Moving to North Carolina - Charlotte, Greensboro, Raleigh,
Winston-Salem
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North
Carolina occupies a median location along the Atlantic seaboard and is
bounded on the south by South Carolina and Georgia, on the west by Tennessee,
on the north by Virginia, and on the east by the Atlantic Ocean. In area,
the state ranks 29th, and in population it ranks 10th. Raleigh is the
state capital. North Carolinians are called Tar Heels, a nickname the
origin of which is still debated. The state has a rich historical tradition
on which, in part, a growing tourist industry is based. Traditionally
agricultural with many tobacco plantations, the state was one of the first
in the South to industrialize and now ranks high in industrial output.
LAND AND RESOURCES
North Carolina is divided into three main physical provinces: the coastal
plain, the Piedmont, and the mountains. The eastern boundary of the coastal
plain is a chain of barrier islands, the Outer Banks, separated from the
mainland by lagoons and salt marshes. The miles of beaches are geologically
ephemeral and ecologically vulnerable. The coastal plain is divided into
the Tidewater area, which is quite flat, poorly drained, and often marshy,
and the inner coastal plain, which is higher, better drained, and better
suited for agriculture.
The coastal plain merges with the gently rolling Piedmont at the fall
line, where the change in slope made navigation more difficult and waterpower
a possibility. Raleigh, like many important East Coast cities, lies near
the fall line. The Piedmont elevations range from 90 to 180 m (295 to
591 ft) in the east to 457 m (1,500 ft) at the Blue Ridge. The Piedmont
encompasses about 45 percent of the area of the state, about the same
percentage of the total area as the coastal plain.
The Blue Ridge Mountains, the beginning of the mountain province, rise
above the Piedmont. In North Carolina the Appalachian chain reaches its
zenith. More than 40 peaks are higher than 1,830 m (6,000 ft), and Mount
Mitchell, at 2,037 m (6,684 ft), is the highest peak east of the Mississippi.
The rounded contours of these very old mountains testify to long periods
of erosion.
Soils
North Carolina soils are complex and varied but generally low in plant
nutrients and minerals, which have been washed away by hard summer rains.
Sandy soils dominate in the coastal plain, red clay in the Piedmont, and
thin residual soils in the mountains. Heavy applications of lime and fertilizers
are necessary for good yields, and continued care must be taken to prevent
erosion.
Climate
The climate of North Carolina is generally mild, especially on the south
coast. In the mountainous west the winters are more severe, but the summers
are relatively cooler. The mountains shield North Carolina somewhat from
cold fronts coming from the north or northwest, and the ocean tempers
the climate of the east. The state's January mean temperatures are 5 degrees
C (42 degrees F), and July temperatures average 24 degrees C (75 degrees
F). The state is well watered, with from 1,016 to 2,032 mm (40 to 80 in)
of rainfall yearly. The coastline is occasionally hit by hurricanes, especially
on the Outer Banks.
Rivers and Lakes
Although the state has no major river, the area is drained by a dense
network of streams in three distinct systems. The first of these rises
west of the Blue Ridge, drains into the Gulf of Mexico through the Tennessee
and Ohio rivers, and includes the French Broad and Little Tennessee rivers.
The second system drains the Piedmont south and east through South Carolina
and Georgia and includes the Catawba and Yadkin rivers. The third network,
which includes the Cape Fear, Neuse, Roanoke, and Tar rivers, drains the
Piedmont by way of the coastal plain into Abermarle and Pamlico sounds.
Only the Cape Fear River flows directly into the Atlantic Ocean. The state
has no large natural lakes and few sizable artificial reservoirs.
Vegetation and Animal Life
North Carolina's location in an overlapping zone between mid-latitude
and subtropical vegetation makes for an especially rich variety of plant
life, particularly in the Great Smoky Mountains. Most of the coastal plain
and Piedmont is forested with pines, and hardwoods dominate in the mountains.
The state has an abundance and diversity of wildlife, ranging from migratory
waterfowl at the seashore to the deer, foxes, bears, and wildcats of the
highest mountains.
