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North Carolina, United States
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North Carolina is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southern region of the United States of America. The capital is Raleigh.
North Carolina 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 one of the last Confederate states to secede from the Union, and was readmitted on 4 July, 1868. It was also the location of the first successful manned powered heavier-than-air flight, by the Wright brothers, at Kill Devil Hills near Kitty Hawk in 1903. Today, it is a fast-growing state with an increasingly diverse economy and population. As of 1 July, 2007, the population estimate is 9,061,032 (a 12% increase since 1 April, 2000).
North Carolina has a wide range of elevations, from sea level on the coast to almost 6,700 feet (2,042 m) in the mountains. The climate in the coastal and Piedmont regions of eastern and central North Carolina is similar to other southern states such as Georgia and South Carolina, while the climate in the western mountains is closer to that found in New England or the upper Midwest. While the coastal plains, especially the tidewater areas, are strongly influenced by the Atlantic Ocean, the western, mountainous part of the state is more than from the coast, resulting in considerably less maritime influence.
North Carolina 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 one of the last Confederate states to secede from the Union, and was readmitted on 4 July, 1868. It was also the location of the first successful manned powered heavier-than-air flight, by the Wright brothers, at Kill Devil Hills near Kitty Hawk in 1903. Today, it is a fast-growing state with an increasingly diverse economy and population. As of 1 July, 2007, the population estimate is 9,061,032 (a 12% increase since 1 April, 2000).
North Carolina has a wide range of elevations, from sea level on the coast to almost 6,700 feet (2,042 m) in the mountains. The climate in the coastal and Piedmont regions of eastern and central North Carolina is similar to other southern states such as Georgia and South Carolina, while the climate in the western mountains is closer to that found in New England or the upper Midwest. While the coastal plains, especially the tidewater areas, are strongly influenced by the Atlantic Ocean, the western, mountainous part of the state is more than from the coast, resulting in considerably less maritime influence. As such, 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.
GeographyNorth Carolina is bordered by South Carolina on the south, Georgia on the southwest, Tennessee on the west, Virginia on the north, and the Atlantic Ocean on the east. The United States Census Bureau classifies North Carolina as a southern state in the subcategory of being one of the South Atlantic States.
North Carolina consists of three main geographic sections: the coastal plain, which occupies the eastern 45% of the state; the Piedmont region, which contains the middle 35%; and the Appalachian Mountains and foothills. The extreme eastern section of the state contains The Outer Banks, a string of sandy, narrow islands which form a barrier between the Atlantic Ocean and inland waterways. The Outer Banks form two sounds - Albemarle Sound in the north and Pamlico Sound in the south. They are the two largest landlocked sounds in the United States. Immediately inland, the coastal plain is relatively flat, with rich soils ideal for growing tobacco, soybeans, melons, and cotton. The coastal plain is North Carolina's most rural section, with few large towns or cities. Agriculture remains an important industry. The major rivers of this section, the Neuse River, Tar River, Pamlico River, and the Cape Fear River, tend to be slow-moving and wide.
The coastal plain transitions to the Piedmont region along the "fall line", a line which marks the elevation at which waterfalls first appear on streams and rivers. The Piedmont region of central North Carolina is the state's most urbanized and densely populated section - all five of the state's largest cities are located in the Piedmont. It consists of gently rolling countryside frequently broken by hills or low mountain ridges. A number of small, isolated, and deeply eroded mountain ranges and peaks are located in the Piedmont, including the Sauratown Mountains, Pilot Mountain, the Uwharrie Mountains, Crowder's Mountain, King's Pinnacle, the Brushy Mountains, and the South Mountains. The Piedmont ranges from about 300–400 feet (90–120 m) elevation in the east to over 1,000 feet (300 m) in the west. Due to the rapid population growth of the Piedmont, many of the farms and much of the rural countryside in this region is being replaced by suburbanization - shopping centers, housing developments, and large corporate office parks. Agriculture is steadily declining in importance in this region. The major rivers of the Piedmont, such as the Yadkin and Catawba, tend to be fast-flowing, shallow, and narrow.
The western section of the state is part of the Appalachian Mountain range. Among the subranges of the Appalachians located in the state are the Great Smoky Mountains, Blue Ridge Mountains, Great Balsam Mountains, Pisgah Mountains, and the Black Mountains. The Black Mountains are the highest in the Eastern United States, and culminate in Mount Mitchell at 6,684 feet (2,037 m). It is the highest point east of the Mississippi River. Although agriculture remains important, tourism has become the dominant industry in the mountains. One agricultural pursuit which has prospered and grown in recent decades is the growing and selling of Christmas Trees. Due to the higher altitude in the mountains, the climate often differs starkly from the rest of the state. Winters in western North Carolina typically feature significant snowfall and subfreezing temperatures more akin to a midwestern state than a southern one.
North Carolina has 17 major river basins. Five of the state's river basins - the Hiwassee, Little Tennessee, French Broad, Watauga and New - are part of the Mississippi River Basin, which drains to the Gulf of Mexico. All the others flow to the Atlantic Ocean. Of the 17 basins, 11 originate within the state of North Carolina, but only four are contained entirely within the state's borders - the Cape Fear, Neuse, White Oak and Tar-Pamlico.
ClimateThe geographical divisions of North Carolina are useful when discussing the climate of the state.
