North Carolina State Guide

North Carolina is a state located in the Southeastern United States along its Atlantic Seaboard. It was one of the original Thirteen Colonies, and the home of the first English colony in the Americas. It was also the location of the first successful 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 2005, the population estimate is 8,683,242 - a 7.9% increase since April 1, 2000.

North Carolina State Guide - Geography

North 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, which take up the remaining 20% of the state in the west.

The coastal plain begins in the east as a chain of narrow, sandy barrier islands known as the "Outer Banks". The Outer Banks encompass two sounds — Albemarle Sound in the north and Pamlico Sound in the south; they are the two largest landlocked sounds in the United States. Inland the coastal plain is relatively flat, with rich soils which grow tobacco, soybeans, and cotton. The major rivers of this section, the Neuse River, Tar River, Pamlico River, Cape Fear River, and Roanoke River, tend to be slow-moving and wide.

The coastal plain turns into 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 isolated mountain ridges. Many small, deeply eroded mountain ranges and peaks are located in the Piedmont, including the Saura 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. 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, Balsams, Pisgahs, and the Black Mountains. The Black Mountains are the highest mountains 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 and in the Eastern United States. 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 northern state than a southern one.

North Carolina State Guide - Climate

Due to its wide range of elevation, from sea level on the coast to over 6,000 feet in the mountains, North Carolina has the most variation in climate of all the Southeastern states. 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 300 miles from the coast, and there is considerably less maritime influence there. As such, the climate of the state ranges from a warm, humid subtropical climate near the coast to one which is humid climate in the mountains. Most of the state falls in the humid subtropical zone.

The three geographical divisions of North Carolina are also useful when discussing the climate of the state. The coastal plain, as mentioned above, is influenced by the Atlantic Ocean, and it helps keep the temperatures down in the summer and up in the winter. Daytime high temperatures on the coast average less than 90 F during the summer. In the winter, the coast has the mildest temperatures in the state. The coast typically has around one or two winter storms (snow/ice) every year and receives around 1 inch of snow annually. The Piedmont has hotter summers with daytime highs averaging over 90 F in many locations. While it is not common for temperatures to reach over 100 F 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. In the winter, the Piedmont is much less mild than the coast, with temperatures which can reach 20 F or below, and around 8 - 10 inches of annual snowfall. 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 inches a year. The Appalachian Mountains are the coolest area of the state, with temperatures frequently falling into the teens or lower in the winter, and relatively cool summers which rarely rise above 80 F. Snowfall in the mountains is usually 14-20 inches per year, but can be much higher in the higher elevations.

Severe weather is not a rare event in North Carolina. On average the state receives a direct hit from a hurricane once a decade, although in some years several hurricanes or tropical storms can either directly hit the state, or brush across its coastal areas. On average, North Carolina has 50 days of thunderstorm activity per year, with some storms becoming severe enough to produce hail and strong, damaging winds. North Carolina averages less than 20 tornadoes per year, and some of these are produced by hurricanes or tropical storms along the coast. Nonetheless, tornadoes from thunderstorms are a risk, especially in the Piedmont region of central North Carolina.

North Carolina State Guide - History

Native Americans and Lost Colony

North 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. 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. Virginia Dare, the first English child to be born in North America, was born in North Carolina. Dare County is named for her.

Colonial period and Revolutionary War

The 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 immigrants. 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 experiencing 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 1670. 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's holdings, it became a royal colony seventeen years later. On May 20, 1775 Mecklenburg County became the first North Carolina county to publicly declare its independence from Great Britain. It did so by issuing the Mecklenburg Declaration. (Because of its similarity to the more well-known United States Declaration of Independence, which would appear 18 months later, the document is thought by some to be spurious.) 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. The dates of both of these independence-related events are memorialized on the state flag and state seal.

The road to Yorktown and America's independence from England 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, South Carolina. This campaign is known as "The Race to the Dan" or "The Race for the River Crossings."

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 "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, a victory which guaranteed American independence.

On November 21, 1789, North Carolina ratified the Constitution to become the twelfth state in the Union. The North Carolina delegation's reluctance to sign the Constitution was instrumental in creating the United States Bill of Rights. The state refused to ratify the constitution until some sort of declaration of the people's rights was added. The North Carolina Government received a letter from Continental Army General George Washington stating that this was a wonderful idea. Thus, the Bill of Rights was added to the United States Constitution. 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 connected by construction of a 129 mile (208 km) wooden plank road, known as a "farmer's railroad," from Fayetteville in the east to Bethania (northwest of Winston-Salem).