Resources
The state has a wide range of minerals, including precious stones, but
few deposits are commercially valuable. Most of the mineral production
consists of construction materials, except for a large phosphate deposit
on the outer coastal plain. A favorable climate and moderately fertile
soil give the state a valuable agricultural base, and climate and scenery
encourage tourism. The numerous rivers, as well as the ocean and sounds,
afford abundant sport and commercial fishing. The heavy rainfall, steep
gradients, and topography all favor hydroelectric power, which has been
important to North Carolina's industrialization.
PEOPLE
The population of North Carolina is largely descended from the original
Scottish, Irish, Welsh, French, and German settlers, as well as from the
blacks brought to the region as slaves. In 1990 blacks formed 22 percent
of the state's population. A smaller minority group is the Indians, who
numbered 80,155 in 1990, mainly the Cherokee in the west and the Lumbee
in the southeast. Persons of Hispanic origin numbered 76,726 in 1990 and
constituted slightly more than 1 percent of the population. The population
of the state is almost 50 percent Baptist.
Until the 1970s, North Carolina had been characterized by a sizable population
emigration, especially of the better-educated whites and poor blacks attracted
to the economic and social opportunities in northern cities. Since that
time, however, the "brain drain" has reversed, and during the 1980s there
was significant migration into the state. This change in the migration
patterns is one reason that North Carolina's growth rate exceeds that
of the nation as a whole.
The Piedmont has long been the most populous region, with somewhat more
than half the state's population, followed by the coastal plain and the
lightly populated mountains. The percentage of blacks in the population
is highest in the coastal plain and lowest in the west. Although highly
industrialized, North Carolina has a large nonmetropolitan population.
Much of the rural population, however, is rural nonfarm, with farmers
accounting for a small percentage of the total population. The urban pattern
of North Carolina is characterized by a small-town orientation. Most of
the cities are clustered in the Urban Piedmont Crescent, extending in
an arc from Raleigh to Charlotte, but none dominates. The largest city
is Charlotte, with about 5 percent of the state's population; its metropolitan-area
population of 1,162,093 (1990) is the largest in the state and includes
the Rock Hill area of South Carolina. Other large urban complexes are
Greensboro-Winston-Salem-High Point, with a metropolitan-area population
of 942,091 (1990), and Raleigh/Durham, with a population of 735,480 (1990);
the latter area grew at a rate of more than 30 percent between 1980 and
1990. Other important cities in North Carolina are Asheville, Fayetteville,
and Wilmington.
Education
The first public schools in North Carolina opened in 1840; enrollment
today exceeds one million students. In terms of per-pupil expenditure,
the state ranked 33d in 1991. Most educational funds come from state rather
than local sources, a legacy of earlier years when some communities were
too poor to support their schools adequately.
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH), the nation's
first operating state university, and the private Davidson College and
Duke University are national leaders in higher education (see North Carolina,
state universities of). The proximity of Duke, UNC-CH, and North Carolina
State led in 1958 to the establishment of Research Triangle Park, a planned
research center. The combined libraries of these universities has created
one of the larger university book collections and was one reason for luring
to the park the National Humanities Center. Among the state's other private
colleges and universities is Wake Forest in Winston-Salem.
Cultural Attractions
Because North Carolina does not have very large cities, many of its cultural
institutions are state supported--such as the North Carolina Symphony,
headquartered in Raleigh. The North Carolina Museum of Art is also located
in Raleigh. Educational institutions in various parts of the state have
their own theaters, orchestras, or museums. Charlotte has the small but
distinctive Mint Museum of Art, and the Morehead Planetarium at Chapel
Hill is one of the finest facilities of its kind in the United States.
Historic Sites
The state's long and rich history has been preserved in a number of outstanding
historic sites. The mystery of Sir Walter Raleigh's colony on Roanoke
Island (see Roanoke Colony) has been memorialized in an outdoor drama
entitled "The Lost Colony," and the fort has been rebuilt. Tryon Palace,
the English governor's residence at New Bern, has been called the most
beautiful building in the colonial Americas. The Moravian settlement of
Old Salem has been restored. On the Outer Banks the Wright Brothers National
Memorial commemorates America's first sustained flight.