The coastal plain is influenced by the Atlantic Ocean which keeps temperatures mild in winter and moderate in the summer. Daytime high temperatures on the coast average less than 89 °F (31.6 °C) during the summer. In the winter, the coast has the mildest temperatures in the state, with daytime temperatures rarely dropping below 40 °F (4.4 °C); the average daytime winter temperature in the coastal plain is usually in the mid-60's. Temperatures in the coastal plain rarely drop below freezing even at night. The coastal plain usually receives only one inch (2.5 cm) of snow and/or ice annually, and in some years there may be no snow or ice at all.
The Atlantic Ocean has less influence on the Piedmont region, and as a result the Piedmont has hotter summers and colder winters than the coast. Daytime highs in the Piedmont usually average over 90 °F (32.2 °C) in the summer. While it is not common for temperatures to reach over 100 °F (37.8 °C) in North Carolina, when it happens, the highest temperatures are to be found in the lower areas of the Piedmont, especially around the city of Fayetteville. Additionally, the weaker influence of the Atlantic Ocean means that temperatures in the Piedmont often fluctuate more widely than the coast.
In the winter, the Piedmont is much less mild than the coast, with daytime temperatures that are usually in the mid 50's, and temperatures often drop below freezing at night. The region averages from 3-5 inches of snowfall annually in the Charlotte area to 6-8 inches in the Raleigh-Durham area. The Piedmont is especially notorious for sleet and freezing rain. It can be heavy enough in some storms to snarl traffic and collapse trees and power lines. Annual precipitation and humidity is lower in the Piedmont than either the mountains or the coast, but even at its lowest, the precipitation is a generous 40 in (102 cm) per year.
The Appalachian Mountains are the coolest area of the state, with daytime temperatures averaging in the low 40's and upper 30's for highs in the winter and often falling into the teens (−9 °C) or lower in winter nights. Relatively cool summers have temperatures rarely rising above 80 °F (26.7 °C). Snowfall in the mountains is usually 14–20 in (36–51 cm) per year, but it is often greater in the higher elevations. For example, during the Blizzard of 1993 more than of snow fell on Mount Mitchell.
Severe weather is not a rare event in North Carolina. On average, the state receives a direct hit from a hurricane once a decade. Tropical storms arrive every 3 or 4 years. In some years several hurricanes or tropical storms can directly hit the state or brush across the coastal areas. Only Florida and Louisiana are hit by hurricanes more often. On average, North Carolina has 50 days of thunderstorm activity per year, with some storms becoming severe enough to produce hail and damaging winds. Although many people believe that hurricanes only menace coastal areas, the rare hurricane which moves inland quickly enough can cause severe damage. In 1989 Hurricane Hugo caused heavy damage in Charlotte and even as far inland as the Blue Ridge Mountains in the northwestern part of the state. North Carolina averages less than 20 tornadoes per year. Many of these are produced by hurricanes or tropical storms along the coastal plain. Tornadoes from thunderstorms are a risk, especially in the Piedmont region of central North Carolina.
HistoryNative Americans, The Lost Colony and Permanent SettlementNorth Carolina was originally inhabited by many different native peoples, including the Cherokee, Tuscarora, Cheraw, Pamlico, Meherrin, Coree, Machapunga, Cape Fear Indians, Waxhaw, Saponi, Tutelo, Waccamaw, Coharie, and Catawba. In 1584, Elizabeth I, granted a charter to Sir Walter Raleigh, for whom the state capital is named, for land in present-day North Carolina (then Virginia). Raleigh established two colonies on the coast in the late 1580s, both ending in failure. It was the second American territory the British attempted to colonize. The demise of one, the "Lost Colony" of Roanoke Island, remains one of the great mysteries of American history. Virginia Dare, the first English child to be born in North America, was born in North Carolina. Dare County is named for her.
As early as 1650, colonists from the Virginia colony moved into the area of Albemarle Sound. By 1663, Charles II granted a charter to establish a new colony on the North American continent which generally established its borders. He named it Carolina in honor of his father Charles I. By 1665, a second charter was issued to attempt to resolve territorial questions. In 1710, due to disputes over governance, the Carolina colony began to split into North Carolina and South Carolina. The latter became a crown colony in 1729.
Colonial Period and Revolutionary WarThe first permanent European settlers of North Carolina were British colonists who migrated south from Virginia, following a rapid growth of the colony and the subsequent shortage of available farmland. Nathaniel Batts was documented as one of the first of these Virginian migrants. He settled south of the Chowan River and east of the Great Dismal Swamp in 1655. By 1663, this northeastern area of the Province of Carolina, known as the Albemarle Settlements, was undergoing full-scale British settlement. During the same period, the English monarch Charles II gave the province to the Lords Proprietors, a group of noblemen who had helped restore Charles to the throne in 1660. The new province of "Carolina" was named in honor and memory of King Charles I (Latin: Carolus). In 1712, North Carolina became a separate colony. With the exception of the Earl Granville holdings, it became a royal colony seventeen years later.
Differences in the settlement patterns of eastern and western North Carolina, or the Low country and uplands, affected the political, economic, and social life of the state from the eighteenth until the twentieth century. The Tidewater in eastern North Carolina was settled chiefly by immigrants from England and Highland Scotland. The upcountry of western North Carolina was settled chiefly by Scots-Irish and German Protestants, the so-called "cohee". Arriving during the mid-to-late 18th century, the Scots-Irish were the largest immigrant group from the British Isles before the Revolution. During the Revolutionary War, the English and Highland Scots of eastern North Carolina tended to remain loyal to the British Crown, because of longstanding business and personal connections with Great Britain. The Scots-Irish and German settlers of western North Carolina tended to favor American independence from Britain.
