About North Carolina

North Carolina is a state located in the Southeastern United States along its Atlantic Seaboard. It was one of the original Thirteen Colonies, originally known as Carolina, and the home of the first English colony in the Americas. On 20 May 1861, it became the last of the Confederate states to secede from the Union.

Due to its wide range of elevation, from sea level on the coast to over 6,500 feet in the mountains, North Carolina has the most variation in climate of all the southeastern states. The climate of the state ranges from a warm, humid subtropical climate near the coast to a humid continental climate in the mountains. Most of the state falls in the humid subtropical zone.

North Carolina was originally inhabited by many different native peoples. North Carolina was the second American territory the British attempted to colonize. Sir Walter Raleigh, for whom the state capital is named, chartered two colonies on the North Carolina (then Virginia) coast in the late 1580s, both ending in failure. The demise of one, the “Lost Colony” of Roanoke Island, remains one of the great mysteries of American history.

Over the past century, North Carolina has grown to become a national leader in agriculture, financial services, and manufacturing. The state’s industrial output—mainly textiles, chemicals, electrical equipment, paper and pulp/paper products—ranked eighth in the nation in the early 1990s. The textile industry, which was once a mainstay of the state’s economy, has been steadily losing jobs to producers in Latin America and Asia for the past 25 years, though the state remains the largest textile employer in the United States. Tourism is also important, with visitors spending more than $1 billion annually. Sports include year-round golfing, skiing at mountain resorts, both fresh- and salt-water fishing, and hunting.

The information and biotechnology industries have been steadily on the rise since the creation of the Research Triangle Park (RTP) in the 1950s. Located between Raleigh and Durham, its proximity to local research universities has no doubt helped to fuel growth. Meanwhile, beginning in the 1980s, Charlotte’s banking industry began a period of rapid growth, creating what is now the second largest banking center in the United States (after New York). Charlotte is home to Wachovia and Bank of America and the metro is home to 5 other Fortune 500 companies.

Only in North Carolina:

On January 15, 1795, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was the first state university in the country to open its doors for students.

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 United States – over 78,000 miles.

Blackbeard, America’s most famous pirate, established a residence and married his 14th wife in Bath, NC, in 1718.