Charlotte maintained the status of village until the mid-nineteenth century.  According to the 1850 census, the town’s population barely exceeded one thousand inhabitants, not even eight percent of Mecklenburg County’s population.  Like many colonial towns, urban planners designed Charlotte in a grid pattern, with Trade and Tryon serving as the reference point.  This method of town development contributed to a physical sense of community order.  By the 1820s, many residents used the first floor of their homes as general stores, hat stores, offices, and other businesses.  Hotels, blacksmith shops, tanneries, taverns, the courthouse, and the jail contributed to the make-up of Charlotte as well.