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North Carolina
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North Carolina Quick
Facts
- Population: 7.1 million (11th
in country)
- Size: 52,669 square miles
(28th in country)
- Nickname: Tar Heel
State -- the origin is clothed in mystery, but it
probably evolved from the fact that during the
Colonial period, the colony’s chief exports were
tar, pitch and turpentine.
- Origin of Name: from
the Latin, ‘Carolus,’ in honor of King Charles I of
England.
- Song: ‘The Old North
State’ by Judge William Gaston
- Rock: Granite
- Vegetable: Sweet Potato
- Bird: Cardinal
- Flower: Dogwood
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Did You Know? |
- The oldest town in the state
is Bath, incorporated in 1705.
- On January 15, 1795, the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was the
first state university to open its doors for
students.
- The first silver mine in the
country was the Silver Hill Mine, which opened in
1833 about 10 miles from Lexington.
- North Carolina was the site of
the first known miniature golf course, located in
Fayetteville.
- The first forestry school in
the U.S. was established in Transylvania County by
Dr. Carl A. Schenk in 1898.
- The first abbey cathedral
created in the Western Hemisphere was Belmont Abbey,
located in Belmont and established by a papal edict
in 1910.
- Babe Ruth hit his first
professional home run in Fayetteville on March 7,
1914.
- The Tar Heel State
has more paved miles of road than any other state in
the U.S. – 78,000 miles.
- The first state-supported
institution to emphasize the performing arts was the
North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem.
- Millions of years ago, the
area was home to 50-foot-long alligators, and huge
megladon sharks roamed the waters.
- The New River, which runs
through Ashe County, is the oldest river in the
country and second oldest in the world.
- You’ll find more
than 120 species of trees in North Carolina -- more
than you’ll find from Scandinavia to the
Mediterranean.
- The state boasts of more than
200 waterfalls, including the highest on the East
Coast: the 411-foot-high, two-tiered Whitewater
Falls in Transylvania County.
- North Carolina has 1,500 lakes
10 acres or more in size and 37,000 miles of fresh
water streams.
- There are more than 1.2
million acres of national forest land in the Tar
Heel State.
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Climate & Geography |
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From Manteo in the east to Murphy in the
west, North Carolina is 560 miles long, making it the
longest state east of the Mississippi. Bordered by the
Atlantic Ocean on the east, Tennessee on the west,
Virginia to the north, and South Carolina and Georgia to
the south, North Carolina is divided into three distinct
geographic areas: the Mountains, in the west; the
Heartland, often called the Piedmont, in the center; and
the Coast, in the east. Each has its own distinct
features. |
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Industry |
The 20th century has seen the
transformation of North Carolina from a predominately
agricultural state to a major industrial center, with
about 25% of the workforce now employed in
manufacturing. Its diverse, vibrant and booming economy
has made it one of the stand-out success stories of the
Sun Belt.
Textiles are the top industry in the state, and its
presence dates back to 1813 when North Carolina’s first
cotton mill was built near Lincolnton. Today, North
Carolina is the top textile manufacturer in the U.S.,
producing cotton and synthetic fabrics, yarns, threads,
knitted goods, apparel and hosiery.
The Tar Heel State also leads the U.S. in the production
of wooden furniture. Some 60% of the furniture
manufactured in the U.S. is made within a 200-mile
radius of Hickory, home of a nationally-known furniture
outlet center and a furniture museum.
Also internationally known as the “Home Furnishings
Capital of the World,” High Point has more than 125
furniture manufacturing factories and is home to North
Carolina’s largest event...the International Home
Furnishings Market, a wholesale buyers market, which
takes place there each April and October.
North Carolina’s biggest city, Charlotte, is the second
largest banking center in the U.S. Two of the country’s
biggest banks, NationsBank and First Union National
Bank, are headquartered there. The 60-story NationsBank
Corporate Center is one of the largest buildings in the
Southeast. Charlotte is also home to a branch of the
Federal Reserve, which offers group tours.
High tech industries are primarily located in Research
Triangle Park, an important scientific think tank
located between Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill. Using
the resources and people available at North Carolina
State University, Duke University and the University of
North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill, the park has become
an international center for research, development and
cutting edge technology.
Duke University and UNC Chapel Hill are also major
national centers for medical research and the latest in
medical treatments. Because of its location along the
East Coast and excellent highway system, North Carolina
is also an important distribution center. |
Agriculture |
(2001) Tobacco is North
Carolina’s major crop, and the state’s farmers raise
nearly 40% of the tobacco grown in the U.S., making
North Carolina the country’s top producer. The state is
also the nation’s leader in the production of cigarettes
and other tobacco products; more than half the nation’s
cigarettes are made here.
Growing grapes for the production of wine is becoming
increasingly important. Conditions make it possible to
grow a variety of grapes here, including the native
scuppernong, also known as the ‘big white grape.’ In
1997, there were 11 wineries in the state, including the
one at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, the most
visited winery in the U.S., as well as several smaller
ones also open for public tours, such as the Westbend
Winery in Lewisville and the Duplin Wine Cellars in Rose
Hill.
The state is also among the country’s top producers of
peanuts, pork and turkey. |
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Quick Facts, Climate & Geography, and
Industry & Agriculture courtesy of
www.visitnc.com -- Photos courtesy of NC Department
of Tourism. |
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More Area Information
Chapel Hill Area Information
North Carolina Quick Facts
Read About Our Top Ten Native Plants for the
Southeast
Our Trees
North Carolina Wildflowers |
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