Explore a destination located in North Carolina, United States
North Carolina is one of the original thirteen colonies and the twelfth state to join the United States.[4] It fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War and was where the Battle of Bentonville took place.[3] Currently, the state is the leading producer of tobacco and sweet potatoes in the nation.[5] Millions of tourists visit North Carolina every year, visiting attractions such as the Blue Ridge Mountains, the beaches of the Outer Banks, and the Wright Brothers National Memorial. Beyond these, there are many more nature parks, museums, and historical sites that attract visitors.[12] North Carolina is also known for The Research Triangle, which encompasses dozens of universities, colleges, and prolific businesses, including Duke University, North Carolina Chapel Hill, and North Carolina State University.[10] The best time to visit the state is from spring to fall, though it has a relatively mild climate year-round.[9]
North Carolina State is located in the southeastern region of the United States, abutting the Atlantic Ocean. It's known for its beaches, capes, sounds, and rivers near the Outer Banks, as well as waterfalls, mountains, and military presence.[12] The state's capital city is Raleigh, though Charlotte is its most populated city. Other prominent cities include Ashville, Durham, Chapel Hill, Greensboro, and Kitty Hawk.[11] The best time to visit the state is typically from spring to fall (March to November), though visitors should avoid tornados and Atlantic hurricanes. Overall the weather is known to be relatively temperate, especially near the coast.[9]
Several famous attractions bring millions of tourists to North Carolina each year. The Blue Ridge Parkway, a 469-mile road known as "America's favorite drive," is especially popular amongst bikers and drivers who want to experience unobstructed views of forests and mountains. The Baltimore Estate in Asheville is a famous mansion that boasts nearly 250 rooms on 8,000 acres of manicured grounds. It's known for its art, architecture, and antique collections. The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Aquarium, Zoo, and the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center are popular places to learn and explore nature. Grandfather Mountain has the Mile High Swinging Bridge tourists often hike up to walk across and see the views of the surrounding landscape.[12]
Beyond these, the state has the Cape Hatteras and Cape Lookout National Seashores, the Great Smoky Mountains and National Park, and the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. North Carolina's historic attractions include the Wright Brother National Memorial, the Carl Sandburg Home, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, and the Moores Creek and Guilford Courthouse national military parks.[7]
North Carolina is known as being the birthplace of flight. Orville and Wilbur Wright, more commonly known as "The Wright Brothers," flew the first "self-propelled airplane" off a cliff near Kitty Hawk on December 17th, 1903. The flight only lasted for 12 seconds and covered a mere 120 feet. However, it was the forerunner for all airplane flights and technology to come. The state is also known for its production of sweet potatoes, of which it is the largest producer in the nation. Farmer's harvested nearly 1.3 billion pounds of the vegetable from 64,000 acres of cropland in 2011 alone. Blackbeard, the infamous pirate, was caught and killed by British soldiers off North Carolina's coast in 1718.[1]
The Research Triangle is well known in the business and education fields. Its namesake comes from three "Tier 1 research universities," Duke University (Durham), North Carolina Chapel Hill (Chapel Hill), and North Carolina State University (Raleigh)—all located in close proximity of each other. In total, there are 12 universities and colleges and an additional 8 community colleges in the area that bring in more than 170,000 students each year. Ranked #1 by Forbes as "the Best State to do Business," the region is home to several of the fastest-growing communities and companies in the world.[10]
North Carolina is the 28th largest state in the nation and sits at number nine in regards to population.[6] As of 2021, more than 10,700,000 people live in the state. The demographic is relatively diverse—69% of the population is White; 21% is Black or African American; 3% is Asian; 3% is mixed races; 4% is other races. A large percentage of North Carolina's residents live in the Metrolina (Cities Charlotte, Gastonia, and Salisbury), The Triangle (Cities Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill), and The Triad (Cities Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and High Point) metropolitan areas.[11]
North Carolina State is located in the southeastern region of the U.S.A. Virginia dominates its northern border, Tennessee meets its western side, and Georgia and South Carolina lie to the south. The entirety of the state's eastern edge runs along the shores of the Atlantic ocean.[6] On this coastal edge is a long chain of barrier islands called the Outer Banks. Three famous capes lie there, namely Hatteras, Fear, and Lookout.[7] A series of sounds lie between the Outer Banks and the shoreline, including the Pamlico, the Albemarle, the Currituck, and the Croatan Sound. Several large rivers empty into these sounds, such as the Neuse River, the Pamlico River, the Alligator River, the Pungo River, the Roanoke River, and the Chowan River.[6]
The mainland's geography can be broken up into three distinct sectors. The first of these is the low-lying tidewater country, characterized by the Great Dismal Swamp. The topography here is close to the coast and often swampy. The Piedmont is another of these sections and where the majority of North Carolina's population lives. It primarily consists of rolling hills and countryside with flowing rivers. The Broad River, the Catawba, and the Pee Dee flow through the Piedmont and generate a significant amount of power through hydroelectrical means. The third of these geological sectors is the mountainous region, starting in the Blue Ridge Mountains and reaching the Great Smokys. Mt. Mitchell, whose peak measures 6,684 feet tall, lies in these mountainous regions and is the highest peak in the United States east of the Mississippi River.[7]