Most of the English colonists arrived as indentured servants, hiring themselves out as laborers for a fixed period to pay for their passage. In the early years the line between indentured servants and African slaves or laborers was fluid. Some Africans were allowed to earn their freedom before slavery became a lifelong status. Most of the free colored families formed in North Carolina before the Revolution were descended from relationships or marriages between free white women and enslaved African or African-American men. As the flow of indentured laborers to the colony decreased with improving economic conditions in Great Britain, more slaves were imported. The economy's growth and prosperity was based on slave labor, devoted first to the production of tobacco.
On April 12 1776, the colony became the first to instruct its delegates to the Continental Congress to vote for independence from the British crown, through the Halifax Resolves passed by the North Carolina Provincial Congress. The dates of both of these independence-related events are memorialized on the state flag and state seal. Throughout the Revolutionary War, fierce guerilla warfare erupted between bands of pro-independence and pro-British colonists. In some cases the war was also an excuse to settle private grudges and rivalries. A major American victory in the war took place at King's Pinnacle along the North Carolina-South Carolina border. On October 7, 1780 a force of 1000 mountain men from western North Carolina (including what is today the State of Tennessee) overwhelmed a force of some 1000 British troops led by Major Patrick Ferguson. Most of the British soldiers in this battle were Carolinians who had remained loyal to the British Crown (they were called "Tories"). The American victory at Kings Mountain gave the advantage to colonists who favored American independence. It prevented the British Army from recruiting new soldiers from the Tories.
The road to Yorktown and America's independence from Great Britain led through North Carolina. As the British Army moved north from victories in Charleston and Camden, South Carolina, the Southern Division of the Continental Army and local militia prepared to meet them. Following General Daniel Morgan's victory over the British Cavalry Commander Banastre Tarleton at the Battle of Cowpens on January 17, 1781, southern commander Nathanael Greene led British Lord Charles Cornwallis across the heartland of North Carolina, and away from Cornwallis's base of supply in Charleston, North Carolina. This campaign is known as "The Race to the Dan" or "The Race for the River."
Generals Greene and Cornwallis finally met at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse in present-day Greensboro on March 15, 1781. Although the British troops held the field at the end of the battle, their casualties at the hands of the numerically superior American Army were crippling. Following this "Pyhrric victory", Cornwallis chose to move to the Virginia coastline to get reinforcements, and to allow the British Navy to protect his battered army. This decision would result in Cornwallis's eventual defeat at Yorktown, Virginia later in 1781. The Patriots' victory there guaranteed American independence.
Antebellum PeriodOn November 21, 1789, North Carolina became the twelfth state to ratify the Constitution. In 1840, it completed the state capitol building in Raleigh, still standing today. Unlike many other Southern states, North Carolina never developed a dominant slaveholding aristocracy, and middle-class yeomen tended to control the state government. Most of North Carolina's slaveowners and large plantations were located in the eastern Tidewater. Western North Carolinians tended to be non-slaveowning subsistence farmers. In mid-century, the state's rural and commercial areas were connected by the construction of a 129–mile (208 km) wooden plank road, known as a "farmer' railroad," from Fayetteville in the east to Bethania (northwest of Winston-Salem).
On October 25, 1836 construction began on the Wilmington and Raleigh Railroad to connect the port city of Wilmington with the state capital of Raleigh. In 1849 the North Carolina Railroad was created by act of the legislature to extend that railroad west to Greensboro, High Point, and Charlotte. During the Civil War the Wilmington-to-Raleigh stretch of the railroad would be vital to the Confederate war effort; supplies shipped into Wilmington would be moved by rail through Raleigh to the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia.
During the antebellum period North Carolina was an overwhelmingly rural state, even by Southern standards. In 1860 only one North Carolina town, the port city of Wilmington, had a population of more than 10,000. Raleigh, the state capital, had barely more than 5,000 residents.
While slaveholding was less concentrated than in some Southern states, according to the 1860 census, 33% of the population of 992,622 were enslaved African Americans. They lived and worked chiefly on plantations in the eastern Tidewater. In addition, 30,463 free blacks lived in the state. They were also concentrated in the eastern coastal plain, especially around ports such as Wilmington and New Bern. Free African Americans had been allowed to vote until 1835.
Civil WarIn 1860, North Carolina was a slave state with about one-third slaves, a smaller proportion than many Southern states. It refused to join the Confederacy until President Abraham Lincoln called on it to invade its sister-state, South Carolina. The state was the site of few battles, but it provided at least 125,000 troops to the Confederacy - far more than any other state. Approximately 40,000 of those troops never returned home, dying of disease, battlefield wounds, and privation. Elected in 1862, Governor Zebulon Baird Vance tried to maintain state autonomy against Confederate President Jefferson Davis in Richmond.
Even after secession, some North Carolinians refused to support the Confederacy. This was particularly true of non-slave-owning farmers in the state's mountains and western Piedmont region. Some of these farmers remained neutral during the war, while some covertly supported the Union cause during the conflict. Even so, Confederate troops from all parts of North Carolina served in virtually all the major battles of the Army of Northern Virginia, the Confederacy's most famous army. The largest battle fought in North Carolina was at Bentonville, which was a futile attempt by Confederate General Joseph Johnston to slow Union General William Tecumseh Sherman's advance through the Carolinas in the spring of 1865. In April 1865 Johnston surrendered to Sherman at Bennett Place, in what is today Durham, North Carolina. This was the last major Confederate Army to surrender. North Carolina's port city of Wilmington was the last Confederate port to fall to the Union. It fell in the spring of 1865 after the nearby Second Battle of Fort Fisher.