Recreation
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is visited by several million persons
annually. The mild climate encourages outdoor recreation. Among the better-known
mountain resort areas are Asheville and Boone, with nearby ski resorts
where the introduction of snow-making machines has made skiing a Southern
sport. The state has a professional basketball team and a new pro football
franchise in Charlotte. Collegiate athletic competitions are very well
attended, with college basketball having especially avid fans and well-appointed
facilities.
Communications
North Carolina's first newspaper was the North Carolina Gazette, established
in 1751. Major newspapers today are in Raleigh, Greensboro, Charlotte,
and Winston-Salem. There are also numerous commercial and noncommercial
radio and television broadcasting facilities and television cable systems
in the state.
ECONOMIC ACTIVITY
In the course of a century North Carolina has been transformed from a
largely agricultural economy to one that is highly industrialized. North
Carolina ranks high among U.S. states in industrial output, and manufacturing
employs about a quarter of the nonagricultural workforce. It is a leading
producer of textiles, cigarettes, and furniture. Although the industrial
mix is becoming more diversified, a significant part of total industrial
employment is still in the textile and apparel industries. In value added
by manufacturing, the state is among the top ten in the nation.
Despite the state's large number of workers in manufacturing, North Carolina
ranks low among U.S. states in the average wage paid because of the semiskilled
nature of the leading industries.
Agriculture
North Carolina ranks high among U.S. states in farm population, number
of farms, and farm income. Tobacco is the dominant component of the state's
agriculture, along with other leading farm commodities--broilers, hogs,
and turkeys. The state's principal crops include sweet potatoes, peanuts,
corn, grapes, pecans, apples, tomatoes, cucumbers, and soybeans. North
Carolina's major agricultural counties are located on the coastal plain
or among northern Piedmont counties on the Virginia border. Cotton is
grown in scattered areas along the South Carolina border. Although farm
employment continues on the decline, a significant share of the state's
jobs are still connected either directly or indirectly to agriculture.
Fishing and Forestry
A small fishing industry is based on the Atlantic coast. Flounder, striped
bass, and menhaden are major finfish. The shellfish catch includes shrimp,
oysters, and crab. A much larger forest-products industry provides raw
materials for the furniture and pulp industries. A favorable climate for
rapid tree growth and proximity to markets give the forest-products industry
considerable potential.
Mining and Energy
About 300 varieties of rock and minerals are found in North Carolina,
many having commercial value. Sand, gravel, and crushed stone account
for much of the state's mining industry, but the state is also a leader
in the production of feldspar, lithium, mica, and phosphate rock. Most
of North Carolina's energy comes from outside sources. Power requirements
derive from petroleum, coal, natural gas, nuclear power, and hydropower.
Transportation
Wilmington and Morehead City, connected by the Atlantic Intercoastal Waterway,
are the major ports, but they have historically been in the competitive
shadow of Norfolk, Va., and Charleston, S.C. North Carolina was the first
southern state to build an extensive network of farm-to-market roads and
is now well served by highways, including five interstates. Today, trucks
are more important than railroads in moving goods. The state is served
by numerous railroads and commercial airports.
Tourism
The state's beaches and mountains have provided variety for North Carolina
vacationers. Tourism has become one of the largest industries in the state.
Outdoor recreation facilities attract most visitors.
GOVERNMENT
Government authority in North Carolina rests in the state's third constitution,
which became effective in 1971. The capital was located at Raleigh by
legislative act in 1791. A total of 100 counties and many municipalities
are legally controlled by the state government, though these smaller units
exercise a degree of local autonomy. State government is unusually influential
in the areas of education and highways, which are largely funded by the
state. The executive office in North Carolina is given less power than
is the practice in most other states. The governor serves a 4-year term
and may be reelected for a second term. The governor has no veto power.
An ex-officio council of state advises the governor.
