro now ! haha

[MrDaSperminator]

What's that song in the very beginning?

[reillync]

@MrDaSperminator The song is We'll Never Have To Say Goodbye Again by England Dan and Jon Ford Coley first released in 1978

[MrDaSperminator]

@reillync cool man thanks

[alyssaswrld28]

Wow, I remember those days...... Wish Charlotte was like that now. Thanks for taking me down memory lane.

[Airman241]

like looking through a time capsule such a different time

[the1difference]

the charlotte sky-line is like 10 times bigger now,i was 2 when this video was shot,and as a youngster,i use 2 visit charlotte all the time 2 see my peps,the city has changed so much,and its my fav city,i love being from nc

[mikeyray68]

its changed ALOT

[varanana3]

omg the pointy building that lights up during panthers games isnt there D:

[demogoblin2]

I've never even been to this city, but it was really cool to see all the cars/people, and listen to what was on the radio and everything.

[Nick311Hexum]

This is Charlotte before the "Mexican Invasion".

[tways040204]

69 cents a gallon...wow. I moved to Charlotte in 1985, newly married and just out of high school and this makes me feel so nostalgic. Haven't been to Charlotte in years but what a great city. Thanks for the memories.

[highzageorgiapine138]

Wow, that a trip to see "The Jukebox" under construction!

[RGAF1987]

What work were you doing that you were driving downtown by Independence Blvd so much? I see that in so many of your videos

[maxti6]

@0:57

The once great Krispy Kreme doughnut shop on 74. This is all wiped out now. It was still very much intact when I came back to

[maxti6]

At the start of this video, I recognize where it was ..the intersection of park Rd. and 51. The 'M' mart is now a Circle K. If you had shot the scene to the left at that time there was a Burger King and a 7-11 down in the hill before they removed it to make way for I-485 and the medical complex that is now CMC. There was literally nothing between the Kroger Sav-On (Now Bi-Lo) and the intersection at Polk Street which may have still run to the side street during this period.

[maxti6]

Love It!

[sdemp321]

now they have a lot of buildings

[indiana4jones]

No chemclouds

Amazing

Could someone give me 20 rounds of ammunition, a sniper rifle and a list of NWO officials to assassinate?

[lknhottie21]

lol the latest from journey. I was 1 year old and im from Denver, NC.. about 20 miles away. wow the john belk freeway looks the same but the skyline is so different!!!

[ncmattj]

I seem to remember that KFC near Carowinds was hit by a tornado around this time, right?

[ncmattj]

WBCY...man, this brings back memories. I think John Boy and Billy would have still be on 107.9 at that point.

[halluhmee]

@ncmattj I'm sure I listened to John Boy and Billy on WRFX in 1989-1990. Remember WROQ?

[ncmattj]

@halluhmee Oh, of course. I dreamed of working in radio while listening to WBCY and WROQ. I later would work as a DJ on WNKS, the much-less-cool ancestor of WROQ.

[hotttarheeldude]

was I-277 still being worked on?

[Simplex1swrhs90]

Yes it was. The John Belk portion of 277 was completed in 2 phases - first in 1982 and second 1988.

[bigfriggennasty]

maaaaan, check out those gaz prices yo, those things are whack yo.

[YungShawtyCLT]

I didn't know that Charlotte had Wiki-Wikis in the '80s.

[king0fdas0uth13]

its funny how back then construction was going on like today....lol

[Pirate113311]

Thats crazy video. I was like 4 years old. Wow amazing how much development has occured in about 20 yrs. Great video

[corkygutta]

wow look at my city when it was young

[jjgreek1]

awesome vid...loved charlotte then..and now...but live in LA

[NCBlueDevil09]

great video thanks for the post, brings back alot of memories,80's were great.charlotte was so small back then..

[viridiandire]

The intersection at the begining looks like it could have been Albemarle and Harrisburg but I'm not quite sure. Anyone know? BTW Great look at the city back in the day man. Love it.

[reillync]

That intersection is at Hwy 51 and Park Road Extension in Pineville.

[msj152003]

GAS WAS CHEAP!!

[WOLFNBEAST]

look at the gs prices at 0:11

[taylorACO]

wow look at the gas prices when it starts playing

[hammerhead0519]

wow. Charlotte back then wasn't even on the map. Now it's the largest city between Jacksonville FL and Philly. 18th largest in the US

[ddingbatt]

Atlanta is still bigger(kinda). It depends on whether you count population as in the city limits or in the Metro area.

[candeh1]

Haha! You passed by the old "Bootery and Bloomery".. They had a peep show around back. Not that I had ever been there, of course... lol

This brings back memories. I'm a native, born at Charlotte Memorial. I still live here. Right off Independence, actually, near Margaret Wallace Rd. Wild, man. Thanks.

[tsavdarwallace]

I remember these days. Independence had homes on it! Wow. Thanks for sharing.

[reillync]

Thanks, I've posted a video response that better shows (uncut) those homes along inbound Independence.

[turncaster]

What kind of camera did you use then?, this really is impeccable quality.

[reillync]

Thanks. That was a Canon 8mm camcorder, model VM-E1, one of the first using the 8mm format. You can find it in the "Canon Camera Museum" on Canon's web site under "anaolog 8mm camcorders". It lasted about 10 years. :=)

[gliderman101]

thats really impressive quality for video that old... looks like it could have been filmed last month... great time capsule!

[anthonym267]

wow, Charlotte's really changed in the last 20 years.

[jwgreek8606]

this is a view of Charlotte when I was only 3 months old. I might move to Charlotte soon and attend school at the carolina school of broadcasting

[mapboy78]

I remember that Krispy Kreme. We would pass by it when me and my parents would go see my sister at Kings College. That was around 1987.

[RobynWatts]

Thanks for this timecapsule. To me, it was interesting seeing what Independence Blvd looked like before the homes and bussiness were torn down to build the Independence Freeway. Also construction on the section of what is now I-277 between Independence and I-77 was getting underway.

[reillync]

Yes, there was a Krispy Kreme doughnuts on the left at Independence and Hawthorne..and the lanes were very narrow on this section... where there was a 7th left turn lane, the other 6 lanes would get even narrower :=)

[iabhornc]

Charlotte also *seemed* a lot quieter at the time.

[iabhornc]

Thanks for posting. I always wondered what Charlotte must've been like in the 80's. It sure was less crowded back then than what it is today. Today it's a crowded battlezone. If you have more of Independence Blvd. just let me know. I am curious of one particular establishment that was there until it was torn down in 2000.

[poweke]

wow...69 cent gas?! I wish I was born then!

[scarfacehel9]

wow great video

[Blueangeljoe]

It's amazing what has changed in Charlotte betwwen the year this was filmed and now!

[kuchipatchirules]

wow. no giant Bank Of America building.

[jamminonthe1s]

I remember when gas prices where under a dollar too. =(

[lancetop]

Hey thanks for posting this! Awesome

[tTank77]

wow things have sure changed

[skynet2029]

Yeah so much so, that it's almost like looking at a completely different city.