North Carolina helps lead the nation in offering business the incentives, labor and friendly environment to be successful. And, at the forefront of this movement is Stanly County. Located just 45 miles northeast of Charlotte, Stanly County is known as the "playground of rapidly urbanizing North Carolina." The area includes the Uwharrie Lakes Region - featuring 10,000 acres of lakes and 175 miles of scenic shoreline and the Uwharrie National Forest which encompasses some 46,000 acres and includes some of the oldest mountains in North America.