If you’ve spent much time in Charlotte, you’ve probably heard of NoDa. Short for North Davidson Street, this North Charlotte area is a National Registered Historic District and also one of the more bohemian, flavor-rich areas of town. This now artsy, funky area has a long history, interwoven with the city’s own.

What started out as a textile mill neighborhood in the early 1900s — complete with shotgun houses for the mill workers and their families — flourished for a number of years. This mill village was complete with a “commercial district” that provided amenities for the workers. There were stores, a doctor’s office, fire station and, in the mid ’40s, a movie theater was built.

However, like other cities, this area grew, peaked and eventually fell into a serious state of decay. Leave it to the artists to see what could be.  In 1986, Paul Sires and Ruth Ava Lyons, two young artists, envisioned a new life for the dilapidated and neglected mill village. They were captivated by the area’s character. They bought and renovated the Lowder Building, as well as several other storefronts and mill houses. Not only did they start the Center of the Earth Gallery, they began this revitalization and transformation of an abandoned mill village into a community for the arts. Today, NoDa is this funky, bohemian, eclectic art district in large part thanks to these two amazing artists.

The growth of this area during the last 25 years is bittersweet. On one hand, there is almost always something going on in NoDa, and, on the weekends, it’s teeming with folks. Yet, as the area has evolved, the art market, along with our economy, has changed, too. In June 2010, Center Of The Earth Gallery, a premiere gallery in the southeast, closed its doors after 22 years. But, Lyons continues to promote the work of many of the gallery’s artists through Lyons Art Consulting and the www.centeroftheearth.com website. Each month, there is a featured artist at the Lyons Art Consulting window on NODA at 3206 N. Davidson St.

Other galleries that are still integral to the area and supply needed studio space are Green Rice Gallery, which also hosts poetry readings, and Dialect Design. Down 36th Street is Hart Witzen Gallery, where one can find more avant-garde art here, and the ArtHouse. There are emerging and established artists and even some figure study groups meeting in this area.

NoDa may have its roots in the visual arts, but there is a strong presence of other art forms in this area, too. If you head down North Davidson Street toward uptown Charlotte, you will find the infamous Amelie’s bakery. This establishment has excellent food, a laid-back, artsy atmosphere, free WiFi and is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Amelie’s is in another growing section of NoDa, part of an area that now hosts Carolina Actors Studio Theatre (CAST). The troupe recently debuted its new home in the NoDa building of suites shared with Amelie’s and other businesses. Funded in part by Knight Foundation, the move allowed the troupe to say goodbye to the leaky roof, limited parking and limited signage at its former space on Clement Avenue.

Although there are many, many things going on in NoDa on any given weekend, if comedy is what you are in need of, check out the group called The Chuckleheads. Its latest show, a mix of improvisational comedy with some musical improvisational theater, plays this Saturday, May 14, 2010 at the NODA Art Center at 2424 North Davidson St., Suite 110. (Look for the “LifeSpan” sign on the door. It is located in the same building of suites as Amelie’s French 24-hour Bakery.)

The show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10 when reserved at www.planetimprov.com, $15 when purchased the night of the show at the venue.