Civil War

In 1860, North Carolina was a slave state. However, 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 in the Civil War it provided at least 125,000 troops to the Confederacy— more than any other Confederate state. Approximately 40,000 of those troops never returned home, dead of battlefield wounds, disease and privation. Governor Zebulon Baird Vance, elected in 1862, 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-slaveowning farmers in the state's mountains and western Piedmont region. Some of these farmers remained neutral during the war, while others covertly supported the Union cause during the conflict. Even so, Confederate troops from North Carolina served in virtually all the major battles of the Army of Northern Virginia, the Confederacy's largest and 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 March 1865, Sherman was able to capture his chief North Carolina objective when he took Goldsboro; at the time it was the main railroad junction in North Carolina. Johnston surrendered one of the largest Confederate armies at Bennett Place, a farm house in what is now Durham, in late April 1865, weeks after General Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox. A small, integrated guerrilla force of white and Cherokee Confederates under William Holland Thomas continued fighting in the mountains until May 10. This unit, called the "Thomas Legion," was North Carolina's sole legion and was never actually defeated by Union troops. On May 6, 1865, Thomas' Legion fired "The Last Shot" of the Civil War east of the Mississippi River in White Sulphur Springs, North Carolina. It had the distinction of capturing a city (Waynesville) then voluntarily ceasing from hostilities. 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 a North Carolinian, Private Henry Wyatt, at the Battle of Big Bethel in 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."

North Carolina State Guide - Politics

North Carolina, like most other American states, is politically dominated by the Democratic and Republican political parties. 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 slaveowners and large cash crops. The western half of the state tended to support the Whig political party, which was generally seen as being more moderate on the issue of slavery and which was more supportive of business interests. Following the Civil War, the Republicans, backed by the victorious US Army, controlled the state government. In 1870 the federal troops left, and the Democratic Party quickly gained control of the state government. In 1894, the Republican and Populist parties formed an alliance which gained control of the state legislature and governorship. However, in 1898 the state Democratic party, in a blatant 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 very few exceptions North Carolina then became a part of the "Solid Democratic South", although some counties in the western Piedmont and mountain regions continued to vote Republican, primarily due to their opposition to secession and the Confederacy in the Civil War. In 1952, aided by the presidential candidacy of popular war hero Dwight Eisenhower, the Republicans were finally successful in electing a US Congressman, Charles Jonas. 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, would play a major role in reviving the Republicans and turning North Carolina into a two-party state. Under his banner many conservative Democrats in the middle and eastern parts of North Carolina left the Democrats and began to vote increasingly Republican. In part this was due to these Democrat's dissatisfaction with the national party's stance on the issues of civil rights and racial integration, but it was also due to the national Democratic Party's leftward tilt on social issues such as abortion and gay rights. From 1968-2004 (with the sole exception of Jimmy Carter's election in 1976), North Carolina has voted Republican in every presidential election. Overall, however, the state is roughly evenly balanced between the parties, and state and local elections are now highly competitive. The Republicans hold both Senate seats and majority of the congressional seats, but the Democrats retain the governorship and a majority in the state legislature. Modern North Carolina politics center less around the old east-west geographical split, and more on a growing urban-suburban-rural divide. The state's rural and small-town areas are now heavily Republican, while growing urban centers such as Charlotte, Raleigh, and Greensboro are increasingly Democratic. The suburban areas around the cities usually hold the balance of power, and can vote either way.

North Carolina State Guide - Demographics

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2005, North Carolina has an estimated population of 8,683,242, which is an increase of 142,774, or 1.7%, from the prior year and an increase of 636,751, or 7.9%, since the year 2000. This exceeds the rate of growth for the United States as a whole. The growth comprises a natural increase since the last census of 248,097 people (that is 627,309 births minus 379,212 deaths) and an increase due to net migration of 390,672 people into the state. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 158,224 people, and migration within the country produced a net increase of 232,448 people. North Carolina has historically been a rural state, with most of the population living on farms and in small towns. However, over the last 25 years the state has undergone rapid urbanization, and today the residents of North Carolina live primarily in urban areas, as is the case in most of the United States. In particular, the cities of Charlotte and Raleigh have become major urban centers, with a large, diverse, and rapidly-growing population. Most of this growth in diversity has been fueled by immigrants from Latin America, especially Mexico. The state has also witnessed a large increase in the number of immigrants from Asia, especially India and countries in Southeast Asia, such as Vietnam.

