History
Originally inhabited by a number of native tribes, including the Cherokee, North Carolina was the first American territory the English attempted to colonize. Sir Walter Raleigh, for whom the state capital is named, chartered two colonies on the North Carolina 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.
By the late seventeenth century, several permanent settlements had taken hold in the Carolina territory, which encompassed present-day South Carolina and Tennessee as well. In 1712, North Carolina became a separate colony. It reverted to a royal colony seventeen years later. In April 1776, the colony became the first to instruct its delegates to the Continental Congress to vote for independence from the British crown.
On November 21, 1789, North Carolina ratified the Constitution to become the twelfth state in the Union. Between the American Revolutionary War and the American Civil War, North Carolina worked to establish its state and local governments. In 1840, it completed the state capitol building in Raleigh, still standing today. In mid-century the state's rural and commercial areas were further connected by construction of a 129 mile wooden plank road, known as a "farmer's railroad," from Fayetteville in the east to Bethania (northwest of Winston-Salem).
Divided on whether to support the North or the South in the Civil War, North Carolina reluctantly seceded from the Union in 1861.
Over the past century, North Carolina has grown to become a leader in agriculture and industry. The state's industrial output--mainly textiles, chemicals, electrical equipment, paper and paper products--ranked eighth in the nation in the early 1990s. Tobacco, one of North Carolina's earliest sources of revenue, remains vital to the local economy.
Geography
Major geographic features include the Blue Ridge Mountains in the west, the Piedmont region of the south central portion of the state, and Cape Fear, Cape Hatteras, and the Outer Banks off the eastern coast.
Admission to Statehood: November
21, 1789
State Bird: Cardinal Scientific Name: Cardinalis cardinalis
State
Flower: Dogwood Scientific Name: Cornus florida
State Motto: Esse quam videri
(To be, rather than to seem)
Population, as of 2000: 8,049,313
North Carolina has had three constitutions:
* 1776: This one was ratified December
18, 1776, as the first constitution of the independent state. The Declaration
of Rights was ratified the preceding day.
* 1868: This was 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.
* 1971: This is a minor consolidation of the 1868 constitution and subsequent
amendments.
Major cities:
* Asheville
* Charlotte
* Raleigh
(the capital)
* Fayetteville
* Wilmington
* Winston-Salem
* Greensboro
Small towns/areas with interesting names:
* Climax, North Carolina (in Guilford
County, near Greensboro)
* Lizard Lick, North Carolina (in Wake County, near
Raleigh)
See List of North Carolina counties
Colleges and Universities
* Appalachian State University
* Barber-Scotia College
* Barton College
* Belmont Abbey College
* Bennett College
* Brevard College
* Campbell
University
* Catawba College
* Chowan College
* Davidson College
* Duke University
* East Carolina University
* Elizabeth City State University
* Elon University
* Fayetteville State University
* Gardner-Webb University
* Greensboro College
* Guilford College
* High Point University
*
Johnson C. Smith University
* Lees-McRae College
* Lenoir-Rhyne College
* Livingstone College
* Louisburg College
* Mars Hill College
* Meredith
College
* Methodist College
* Montreat College
* Mount Olive College
* North Carolina Central University
* North Carolina A and T State University
* North Carolina School of the Arts
* North Carolina State University
* North Carolina Wesleyan College
* Peace College
* Pfeiffer University
* Piedmont Baptist College
* Queens College
* Roanoke Bible College
* St. Andrews Presbyterian College
* St. Augustine's College
* Salem College
* Shaw University
* University of North Carolina at Asheville
* University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
* University of North Carolina at Charlotte
* University of North Carolina at Greensboro
* University of North Carolina
at Pembroke
* University of North Carolina at Wilmington
* Wake Forest
University
* Warren Wilson College
* Western Carolina University
*
Wingate University
* Winston-Salem State University
Professional Sports Teams
* Carolina Panthers, National Football League
* Carolina Hurricanes,
National Hockey League
* Charlotte Sting, WNBA
* Carolina Courage, Women's
United Soccer Association (playing in Chapel Hill)
* Minor League Baseball
teams
o Charlotte Knights
o Durham Bulls
o Kinston Indians
o Salem
Avalanche
o Winston-Salem Warthogs
o Burlington Indians
o Carolina
Mudcats
o Kannapolis Intimidators
o Greensboro Bats
o Asheville Tourists
o Hickory Crawdads
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