North Carolina: The Old North State

North Carolina is located in the southeastern United States, bordering South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west, and Virginia to the north. It has a substantial coastline on the Atlantic Ocean to the east. North Carolina was inhabited by Native American Indian tribes at the time the Spanish established a short-lived outpost, Fort San Juan, in 1567. Then, after two earlier British attempts to settle in the area, North Carolina later became one of the original thirteen American colonies, and at the time was known simply as Carolina. The province was initially a small farming region in which some landholders owned slaves, but saw growth pick up in the early to mid-1700’s, a time when the region attracted European immigrants, many of Scotch-Irish, Quaker, and German descent. North Carolina contributed thousands of men to the American Revolutionary War effort. It became the twelfth U.S. state on November 21, 1789. By the early 1800’s, tobacco and cotton had emerged as significant cash crops, as had a plantation system reliant on slavery, particularly in the eastern half of the state. North Carolina reluctantly joined the Confederacy in the American Civil War in 1861. It rejoined the Union in 1868. In the late 1800’s, production of textiles and furniture became economic drivers in the state’s economy. While the Great Depression hit the state’s economy hard, New Deal policies for cotton and tobacco farming afterwards provided significant aid. After World War II, North Carolina’s economy grew significantly, and cities such as Raleigh, Durham, and Charlotte emerged as regional centers. Charlotte grew into a regional and ultimately, national center of banking and finance. The term “tar heel” has various possible origins, including the oil that burns out of pine trees which was used to coat and seal the bottoms of ships, as well as a reference to the steadfastness of the state’s troops during the American Civil War, who were alleged to have stuck to their positions as if they had tar on their heels.

The North Carolina Economy: Diverse Streams

North Carolina’s economy, though quite diverse today, has had some setbacks over time. Agriculture is a major economic driver, including poultry and eggs, tobacco, hogs, milk, nursery stock, cattle, and soybeans. Manufacturing is another major economic sector, which includes tobacco products, textile goods, chemical products, electric equipment, and machinery. Services are also a significant contributor, in the forms of education, financial services, and tourism. Research, particularly in the life sciences and high technology, has emerged as a major economic contributor to the North Carolina economy in the past several decades. Charlotte is the second largest financial center outside of New York in the United States.

Education: North Carolina Goes to School

North Carolina has an educated populace with educational attainment levels slightly below national averages. As of 2000, roughly 78% of its residents aged 25 and older had completed high school, and 23% had completed college. There are 127 institutions of higher education in North Carolina. Prominent among these is University of North Carolina system, which enrolls over 200,000 students across 16 campuses. Selected North Carolina branches include Chapel Hill, Charlotte, and Greensboro. Other selected institutions of higher learning in North Carolina include: Duke University, Elon University, Johnson & Wales University, and Wake Forest University.

The Crime Scene in North Carolina: Mixed

North Carolina has seen choppy crime activity over the past decade. Overall violent crime and other forms of crime have been stable for the past couple of years. Property crime in particular has spiked within the past few years. Fortunately, murders and violent crimes have been trending down this decade. However, burglary and forcible rape rates are near all-time highs. In 2006, North Carolina ranked 18th among U.S. states for violent crimes with 476 per 100,000 population.

The North Carolina Population – Growing, Fairly Balanced Politically

North Carolina has a population of 9.4 million. Its population has been growing steadily, at a rate of 1.5% per year in the past decade. It has been the fastest growing state east of the Mississippi River during that time. North Carolina generally has a history of splitting its elected officials among Democrats and Republicans. Among more than 4.2 million votes cast in the 2008 U.S. presidential election, North Carolina voters chose Democratic candidate Barack Obama over Republican candidate John McCain by a ratio of 50% to 49%.