Matthews, North Carolina, United States

🇺🇸 Matthews is a town in south-eastern Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. It is a suburb of Charlotte.

History In the early 19th century, the new settlement that would become Matthews was unofficially named Stumptown for the copious amount of tree stumps left from making way for cotton farms. The community's name later changed to Fullwood, named after appointed area postmaster John Miles Fullwood. The establishment of a sawmill and the cotton and timber industry helped Fullwood change into a town. Prior to the first train arriving on December 15, 1874, Fullwood acted as a stagecoach stop between Charlotte and Monroe. The town was incorporated into a municipal corporation in 1879, and was renamed Matthews in honor of Edward Matthews, who was director of the Central Carolina Railroad, which would later become known as the Seaboard Air Line Railroad.

According to officials, the Matthews Alive Parade, part of a celebration held for the 31st time in 2023, was the largest Labor Day parade in the Southeastern United States.

Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 17.2 square miles (45 km²), all land.

Matthews is situated approximately 11 miles (18 km) south-east of uptown Charlotte.

Education Matthews is in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools system. Schools in the Matthews city limits include Matthews Elementary, Crown Point Elementary, and Elizabeth Lane Elementary; Crestdale Middle; David W. Butler High School.

Elementary schools serving sections of Matthews include Matthews Elementary, Crown Point, Elizabeth Lane, Mint Hill Elementary in Mint Hill, and Providence Spring (outside of Matthews).

Much of Mathews is zoned to Crestdale Middle School. Portions of Mathews are zoned to Mint Hill Middle in Mint Hill, as well as South Charlotte Middle School. Most of Mathews is zoned to Butler HS, while portions are zoned to Providence High School.

Public charter schools include Matthews Charter Academy, Telra Institute and Socrates Academy. Religious schools nearby include Covenant Day School, Charlotte Christian School, Carmel Christian, Blessed Sacrament Academy, and Greyfriars Classical Academy.

Matthews is served by a branch of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library. The library is located on the first floor of the Matthews Town Hall and is one of the most active in the system.

Economy Companies with headquarters in Matthews include: • Family Dollar Stores, a store chain. • Harris Teeter, a grocery store chain. • Pokertek, a gaming device manufacturer.

Sport Matthews is home to professional soccer club Stumptown Athletic, named after the suburb's nickname. It was founded in 2019 and plays in US Soccer's third division, the National Independent Soccer Association. Its home stadium is the 5,000 capacity Sportsplex at Matthews.