"Every time I think I smell that sweet southern rain, it takes me to a station on the long black train. I wanna hear the wind blow, and feel the earth move below me despite of all the good times, I gotta rest my soul. So I'm gone, yes I'm gone, gone to Carolina, where I know that I belong" - (Shooter Jennings, "Gone to Carolina")
The 20th largest city in North Carolina, Kannapolis is still very much a rural oasis, even though it's less than 30 minutes from Charlotte. The Cannon Mills Corporation -- for which the town was named -- was founded in 1887. Kannapolis citizens were essential to the mill's towel production (brands included Fieldcrest, Royal Velvet and Cannon) until the plant's closing and demolition in the last few years. Even today, the city's origins as a mill town can still be felt, as can the hole that the plant's closing has left, which goes to show Kannapolis holds onto its roots.In its place, though, the North Carolina Research Campus (NCRC), a private-public venture involving many of the state's major universities and private investment, opened on the plant's site, heralding in a new era of research and revitalization for the town.
Whether you plan on working in town or even in nearby Concord or Charlotte, you'll find getting to and around Kannapolis is easy -- Interstate 85 travels through the town