The first Confederate soldier to be killed in the Civil War was Private Henry Wyatt, a North Carolinian. He was killed in the Battle of Big Bethel in June 1861. At the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863, the 26th North Carolina Regiment participated in Pickett/Pettigrew's Charge and advanced the farthest into the Northern lines of any Confederate regiment. At Appomattox Court House in Virginia in April 1865, the 75th North Carolina Regiment, a cavalry unit, fired the last shots of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the Civil War. For many years, North Carolinians proudly boasted that they had been "First at Bethel, Farthest at Gettysburg, and Last at Appomattox."
Ancestry GroupThe largest ancestry groups in North Carolina are:
Most populated counties
African AmericansAfrican Americans make up a quarter of North Carolina's population. The number of middle-class blacks has increased since the 1970s. African Americans are concentrated in the state's eastern Coastal Plain and in parts of the Piedmont Plateau, where they had historically worked and where new job opportunities are. African American communities number by the hundreds in rural counties in the south-central and northeast, and in predominantly black neighborhoods in the cities: Charlotte, Raleigh, Durham, Greensboro, Fayetteville, Wilmington and Winston-Salem.
Until the mid 1860s, North Carolina had more small farms and fewer plantations than adjacent South Carolina and Virginia. These "yeoman" farmers were non-slave-holding (or owning few slaves), private land owners of tracts of approximately 500 acres (2 km²) or less. Relatively few blacks live in the state's mountains and rural areas of the western Piedmont. In some mountain counties, the black population has historically numbered in the few dozens at most.
North Carolina was the site of the famous Greensboro sit-ins of 1960, important events in the moral education of America in Civil Rights Movement.
European Americans
North Carolinians of Scots-Irish, Scottish and English ancestry are spread across the state. In the Winston-Salem area, there is a substantial population of German ancestry from the migration of members of the Moravian Church during the mid-18th century. The coastal region attracted a history of European immigration, like Swiss-Germans who settled New Bern and Welsh who settled east of present Fayetteville in the 18th century. A small group of Ukrainians settled in Pender County during the early 20th century.
Native AmericansEstimated population figures for Native American in North Carolina as of 2004 is 110,198. Only five states (California, Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas) have a larger Native American population than North Carolina. The total Native American and Alaska Native population in the United States is 2,824,751, or 0.95% of the total.
To date, North Carolina recognizes eight Native American tribal nations within its state borders:
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians were federally recognized in 1868 and received state recognition in 1889. The Eastern Cherokee live in eastern Swain County, as well as Graham and Jackson counties, and have roughly 13,400 enrolled members, most of whom live on a reservation properly called the Qualla Boundary. The Reservation is slightly more than 56,000 acres (230 km²), and is held in trust by the federal government specifically for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. The Haliwa-Saponi Tribe of Native Americans received state recognition in 1965. The tribe comprises a little more than 3,800 enrolled members who reside in northeastern North Carolina's Halifax and Warren counties. The almost 2,000 members of the Waccamaw Siouan Indian Tribe are located in the mid-atlantic North Carolina counties of Bladen, and Columbus and received state recognition in 1971.The Coharie Tribe of Native Americans are located in Sampson and Harnett counties, and have a population of 1,781 enrolled members. The Coharie received state recognition in 1911. North Carolina rescinded recognition in 1913 but reinstated it in 1971.The Sappony received state recognition in 1911 and have 850 enrolled members.The Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation have a population of 800 members who reside in Orange and Alamance counties and received state recognition in 2002.The Meherrin are an Iroquoian-descent Native American tribe located primarily in rural northeastern Hertford, Bertie, and Gates counties, with a population of 557 enrolled members.Not officially a Native American tribe according to the federal government, the Lumbee tribe would have the largest number of descendants in the state, mainly concentrated in the Southeastern portions of the state in Robeson, Scotland, Cumberland and nearby counties.
Hispanics/Latinos Since 1990 the state has seen a boom in the number of Hispanics/Latinos. Once chiefly employed as migrant labor, the increase in Hispanics since 1990 can be attributed in part to the ease of access to low skilled jobs that are the first step on the economic ladder. As a result growing numbers of Hispanics are settling in the state, mainly from Mexico, Central America, and the Dominican Republic. Hispanic neighborhoods are found in the cities and there are sizable populations of Cuban Americans and Puerto Ricans in North Carolina. In 2005, the Pew Hispanic Center estimated that 300,000 — roughly 65 percent of North Carolina’s Latino population — are illegal immigrants, based on the Census Bureau’s population estimates. The population has grown from 77,726 in 1990 to 517,617 in 2005, an average increase of 13.5% per year.
Asian AmericansThe state has one of the most rapid growing Asian American, specifically Indian and Vietnamese, populations in the country; the populations nearly quintupled and tripled, respectively, between 1990 and 2002. The earliest record of Asian immigration in North Carolina goes back to the mid 1800s when the first Chinese Americans were hired as agricultural workers. The famous Chinese-Malay American Siamese twins - Eng and Chang Bunker - settled in Wilkesboro, North Carolina in 1839. Japanese Americans, Filipino Americans, and Koreans arrived in the early and mid 20th century. Recent estimates suggest that the state's Asian American population has increased significantly since 2000. The Hmong population in North Carolina has grown by 12,000 since the 1980s.
