Huntersville, the first Lake Norman town north of Charlotte, was renamed from Craighead to Huntersville in honor of landowner and cotton farmer Robert Boston Hunter. The town incorporated in 1873, and fertile land and a rail line promoted quick growth. Cotton mill Virgin Manufacturing Company and a brickyard that supplied bricks for many homes in older sections of town were thriving businesses.

Even before Huntersville was established as a municipality and named for one of its founding fathers, steam engines carried passengers on rails that still run parallel to N.C. 115. Farmers grew cotton on their large plantations and prominent schools attracted families from near and far. In later years, textile mills brought more jobs and residents to the area.

As the town grew larger, so too did its business community. The Virgin Manufacturing Company, a cotton mill, encouraged the development of Huntersville’s “mill town” on the east side of the railroad tracks.

It is the sense of Huntersville’s past that has brought so many new residents to this town. The allure of the remaining farmland, the simple commute into the city of Charlotte and the proximity to the relatively new Lake Norman are just some of Huntersville’s enticements.

Other notes of Huntersville's rich cultural and historical heritage:

-Battle of Cowan's Ford fought on February 1, 1781 - This was the last battle of the American Revolution to be fought in Mecklenburg County.

-General William Lee Davidson - Revolutionary War officer who was killed at the Battle of Cowan's Ford. He is buried at Hopewell Presbyterian Church.

-Rural Hill Farm settled in 1760 - It is the oldest and largest publicly owned historic site in Mecklenburg County.

-Torrance Store is the oldest store in the state of North Carolina dated 1805.