Cleveland County is only 35 minutes from the Charlotte Douglas International Airport and its 700 daily flights to 170-plus destinations, including the U.S., Mexico, Canada and Europe. In addition to commercial service, the nation’s seventh-busiest airport plays a key role in regional companies’ operations. More than 150,000 tons of cargo are shipped out of Charlotte Douglas each year. Thanks to a $2.5 billion renovation and construction campaign, the airport is expanding it concourses, terminals and a fourth parallel runway over the next 10 years.
Neighboring Greenville Spartanburg International Airport is located about an hour away from most Cleveland County industrial sites. The Shelby-Cleveland County Regional Airport accommodates corporate and general aviation.
Just a few hours away is Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Atlanta has been home to the world’s busiest airport since 1998 for a reason: the city is within a two-hour flight from 80 percent of the U.S. population.
Airports
Cleveland County is conveniently located near four interstates that provide direct access to all points north, south and west. Given the area’s central location midway between New York City and Miami, distributors can reach more than 60 percent of the U.S. market within one day’s drive. There are more than 300 trucking firms in the Charlotte region and multiple trucking companies in Cleveland County.
An extensive rail network is embedded in Cleveland County and the Charlotte area, with 600 trains running through the region weekly. The Norfolk Southern is situated next to Charlotte Douglass International Airport and is one of the primary rail service providers, in addition to CSX.
The Lancaster and Chester Railroad, a locally owned short line located near Cleveland County, and privately-owned Aberdeen Carolina & Western Railway offer reliable connections to CSX and Norfolk Southern.
Railroads
The Port of Charleston, the busiest container port along the Southeast and Gulf Coasts, is easily accessible via ground or rail from Cleveland County. The port ranks fourth nationally in volume and is home to 13 of the top 15 carriers in the U.S. container trade. With robust infrastructure and a 60-minutes-or-less truck turn, cargo makes it way in, out and around the region, including Inland Port Greer with ease and speed.
Ports
Many of Cleveland County sites and locations are already served by the region’s robust, redundant and cost-efficient electric, natural gas, water and wastewater utilities. The City of Shelby and City of Kings Mountain houses all four services – electric, natural gas, water and wastewater – under one convenient roof. Other communities are served by local agencies, as well as Duke Energy, one of the nation’s most reputable utilities service providers.