ReligionNorth Carolina, like other Southern states, has traditionally been overwhelmingly Protestant, with the largest Protestant denomination being the Southern Baptists. However, the rapid influx of northerners and immigrants from Latin America is steadily increasing the number of Roman Catholics and Jews in the state, and the numerical dominance of the Baptist Church is beginning to decline. This is especially evident in the urban areas of the state, where the population is more culturally diverse and the bulk of the growth has occurred. However, in many rural counties the Southern Baptists remain the dominant Christian church. The second-largest Protestant church in North Carolina are the Methodists, who are strong in the northern Piedmont, and especially in populous Guilford County. There are also substantial numbers of Quakers in Guilford County, and northeastern North Carolina. The Presbyterians have historically had a strong presence in Charlotte, the state's largest city, and in Scotland County. The current religious affiliations of the people of North Carolina are shown below:
Christian – 88%Protestant – 77%Baptist – 40%Methodist – 10%Presbyterian – 3%Episcopal – 3%Roman Catholic – 10%Other Christian – 1% such as Mormon or Eastern Orthodox.Non-Religious – 11% (unaffiliated, atheists, agnostics, and others)Other Religions – 1% (Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism)Politics and governmentThe governor, lieutenant governor, and eight elected executive department heads form the Council of State. Ten other executive department heads appointed by the governor form the North Carolina Cabinet. The state's current governor is Democrat Mike Easley. The North Carolina General Assembly, or Legislature, consists of two houses: a 50-member Senate and a 120-member House of Representatives. For the 2007–2008 session, the current President Pro Tempore of the Senate is Democrat Marc Basnight (the Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina is the President of the Senate); The House Speaker is Democrat Joe Hackney.
The Supreme Court of North Carolina is the state's highest appellate court; it numbers seven justices. The North Carolina Court of Appeals is the only intermediate appellate court in the state; it consists of fifteen judges who rule in rotating panels of three. Together, the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals constitute the appellate division of the court system. The trial division includes the Superior Court and the District Court. All felony criminal cases, civil cases involving more than $10,000 and misdemeanor and infraction appeals from District Court are tried in Superior Court. A jury of 12 hears the criminal cases. Civil cases - such as divorce, custody, child support, and cases involving less than $10,000 - are heard in District Court, along with criminal cases involving misdemeanors and lesser infractions. The trial of a criminal case in District Court is always without a jury. The District Court also hears juvenile cases involving children under the age of 16 who are delinquent and children under the age of 18 who are undisciplined, dependent, neglected, or abused. Magistrates accept guilty pleas for minor misdemeanors, accept guilty pleas for traffic violations, and accept waivers of trial for worthless-check cases among other things. In civil cases, the magistrate is authorized to try small claims involving up to $4,000 including landlord eviction cases. Magistrates also perform civil marriages.
State constitutionThe state constitution governs the structure and function of the North Carolina government. It is the highest legal document for the state and subjugates North Carolina law. Like all state constitutions in the United States, this constitution is subject to federal judicial review. Any provision of the state constitution can be nullified if it conflicts with federal law and the United States Constitution.
North Carolina has had three constitutions:
1776: Ratified December 18, 1776, as the first constitution of the independent state. The Declaration of Rights was ratified the preceding day.1868: Framed in accordance with the Reconstruction Acts after North Carolina was readmitted into the Union. It was a major reorganization and modification of the original into fourteen articles. It also introduced townships which each county was required to create, the only southern state to do so.1971: Minor consolidation of the 1868 constitution and subsequent amendments.
Federal apportionmentsNorth Carolina currently has 13 congressional districts, which, when combined with its two U.S. Senate seats, gives the state 15 electoral votes. In the 109th Congress, the state was represented by six Democratic and seven Republican members of congress, plus two Republican Senators. The Democrats picked up one seat (District 11) in the 2006 election for the 110th Congress.
PoliticsNorth Carolina is politically dominated by the Democratic and Republican political parties. Third parties have had difficulty making inroads in state politics, including the Green Party and Libertarian Party. They have both run candidates for office with neither party successfully electing a candidate to a state office. The Libertarian party is currently engaged in a lawsuit with the state over ballot access. Historically, North Carolina has been politically divided between the eastern and western parts of the state. Before the Civil War, the eastern half of North Carolina supported the Democratic Party, primarily because the region contained most of the state's slave owners and large cash crops. The western half of the state tended to support the Whig party, which was generally seen as being more moderate on the issue of slavery and was more supportive of business interests. Following the Civil War, the Republicans, backed by the victorious U.S. Army, controlled the state government. When federal troops were removed in the 1870s, the Democratic Party quickly gained control of the state government.
In 1894, the Republican and Populist parties formed an alliance, called an electoral fusion, which resulted in control of the state legislature and governorship. However, in 1898 the state's Democratic Party, in a blatantly racist campaign, regained control of the state government. Using the slogan, "White Supremacy", and backed by influential newspapers such as the Raleigh News and Observer under publisher Josephus Daniels, the Democrats ousted the Populist-Republican majority. With some notable exceptions, North Carolina then became a part of the "Solid Democratic South". However, some counties in the western Piedmont and Appalachian Mountains continued to vote Republican, continuing a tradition that dated from their opposition to secession before the Civil War. In 1952, aided by the presidential candidacy of popular war hero Dwight Eisenhower, the Republicans were successful in electing a U.S. Congressman, Charles R. Jonas. Republicans slowly made gains in the 1960s, and in 1972, aided by the landslide re-election of Richard Nixon, the Republicans elected their first governor and U.S. Senator of the twentieth century.