North Carolina's climate varies throughout the state, especially when comparing the eastern coastal edge, which has a humid subtropical climate, to the mountainous western side, which has a subtropical highland climate. Summertime (May to September) is typically very humid, with temperatures averaging above 80 degrees Fahrenheit—90 degrees in July. Winters (December to February) are usually short and mild, having an average temperature of 50 degrees Fahrenheit. However, It should be noted that winters can sometimes experience a "cold blast" or a "polar vortex," which significantly lowers the average temperature. Spring (March to April) and fall (October to November) are relatively similar in temperament. Closer to summertime, they reach into the 70s (Fahrenheit), while nearing winter, it drops off to the low 60s. Asheville City, and the rest of the western region, often have temperatures 5 to 15 degrees cooler than these averages.[9]
North Carolina sees an average of 45 inches of rain per year (fifty on its western side). The summer months account for much of this precipitation, as well as tropical cyclones. Most snowstorms are blocked from entering the state's Piedmont region, causing an average of only 5 inches of snow to fall each year. However, this average rises significantly in the mountains, with some areas seeing as much as 15 or 20 inches on average per year.[9]
Due to its location, the state is often subject to Atlantic hurricanes, usually occurring every 3 to 4 years. In the past century, several relatively large hurricanes have struck North Carolina, bringing with them floods and destruction. These include Hurricane Hazel in 1954, Hurricane Hugo 1989, Hurricane Fran in 1996, and Hurricane Floyd in 1999.[2] Tornadoes are also a common occurrence in the state, with an average of 31 occurring every year, most of which happen in the summer season.[9]
The flora in North Carolina is quite varied and includes many types of hardwood trees, such as red spruces and balsam firs. In the more subtropical swampy regions, the carnivorous Venus flytrap and pitcher plant grow. Fauna is quite diverse as well. Common land-dwelling animals in the state consist of rabbits, raccoons, squirrels, opossums, bears, deer, and wildcats. Cardinals, wrens, chickadees, woodpeckers, mockingbirds, and warblers are amongst the bird residents of the area. Freshwater fish species inhabit inland lakes and rivers, including bluegills, bass, crappie, and sunfish. More than half of North Carolina is forested. However, animal and plant life has changed as the trees have been cut for lumber or burned in wildfires due to human habitation. Some efforts have been made to save or preserve the worst of these changes. For instance, reintroduction efforts of the nearly extinct red wolf are in progress and have been since the 1980s.[8]
Evidence shows that millions of years ago, the eastern half of the North Carolina area was underwater. Megalodon sharks inhabited the waters there, while mastodons and woolly mammoths roamed across the land. In more recent times, from about 10,000 to 500 years ago, it is believed that nearly 30 different tribes of Native Americans lived in the area. Among these are the Cherokee, the Croatans, the Tuscarora, and the Catawba.[2]
Roanoke Island, off the coast of North Carolina, is home to one of the U.S.' greatest mysteries. In July of 1587, a relatively small group of colonists from Plymouth, England, came across the Atlantic to settle on the island there. However, the entire colony vanished without a trace. The only clue regarding the circumstances of the disappearance was a word carved into a post—"Croatoan." Though there is no formal translation or definition of the word, it is likely in reference to the Croatan Indian Tribe that inhabited the state. Over the centuries, there has been much speculation about what might have occurred, but no evidence has been found to support any hypothesis and likely never will be.[1]
Colonial activity continued through the 1700s, despite native efforts to stop them. This opposition resulted in the Tuscarora War in 1711. The tribe was defeated, however, by 1713. North Carolina split from South Carolina during this war, eventually becoming an official English Colony in 1729.[4]
At the onset of the Revolutionary war, North Carolina signed and supported the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Several battles, such as the Battle of King's Mountain, Moore's Creek Bridge, and Guilford Courthouse, took place on North Carolina's soil. After the revolutionary war, North Carolina did not ratify the Constitution straight away. It wasn't until after the Bill of Rights was added by the Union that they were willing to join the United States. North Carolina became the United States' twelfth state on November 21st, 1789.[4]
Over the next several decades, North Carolina developed extensive slave plantations. The state became a major producer and exporter of cotton and tobacco through these efforts, although its slave population was relatively small compared to other southern states. At the dawn of the Civil War, North Carolina seceded from the United States and joined the Confederacy. The state sent more troops than any other Confederate State to fight against the Union.[1] The Battle of Bentonville, which occurred March 19th-21st, 1865, was a critical battle won by the Union army. It is known as the Confederacy's only "significant attempt" to defeat General William T. Sherman and was the last mounted, full-scale offensive action the southern states took during the war. Tours of the battleground are available for visitors today.[3]
North Carolina is the nation's leading tobacco producer, growing 40% of the total U.S. tobacco crop. Other farm products, such as pigs, turkeys, broilers (chicken), corn, soybeans, peanuts, eggs, and sweet potatoes, are also prominent crops grown in the state. Textiles manufacturing, cotton, silk, synthetic goods, and knit items are long-time industrial drivers of the state. North Carolina produces mineral resources, including mica, feldspar, lithium, granite, clays, olivine, talc, and phosphate rock. Fisheries of the state's coast yield shrimp, crabs, and menhaden. The city of Charlotte is known as a major banking center in the United States. North Carolina's land supplies significant lumber and furniture industries. The "Research Triangle" is located in the state, bringing in federal jobs and spurring technological manufacturing.[5]
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