The legislature is made up of a 50-member senate and a 120-member house
that are elected biennially. Supreme court and appellate, superior, and
district court judges form the judiciary. North Carolina law permits easy
annexation, and thus less political fragmentation exists in the state's
metropolitan areas. The Democratic primary traditionally has been more
important than the general election in the selection of state officials.
HISTORY
Although human settlement dates from 8000 BC, the first Europeans to visit
the North Carolina coast were French explorers led by Giovanni da Verrazano
in 1524. In 1526 a group of Spanish sailors established a temporary colony
of more than 500 persons, probably at the mouth of the Cape Fear River.
A 1540 expedition by Hernando de Soto crossed what is now western North
Carolina before turning west to discover the Mississippi River.
It was the English, however, who made the first permanent European settlements
in North Carolina, and the Roanoke Island settlement (1585-86) of Sir
Walter Raleigh was the first English colony in the New World. A second
group set sail from England in 1587 but had vanished by 1590 when a supply
ship arrived. The mystery of the colony's disappearance has never been
solved. Among the settlers was the first child born of English parents
in America, Virginia Dare.
More than 150 years passed before settlers moved inland across the state--from
the northeast corner in 1670 to the westernmost tip in 1820. The early
European settlers came in contact with a number of Indian tribes as settlement
spread westward, the most numerous groups encountered being the Tuscarora.
The natives occupied parts of the coastal plain and fiercely resisted
the whites before being defeated in 1713, after which they returned to
New York, their ancestral home. The Catawba of the southern Piedmont were
friendly. The Cherokee, living in the Appalachian Mountains, were the
last major tribe to be confronted by the settlers.
Proprietary Period
The colonial period from 1663 to 1729, known as the proprietary period,
began when Charles II granted to eight lords proprietors that region lying
between 31 degrees and 36 degrees north latitude and extending from the
Atlantic Ocean to the South Seas. This region was later (1665) extended
to 36 degrees 30' N to include the Albemarle settlers who had moved south
from Virginia. Political strife and Indian wars slowed the colony's growth,
however, and as the Charleston settlement grew more rapidly, the territory
began to be known as North and South Carolina. The northern territory
was made a separate colony in 1712 and had its own governors until 1829.
This boundary was not established until 1735, nor fully surveyed until
1815. This period was characterized by misgovernment, turmoil, and slow
growth. Piracy and disputes with Virginia over tobacco shipments through
Virginia ports hampered trade. Bath, near the mouth of the Pamlico River,
was the first town to be incorporated (1705). Settlement was generally
confined to the coastal areas.
Royal Colony
In 1729, North Carolina became a crown colony when George II purchased
the shares of Carolina from all the lords proprietors except Lord Granville.
Until the outbreak of the Revolution in 1775, a more efficient government
brought about increased settlement and greater prosperity. The population
increased from about 30,000 in 1729 to 265,000 in 1775, and settlement
extended to the Blue Ridge Mountains and beyond. With this transmontane
movement came the deep-seated differences between east and west that have
continued to the present day. The colonial government was dominated by
the eastern planters, and the more egalitarian and poorer west suffered
from corrupt government and excessive taxes. The conflict resulted in
the War of Regulation (see Regulators), in which the western insurgents
were crushed by Gov. William Tryon (1729-88) at the Battle of Alamance
Creek on May 16, 1771.
In 1747-48 the Spanish attacked the North Carolina coast. Troops from
North Carolina assisted British troops in the capture of Fort Duquesne
during the French and Indian War (1754-63) and fought the Cherokee on
the western frontier in 1760. Yet, North Carolina was among the leaders
in resistance to British rule in the 1760s, and in 1765-66 its armed citizens
prevented enforcement of the Stamp Act in the colony.
The American Revolution
British rule came to an end in North Carolina when Gov. Josiah Martin
fled New Bern in May 1775. The Second Provincial Congress in 1775 established
two regiments and a state government. The first battle of the Revolution
in North Carolina was fought against Scottish Loyalists at Moore's Creek
Bridge on Feb. 27, 1776. Later that year the Fifth Provincial Congress
adopted a state constitution and elected Richard Caswell the first governor.