The Senator, Jesse Helms, played a major role in reviving the Republicans and turning North Carolina into a two-party state. Under his banner, many conservative Democrats in the central and eastern parts of North Carolina left the Democrats and began to vote increasingly Republican, at least at the national level. In part, this was due to dissatisfaction with the national Democratic Party's stance on the issues of civil rights and racial integration, and later to the leftward tilt on social issues such as prayer in school, gun rights, abortion rights, and gay rights. From 1968–2004 (excepting Jimmy Carter's election in 1976), North Carolina has voted Republican in every presidential election. At the state level, however, the Democrats still control most of the elected offices in the state government, and state and local elections are highly competitive compared to previous historical eras (for example, eastern North Carolina routinely elects a sizable number of Republican sheriffs and county commissioners, which did not happen until the 1980s). The Republicans hold both U.S. Senate seats, but the Democrats retain the governorship, majorities in both houses of the state legislature, state supreme court, and a 7-6 majority of U.S. House seats as of January 2007.
Modern North Carolina politics center less around the old east-west geographical split, and more on a growing urban-suburban-rural divide. Many of the state's rural and small-town areas are now heavily Republican, while growing urban centers such as Charlotte, Raleigh, Durham and Greensboro are increasingly Democratic. The suburban areas around the cities usually hold the power, and vote both ways. Two Presidents of the United States were born and raised in North Carolina, but both men began their political careers in neighboring Tennessee, and were elected President from that state. The two men were James K. Polk and Andrew Johnson. A third U.S. President, Andrew Jackson, may also have been born in North Carolina. However, as he was born almost precisely on the state line with South Carolina, both states claim him as a native son, and historians have debated for decades over the precise site of Jackson's birthplace. On the grounds of the old state capitol building in Raleigh is a statue dedicated to the Presidents who were born in the state; Jackson is included in the statue. Jackson himself stated that he was born in what later became South Carolina, but at the time of his birth the line between the states had not been surveyed.
North Carolina remains a control state. This is probably due to the state's strongly conservative Protestant heritage. Four of the state's counties - Clay, Graham, Mitchell, and Yancey, which are all located in rural areas - remain "dry" (the sale of alcoholic beverages is illegal) However, the remaining 96 North Carolina counties allow the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages, as is the case in most of the United States. Even in rural areas, the opposition to selling and drinking alcoholic beverages is declining, as the decreasing number of "dry" counties indicates.
North Carolina is one of the 12 states to decriminalize marijuana. In 1997 Marijuana and Tetrahydrocannabinols were moved from a schedule I to schedule IV . Transfer of less than 5 grams is not considered sale, and up to 1 1/2 ounces is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine or community service, at the judge's discretion, rather than imprisonment or a felony charge.
In 2005, following substantial political maneuvering, the state legislature voted to implement a state lottery, thus altering North Carolina's reputation as the "anti-lottery" state, where owning a lottery ticket from another state was once a felony. By 2005, every state surrounding North Carolina had a lottery in operation. The North Carolina Education Lottery began selling tickets on March 31, 2006. The lottery has had unexpectedly low sales since its inception
EducationElementary and secondary educationElementary and secondary public schools are overseen by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, which is headed by the North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction, who is also secretary of the North Carolina State Board of Education. This body holds most of the legal authority for making public education policy. North Carolina has 115 public school systems, each of which is overseen by a local school board. A county may have one or more systems within it. The largest school systems in North Carolina are the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, Wake County Public School System, Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, Cumberland County Schools,and Guilford County Schools. The state has also established charter schools, which fall outside the ordinary structure.
Colleges and universities- For more details on this topic, see List of colleges and universities in North Carolina
In 1795, North Carolina opened the first public university in the United States - the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. More than 200 years later, the University of North Carolina system encompasses 16 public universities including the three largest East Carolina University, North Carolina State University, and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The system also supports several well-known historically black colleges and universities such as North Carolina A&T State University, Winston-Salem State University, and North Carolina Central University. Along with its public universities, North Carolina has 58 public community colleges in its community college system.
North Carolina's private universities and colleges include Barton College, Mount Olive College, Davidson College, Warren Wilson College, Duke University, High Point University, Elon University,Gardner-Webb University, Wake Forest University, and Campbell University.
Sports and recreationProfessional sports Despite having over eight million people, North Carolina's population being spread out over three major metropolitan areas precluded attracting any major professional sports league teams until the late 1980s. The first franchise from a major professional sports league to be created in North Carolina were the NBA's Charlotte Hornets, which began play in the 1987-1988 NBA season. North Carolina remains without a Major League Baseball team despite numerous efforts to attract a team to the state (including the 2006 push to relocate the Florida Marlins to Charlotte). North Carolina lacks its own team, and only one neighboring state (equally sized Georgia) has a team, the Atlanta Braves.
