North Carolina

• Population- 8,683,250
• Capital- Raleigh
• Largest cities– Charlotte, Raleigh, Greensboro
• Time zone- Eastern
• Date of Admission to the Union- November 21, 1789
• Slogan- Esse quam videri, or “To be, rather than to seem”
• State website URL- www.nc.gov

One of the most significant moments in history took place on North Carolina’s Outer Banks. The Wright Brothers first made a light airplane fly. Kitty Hawk is widely known as the Birthplace of Flight, but the actual spot in which the pair made flight history was in a small beach area called Kill Devil Hills.

North Carolina is geographically unique from the rest of its Southeastern region by virtue of its steep altitude climb from sea level into mountains. Meteorologists say the difference between coast and mountain is so significant that climates vary as much as much as those between Northeast and Southeast. Just off the coast of Dare County is tiny Roanoke Island. The first English settlers actually landed here and on two occasions made hearty attempts to make a community. The first failed. The second group of settlers was let off the ship and given enough supplies to establish a settlement. But a few years later when an English captain returned to the island, the colonists were gone with very little sign of their departure and no clue as to their whereabouts.

During the Civil War, North Carolina was divided between support for and against the Confederacy. When it came to seceding from the Union, the state held out well beyond all other southern states. Even though there was a large resistance, the state’s troop contribution to the war effort was the largest of all the Confederate states.

Economically no other state has been as impacted by global outsourcing as has North Carolina. The furniture making business has historically been very large, especially in the mountains, around Hickory and Asheville. Workers in these factories and shops have been ousted from jobs in companies that have found cheaper digs in places like China. In the face of these small town obstacles, larger metropolitan cities like Raleigh have thrived. The Research Triangle Park (RTP) area has become home to some of the most technologically innovative industries and companies, including SAS, Red Hat and Cisco, among a boatload of others.