North Carolina,
one of the original 13 colonies, is a southern state sometimes called
The Old North State because it was once the northern part of the English
territory of Carolana, named after King Charles I in 1629. Its other
nickname, The Tar Heel State, can be traced back to the Civil War. Located
on the Atlantic seaboard midway between Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and
Miami, Florida, it is bordered on the east by the ocean, to the south
by Georgia and South Carolina, on the west by Tennessee, and Virginia
to the north. Its growing population now exceeds 8 million, making North
Carolina the nation’s eleventh most populous state. Because of
its natural beauty stretching from the Appalachian Mountains in the
west to the Outer Banks on the Atlantic, North Carolina attracts visitors
from around the world. The state’s long list of excellent colleges
and universities is headed by the University of North Carolina, NC State,
Duke, and Wake Forest. Some famous North Carolinians are actors Andy
Griffith and Ava Gardner, musicians John Coltrane and Theolonius Monk,
broadcast news personality Edward R. Murrow, writers Thomas Wolfe and
O.Henry, sports figures Michael Jordan and Arnold Palmer.
North Carolina
has three geographic regions. The Coastal Plain, bordered on the east
by the Atlantic, has a popular beach resort coast protected by a chain
of barrier islands known as the Outer Banks. The Piedmont Plateau, extending
westward to the mountains, is a blend of rolling farmland and manufacturing,
and has the state’s six largest cities. The Blue Ridge/ Appalachian
Mountains region is widely acclaimed for its natural beauty and the
location of Mount Mitchell (6,684 feet), the highest peak in Eastern
North America. The state’s major rivers are the Chowan, the Roanoke,
and the Cape Fear. Largest dams are in the west on the Hiwassee, Little
Tennessee, and Nantahala rivers. Largest lake is the Mattamuskeet in
the east. More than half the state is covered by forests. The major
cites are Charlotte (largest), Raleigh (capital), Greensboro, Winston-Salem,
Fayetteville, Wilmington (port), Ashville (leading city in the mountain
area and important tourist center), and Cape Hatteras (national seashore).
Though North Carolina
supplies much of the world’s tobacco and is second to Georgia
in peanut production, its economy is dominated by manufacturing and
processing, notably textiles, tobacco products, furniture, paper, food
products, chemicals, plastics, machinery. Also important to the state’s
economy are research & development, financial services, commercial
fishing, mining, and forestry. The North Carolina area is served by
Douglas International Airport in Charlotte and the Raleigh-Durham International
Airport, by an extensive rail and highway system, by the Port of Wilmington
and the Intercoastal Waterway.
Popular points
of interest are Roanoke Island, site of the first English colony; Kill
Devil Hill dunes in Kitty Hawk, a national monument commemorating the
launch of the first aircraft by the Wright Brothers; Bath, first town
established in North Carolina; Fort Fisher, the “Gibraltar of
the South” and other historic battle sites from the Revolutionary
War and Civil War; Town Creek Indian Mound; beautiful Blue Ridge parkway;
Biltmore Estate in Asheville; Cherokee Indian Reservation; Great Dismal
Swamp; Hanging Rock State Park; Great Smoky Mountains National Park;
Duke Homestead in Durham; homes of Thomas Wolfe and O.Henry; and Chimney
Rock.
Cultural attractions include North Carolina’s Museum of Art, Museum
of History, Museum of National Sciences, Zoo and Aquariums; the North
Carolina Symphony at Chapel Hill; The American Dance Festival at Duke;
and the annual Mountain Dance and Folk Festival. Recreation opportunities
include exciting mountain and ocean resorts, championship golf courses,
mountain and ocean fishing, and waterfall hikes. For professional sports
enthusiasts, the state offers the NBA Charlotte Hornets, the NFL Carolina
Panthers, and auto racing.
Prior to 1500
North Carolina was occupied by the Cherokee, Catawba, Tuscarona, Croatans,
and other Native Americans. In 1524 Giovanni de Varrazano was the first
European to reach the area. Sir Walter Raleigh sent the first of several
expeditions to the region in 1584 to establish the first American colony
on Roanoke Island. Ultimately all colonists mysteriously disappeared
and the settlement became known as The Lost Colony. In the 1600s settlers
from Virginia began to move into North Carolina, which became an English
colony. North Carolina declared independence from Great Britain in 1775.
After the Revolutionary War, on November 21, 1789, it became the 12th
state. Carolina native Andrew Jackson became the nation’s 7th
president in 1828, and 17 years later James Polk became the 11th president.
North Carolina’s Andrew Johnson succeeded Abraham Lincoln as president
in 1865. North Carolina seceded from the Union and joined the Confederacy
in the Civil War, then in 1868 returned to the Union. In 1903 the Wright
Brothers flew the first aircraft at Kitty Hawk.
Other
Resources for North Carolina:
These
United States
- Resources and Related Information for North Carolina.