On June 19, 2006, the Carolina Hurricanes, a National Hockey League franchise based in Raleigh, won the Stanley Cup. The Hurricanes are the first professional sports team from North Carolina to win their sport's highest championship. Home games are played in the RBC Center, which was named by the Royal Bank of Canada. The National Football League (NFL) is represented by the Carolina Panthers, who play home games in the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. The NBA is represented by the Charlotte Bobcats; home games are played in the Charlotte Bobcats Arena in Charlotte. The Carolina Railhawks are a men's professional soccer team in the United Soccer Leagues, due to compete in their first season in 2007. Home field is the SAS Stadium in Cary. North Carolina was home to the now defunct AFL teams the Charlotte Rage from 1992 to 1996 and the Carolina Cobras from 2000 to 2004. The Rage's home games were played in the Charlotte Coliseum. The Cobras' home games were played in the RBC Center from 2000 to 2002. They then moved to the Charlotte Coliseum until being terminated by the league. The National Indoor Football League (NIFL) is represented by the Fayetteville Guard who plays at Crown Coliseum.
The state is also a center of American motorsports, with more than 80% of NASCAR racing teams and related industries located in the Piedmont region. The largest race track in North Carolina is the Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina where the NASCAR's Nextel Cup holds three major races each year. NASCAR recently began construction on the NASCAR Hall of Fame will open late 2008 in Uptown Charlotte. There are also many motocross and off-road races in North Carolina. Many of NASCAR's most famous driver dynasties, the Pettys, Earnhardts, Allisons, Jarretts and Waltrips all live within an hour of Charlotte.
From the 1930s to the early 1990s, the Mid Atlantic Championship Wrestling professional wrestling promotion, under the Crockett family, operated almost entirely out of Charlotte. Mid Atlantic was a long-time member of the National Wrestling Alliance and many of their top stars appeared on national television on NWA and later WCW events. Many retired or still-current wrestlers live in the Charlotte/Lake Norman area, including Ric Flair, Ricky Steamboat, Matt and Jeff Hardy and Stan Lane.
North Carolina has become a hot bed for professional bull riding PBR. It is the home of the 1995 PRCA World Champion Bull Rider Jerome Davis. It is also home to several professional stock contractors and bull owners including Thomas Teague of Teague Bucking Bulls. The Southern Extreme Bull Riding Association SEBRA headquarters are located in Archdale, North Carolina.
The North Carolina Hare scramble Association hosts 16 races each year throughout North Carolina. In addition, the GNCC Racing series makes two stops in North Carolina, in Morganton and Yadkinville, the only other state to host 2 GNCCs is Ohio. For sport amateurs, the state holds the State Games of North Carolina each year.
North Carolina is a state known for minor league sports, notably the setting of the 1987 comedy Bull Durham about the Durham Bulls of the class A Carolina League. The state boasts over 30 minor league baseball teams in six different minor leagues, including the triple-A International League teams in Charlotte and Durham. There is a number of indoor football, indoor soccer, minor league basketball, and minor league ice hockey teams throughout the state. North Carolina has became a top golf destination for players across the nation, notably in Pinehurst, and the community of Southern Pines of Moore County which is home to over 50 golf courses.
RecreationDue to geography, rich history, and growing industry, North Carolina provides a large range of recreational activities from swimming at the beach to skiing in the mountains. North Carolina offers fall colors, freshwater and saltwater fishing, hunting, birdwatching, agritourism, ATV trails, ballooning, rock climbing, biking, hiking, skiing, boating and sailing, camping, canoeing, caving (spelunking), gardens, and arboretums. North Carolina has theme parks, aquariums, zoos, museums, historic sites, lighthouses, elegant theaters, concert halls, and fine dining.
North Carolinians enjoy outdoor recreation utilizing numerous local bike paths, 34 state parks, and 14 national parks, including:
Appalachian National Scenic TrailBlue Ridge ParkwayCape Hatteras National SeashoreCape Lookout National SeashoreCarl Sandburg Home National Historic Site at Flat RockCroatan National Forest in Eastern North CarolinaFort Raleigh National Historic Site at ManteoGreat Smoky Mountains National ParkGuilford Courthouse National Military Park in GreensboroMoores Creek National Battlefield near CurrieOvermountain Victory National Historic TrailTrail of Tears National Historic TrailWright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills, North CarolinaUwharrie National ForestOther informationFamous food and drinks from North CarolinaA nationally-famous cuisine from North Carolina is pork barbecue. However, there are strong regional differences and rivalries over the sauces and method of preparation used in making the barbecue. Eastern North Carolina pork barbecue uses a vinegar-based sauce; the "capital" of eastern Carolina barbecue is usually considered to be the town of Wilson, North Carolina, near Raleigh. Western North Carolina pork barbecue uses a ketchup-based sauce; the "capital" of western Carolina barbecue is usually considered to be the town of Lexington, North Carolina, south of Winston-Salem. A third type of pork barbecue in North Carolina is "Shelby" barbecue, so named because it is made in the town of Shelby, North Carolina. Shelby pork barbecue uses a sauce which is a combination of ketchup and vinegar. North Carolina is the birthplace of Pepsi-Cola, first produced in 1890 in New Bern, North Carolina. Regional soft drinks created and still based in the state are Sundrop and Cheerwine. Krispy Kreme, a popular chain of doughnut stores, was started in North Carolina; the company's headquarters are in Winston-Salem. Despite its name, the hotsauce Texas Pete was created in North Carolina; its headquarters are in Winston-Salem. The Hardees fast-food chain was started in Greenville, North Carolina. Another fast-food chain, Bojangles', was started in Charlotte, North Carolina, and has its corporate headquarters there. A popular North Carolina restaurant chain is Golden Corral. Started in 1973, the chain was founded in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
Ships named for the stateSeveral ships have been named for the state. Most famous is the USS North Carolina, a World War II battleship. Now decommissioned, it is part of the USS North Carolina Battleship Memorial in Wilmington. The ship served in several battles against the forces of Imperial Japan in the Pacific theater of World War Two. Another USS North Carolina, a nuclear attack submarine, is to be commissioned in 2007.