The center of population of North Carolina is located in Randolph County, in the town of Seagrove.

6.7% of North Carolina's population were reported as under 5 years old, 24.4% under 18, and 12.0% were 65 or older. Females made up approximately 51% of the population.

North Carolina has 3 Metropolitan Combined Statistical Areas with a population over 1 million:

* The Metrolina: Charlotte, Gastonia, Rock Hill, NC-SC - population 2,124,013
* The Triangle: Raleigh, Durham, Cary (official - known colloquially as Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill) - population of 1,509,560
* The Piedmont Triad: Greensboro, Winston-Salem, High Point - population of 1,490,886

The five largest ancestry groups in North Carolina are: African American (21.6%), Scots & Scots-Irish (13.9%), English (9.5%), German (9.5%), Irish (7.4%). North Carolina has one of the largest Native American populations in the United States. North Carolina has the second largest Laotian American population in the country.

North Carolina State Guide - Economy

According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the state's 2004 total gross state product was $336 billion. This is more than any state around it grossed. Its 2005 per capita personal income was $31,029, 36th in the nation. North Carolina's agricultural outputs include poultry and eggs, tobacco, hogs, milk, nursery stock, cattle, sweet potatoes, and soybeans. However, North Carolina is the state most affected by outsourcing; one in five North Carolina manufacturing jobs has been lost to overseas competition.

Agriculture and Manufacturing

Over the past century, North Carolina has grown to become a national leader in agriculture, financial services, and industry. 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 markets in Latin America and Asia for the past 25 years. Over the past few years, another important Carolina industry, furniture production, has also been hard-hit by jobs moving to Asia (especially China). Tobacco, one of North Carolina's earliest sources of revenue, remains vital to the local economy, although concerns about whether the federal government will continue to support subsidies for tobacco farmers has led some growers to switch to other crops or leave farming altogether.

Technology, Research and Finance

The information and biotechnology industries have been steadily on the rise since the creation of the Research Triangle Park in the 1950's. Located between Raleigh and Durham, its proximity to local research universities has no doubt helped to fuel growth. Meanwhile, beginning in the 1980's, 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).

In effect,Forbes Magazine has named North Carolina the 3rd largest and best state for bussiness in the United States.

Sports, Film and the Arts

The state is also a center of American motorsports, with many NASCAR racing teams and related industries located near Charlotte. NASCAR recently announced that the NASCAR Hall of Fame will be built in Charlotte. This is expected to bring billions of dollars and thousands jobs into North Carolina's growing economy.

There are also many motorcross and off-road races in North Carolina, the North Carolina Hare scramble Association hosts 16 races each year throughout North Carolina. Also the GNCC Racing series makes 2 stops in North Carolina, in Morganton and Yadkinville, the only other state to host 2 GNCCs is Ohio.

North Carolina is the third largest film production state behind California and New York. Film studios are located in Shelby, Raleigh, Durham, Charlotte, Asheville, and Wilmington.

Some of the better-known films and television shows filmed in North Carolina include: All the Real Girls, Being There, Blue Velvet, Bull Durham, Cabin Fever, Cape Fear, The Crow, Dawson's Creek, Dirty Dancing, Firestarter, The Fugitive, George Washington, Last of the Mohicans, Loggerheads, One Tree Hill, Shallow Hal, and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.

The television show most associated with North Carolina is The Andy Griffith Show, which aired on CBS-TV from 1960 to 1968. The series is set in the fictional small town of Mayberry, North Carolina and was based on the real-life town of Mount Airy, North Carolina, although it was filmed in California. Mount Airy is the hometown of actor Andy Griffith. The show is still popular in reruns and is frequently shown in syndication around the nation.

