Belmont, North Carolina

Located in the Piedmont region of the Carolinas, Belmont is only 12 miles from uptown Charlotte, the largest city in the Carolinas. Both Interstate 85 and state highway 74 give direct access to Charlotte to the east and Gastonia (pop. 62,077 as of July 1998) to the west.

Belmont traces its heritage to the early 1870's when the Southern Railway built its first track through the area. A watering stop along the line acquired the name "Garibaldi" after John Garibaldi, who built a water pump tower at the location in 1871. The train stop came to be known as Garibaldi Station, or "Baldy," until 1886 when the name was changed to Belmont upon the recommendation of Bishop Leo Haid of the nearby Benedictine Monastery. In 1895, by act of the General Assembly of North Carolina, Belmont became an incorporated town.