State symbols State motto: Esse quam videri ("To be, rather than to seem") (1893) State song: "The Old North State" (1927) State flower: Dogwood (1941) State bird: Cardinal (1943) State colors: the red and blue of the N.C. and U.S. flags (1945) State toast: The Tar Heel Toast (1957) State tree: Pine (1963) State shell: Scotch bonnet (1965) State mammal: Eastern Grey Squirrel (1969) State salt water fish: Red Drum (also known as the Channel bass) (1971) State insect: European honey bee (1973) State gemstone: Emerald (1973) State reptile: Eastern Box Turtle (1979) State rock: Granite (1979) State beverage: Milk (1987) State historical boat: Shad boat (1987) State language: English (1987) State dog: Plott Hound (1989) State military academy: Oak Ridge Military Academy (1991) State tartan: Carolina tartan (1991) State vegetable: Sweet potato (1995) State red berry: Strawberry (2001) State blue berry: Blueberry (2001) State fruit: Scuppernong grape (2001) State wildflower: Carolina Lily (2003) State Christmas tree: Fraser Fir (2005) State carnivorous plant: Venus Flytrap (2005) State folk dance: Clogging (2005) State popular dance: Shag (2005) State freshwater trout: Southern Appalachian Brook Trout (2005) State birthplace of traditional pottery: the Seagrove area (2005)
Armed Forces installationsAccording to Governor Easley, North Carolina is the "Most military friendly state in the nation". Fort Bragg, near Fayetteville is the largest and most comprehensive military base in the United States and is the headquarters of the XVIII Airborne Corps, 82nd Airborne Division, and the U.S. Army Special Operations Command. Serving as the airwing for Fort Bragg is Pope Air Force Base also located near Fayetteville, NC. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune which, when combined with nearby Marine bases Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Cherry Point, MCAS New River, Camp Geiger, Camp Johnson, Stone Bay and Courthouse Bay, makes up the largest concentration of Marines and sailors in the world. MCAS Cherry Point in Cherry Point, NC is home of the MC Harrier, USN F/A-18 Hornet, and USN F/A-18E/F Super Hornet squadrons Seymour Johnson Air Force Base is located in Goldsboro, NC. Also at this base is the Special Mission Training Center. One of the largest concentration of United States Coast Guard is at Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City. Other Coast Guard stations include, CG Station Hobuken, CG Station Oregon Inlet, CG Station Emerald Isle, CG Station Hatteras, CG Station Oak Island, CG Station Wrightsville Beach, and CG Station Ocracoke. Also there is the CG Base Fort Macon located at Atlantic Beach. There is a Marine Safety Unit located in Wilmington.
External linksGovernment and educationNorth Carolina state governmentNorth Carolina state libraryUSGS real-time, geographic, and other scientific resources of North CarolinaNorth Carolina facts from US Department of Agriculture ERSNorth Carolina Court System official siteNorth Carolina facts from US Census BureauNorth Carolina Travel and Tourism WebsiteNC ECHO - North Carolina Exploring Cultural Heritage OnlineNorth Carolina Collection, University of North Carolina at Chapel HillGreen 'N' Growing: The History of Home Demonstration and 4-H Youth Development in North Carolina - hosted by NCSU Libraries Special Collections Research CenterNC Office of Archives and HistoryNC Museum of History
Other links
Old Growth Forest Wilderness Areas in Western North CarolinaOld Growth Forest Wilderness Areas in Eastern North CarolinaThe Appalachian TrailUpdates of statewide trends since publication of The North Carolina Atlas in 2000North Carolina InformationLost Colony BlogInteractive North Carolina for KidsSketches of North Carolina by William Henry Foote (1846) - Full-text history book
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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By Rosange12
2 days
Discover three centuries of history and architectural beauty in New Bern's downtown. This is a charming town, where colonial North Carolina began.
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By Shanib2
4 days
North Carolina Barrier Islands is a great place for a family vacation. Some of the most well-known Outer Banks attractions include: Wright Brothers National Memorial, Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, Jockey's Ridge State Park, North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island. Of course, you could also have a "laid back" vacation, just sit on a dune and enjoy the waves.
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10 people reviewed North Carolina
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at 9:20AM October 17, 2009
Beautiful state!
Top North Carolina Picks:
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at 7:15AM May 29, 2008
This is one of my favorite states, on one side you can go to the beach and on the other you can go to the mountains. If you live in the middle of the state your only hours away from anything you want to do.
Top North Carolina Picks:
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at 5:58PM May 27, 2008
it's my home state, so I've been all over this bad boy.
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at 3:00AM January 2, 2009
i love that place it is so awsome and fun and sunny
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at 1:24PM May 29, 2008
Home Sweet Home
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at 12:12PM May 29, 2008
SO PRETTY! I could live there!
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at 7:46AM May 29, 2008
Totally agree, cheapest CAR INSURANCE of the 50 States!!!!
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at 5:45AM May 29, 2008
always nice to see family here...
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at 3:32PM May 28, 2008
Big and full of life. I had one of my best Business Experiences here.
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at 12:31AM May 28, 2008
Stayed in N. Carolina during our "road-trip" to florida
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