North Carolina State Guide - Revenue

North Carolina personal income tax is divided into 4 brackets, ranging from 6.0% to 8.25%. The state sales tax is 4.5%. Most taxable sales or purchases are subject to the state tax as well as the 2.5% local tax rate levied by all counties, for a combined 7%. Mecklenburg County has an additional 0.5% local tax for public transportation, bringing sales taxes there to a total 7.5%. Effective January 1, 2006, the total local rate of tax in Dare County increased to 3.5%, producing a combined state and local rate there of 8%. The property tax in North Carolina is a locally assessed tax, collected by the counties. The three main elements of the property tax system in North Carolina are real property, motor vehicles and personal property (inventories and household personal property are exempt).

North Carolina State Guide - Law and Government

The 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 2005–2006 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 James B. Black. The prior legislature's power sharing two-speaker arrangement is no longer in effect, as the House Democrats won a decided victory and majority of the seats in the 2004 election.

In 2005, the state Legislature voted to implement a state lottery, nullifying 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 lottery began selling tickets March 31, 2006. North Carolina remains a control state, although beer and wine can be sold by retailers.

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 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.

Federal Apportionments

North Carolina currently has 13 congressional districts, which, when combined with its two U.S. Senate seats, gives the state 15 electoral votes.

State 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.

North Carolina State Guide - Colleges and Universities

* Appalachian State University
* East Carolina University
* Elizabeth City State University
* Fayetteville State University
* North Carolina A&T State University
* North Carolina Central University
* North Carolina School of the Arts
* North Carolina State 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
* Western Carolina University
* Winston-Salem State University

North Carolina State Guide - Professional Sports Teams

Despite having over eight million people, the disbursement of North Carolina's population over three major metropolitan areas left the state unable to attract any major professional sports league teams until recently. North Carolina remains without a Major League Baseball team despite numerous efforts to attract a team to the state (including a current push to relocate the Florida Marlins to Charlotte). Although more populous New Jersey also does not have an MLB team, North Carolina is the most populous state without a team from each of the major leagues either within or very close to the state's borders. On June 19, 2006 the Carolina Hurricanes, a National Hockey League (NHL) 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. For amateurs, the state holds the State Games of North Carolina each year.

Club - Sport - League
Carolina Panthers - Football - National Football League
Carolina Hurricanes - Ice hockey - National Hockey League
Charlotte Checkers - Ice hockey - Minor League Hockey; East Coast
Fayetteville FireAntz - Ice hockey - Minor League Hockey; Southern
Charlotte Bobcats - Basketball - National Basketball Association
Raleigh Cougars - Basketball - United States Basketball Association
Charlotte Sting - Basketball - Women's National Basketball Association
Fayetteville Patriots - Basketball - NBA Development League
Asheville Tourists - Baseball - Minor League (A); South Atlantic
Burlington Indians - Baseball - Minor League (R); Appalachian League
Carolina Mudcats - Baseball - Minor League (AA); Southern League
Charlotte Knights - Baseball - Minor League (AAA); International
Durham Bulls - Baseball - Minor League (AAA); International League
Greensboro Grasshoppers - Baseball - Minor (A); South Atlantic
Hickory Crawdads - Baseball - Minor League (A); South Atlantic
Kannapolis Intimidators - Baseball - Minor League (A); South Atlantic
Kinston Indians - Baseball - Minor League (A); Carolina League
Winston-Salem Warthogs - Baseball - Minor League (A); Carolina
Carolina Railhawks - Soccer - USL First Division; 2007 expansion
Charlotte Eagles - Soccer - USL Second Division
Wilmington Hammerheads - Soccer - USL Second Division
Carolina Dynamo - Soccer - USL Premier Development League
Raleigh Elite - Soccer - USL Premier Development League
Carolina Lady Dynamo - Soccer - W-League
Charlotte Lady Eagles - Soccer - W-League

North Carolina State Guide - Miscellaneous Topics

The USS North Carolina, a World War II battleship, was named in honor of the state. 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.

Haw River is the location of the untimely death of blood plasma pioneer Dr. Charles Drew, on April 1, 1950. He was driving a group of his colleagues to a medical conference in Alabama when he apparently dozed off at the wheel, resulting in a crash and the mortal wounds that were the cause of his death. An urban myth developed that he had been denied treatment and allowed to bleed to death, because of his being black, but eyewitnesses, including one of his fellow doctors who was at the hospital, have testified that nothing of the sort happened, as detailed in this article from the Raleigh News and Observer.

Article Source: Wikipedia