North Carolina was the first colony to declare officially its readiness
for independence and in April 1776 furnished ten regiments to the Continental
army, as well as thousands of militiamen. At the same time, it helped
defeat the Cherokee and suppressed the Tory residents who made the revolution
virtually a civil war in North Carolina. Despite its leadership in the
Revolution, North Carolina was the next to last of the 13 original states
to ratify the federal Constitution (November 1789). In 1789, North Carolina
ceded its western territory, present-day Tennessee, to the federal government.
The 19th Century
The period from 1815 to 1835 was one of political and economic stagnation,
with the oligarchic east in power at the expense of the more reform-minded
west. The state's convention of 1835 resulted in a reapportionment that
gave the west control of the state house of representatives, leaving the
east in control of the senate. From 1835 until 1860 progress in transportation,
education, tax reform, and women's rights, as well as agricultural expansion
and greater prosperity, reversed the downward political and economic spiral
and halted emigration west or south.
The Civil War brought this improving trend to an end. North Carolina,
though sympathetic to the South, was the next to last state to secede,
on May 20, 1861. The battles of Fort Hatteras, Plymouth, Fort Fisher,
and Bentonville, as well as Sherman's 1865 invasion and Johnston's surrender
to Sherman near Durham on Apr. 26, 1865, were the most notable Civil War
events in the state. Wartime political and social disruptions were exacerbated
during Reconstruction. The Democratic party regained legislative control
in 1870 and removed from office Gov. W. W. Holden, reelecting wartime
governor Z. B. Vance in 1876 to end the Reconstruction period in the state.
In 1880 the state began to industrialize and to urbanize for the first
time. The new industrialization (called the First Cotton Mill Campaign)
brought additional jobs to the Piedmont but only modest prosperity because
of low wages. Agricultural production increased, but farmers were burdened
by low prices, heavy debt, and widespread farm tenancy. By the turn of
the century, major advances were made in the educational system, which
had virtually collapsed during Reconstruction. World War I boosted the
economy and led to the establishment of important military bases, including
Fort Bragg.
Modern Period
During the early 1920s an exodus of textile mills from New England to
the Carolinas took place, reforms in state government were instituted,
and extensive construction projects began. Even during this period of
prosperity, however, personal income still lagged, averaging only about
half of the national mean. The Depression of the 1930s struck North Carolina
early, and New Deal programs, particularly farm price supports, were important
to economic recovery. World War II also gave the state's economy a boost.
North Carolina has profited in recent years from its location in the Sun
Belt. Population growth rates above the national average that began in
the 1970s have continued into the 1990s. Certain problems, however, have
continued. Incomes are still low, agriculture remains dominated by tobacco,
and the state's national primacy in textiles is vulnerable to foreign
competition.
Clyde E. Browning
Bibliography: Abrams, Carl, Conservative Constraints: North Carolina and
the New Deal (1992); Bolton, C. C., Poor Whites of the Antebellum South
(1994); Clay, J. W., et al., North Carolina Atlas (1975); DeLorme Staff,
North Carolina Atlas and Gazetteer (1993); Encyclopedia of North Carolina
(1993); Escott, P. D., Many Excellent People (1985); Federal Writers'
Project, The North Carolina Guide, ed. by Blackwell Robinson, rev. ed.
(1955); Fleer, J. D., North Carolina Government and Politics (1994); Glass,
B. D., The Textile Industry in North Carolina (1992); Hamilton, Joseph,
Reconstruction in North Carolina (1914; repr. 1991); Lefler, H. T., and
Newsome, A. R., North Carolina, 3d ed. (1973); Lefler, H. T., and Powell,
W. S., Colonial North Carolina (1973); Lonsdale, R. E., ed., Atlas of
North Carolina (1967); Luebke, Paul, Tar Heel Politics (1990); Powell,
W. S., North Carolina (1977); Roberts, Bruce and Nancy, The Goodliest
Land (1973); Wood, Phillip, Southern Capitalism (1986); Zopf, P. E., North
Carolina: A Demographic Profile (1967).
(c) 1996 Grolier, Inc.
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