North Carolina is a southern state in the United States. North Carolina is one of the thirteen colonies that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution. It 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. It was named in honor of King Charles I of England.

The USS North Carolina was named in honor of this state.

Contents [showhide]
1 History

2 Law and Government

2.1 Executive branch
2.2 Legislative branch
2.3 Judicial branch

3 Geography

4 Economy

5 Demographics

6 Important cities and towns

7 Education

7.1 Colleges and universities

8 Professional sports teams

9 Miscellaneous information

10 Also see

11 External links

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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 (208 km) wooden plank road, known as a "farmer's railroad," from Fayetteville in the east to Bethania (northwest of Winston-Salem).

In 1860 North Carolina was a slave state with a population of slightly less than 1 million, approximately one-third of whom were enslaved. There were also about 30,000 free blacks residing in the state. Somewhat divided on whether to support the North or the South in the Civil War, North Carolina was the last state to secede from the Union in 1861. Governor Ellis, leader of the state at the war's beginning in 1861, famously declared in response to President Lincoln's call for 75,000 troops to suppress the "rebellion" that "you can get no troops from North Carolina." However, under his leadership and that of his successor, Governor Zebulon Baird Vance of Asheville, elected in 1862, the Tar Heel State did provide 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. Although few major engagements took place in North Carolina itself, her troops served in virtually all the major battles of the Army of Northern Virginia. The largest battle that occurred in North Carolina was at Bentonville, a futile attempt by Confederate Gen. Joseph Johnston to slow Union Gen. Sherman's advance into the Carolinas in the spring of 1865. Gen. Johnston surrendered one of the largest Confederate armies near Durham in late April 1865, weeks after Gen. Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox, but the final surrender in North Carolina came at Waynesville in Western North Carolina in May, when remnants of Thomas' Cherokee Legion laid down their arms.

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. Recently, technology has become a driving force in the state, especially with the creation of the Research Triangle Park between Raleigh and Durham in the 1950's.

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.
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Law and Government
The capital of North Carolina is Raleigh and its governor is Mike Easley (Democrat). Its two U.S. senators are John Edwards (Democrat) and Elizabeth Dole (Republican).

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Executive branch
The governor, lieutenant governor, and eight elected department heads form the North Carolina Council of State; together with ten appointed department heads, they form the North Carolina Cabinet. The state's current governor is Democrat Mike Easley. See List of North Carolina Governors

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Legislative branch
The North Carolina General Assembly consists of two houses, a 50-member Senate and a 120-member House of Representatives. For the 2003-2004 session, the current President Pro Tempore is Democrat Marc Basnight; House co-speakers are Democrat James B. Black and Republican Richard T. Morgan.

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Judicial branch
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.

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Geography
Main article: Geography of North Carolina

See also List of North Carolina counties; List of cities in North Carolina; List of unincorporated communities in North Carolina.

The State of North Carolina is included between the parallels 34° and 36°30' north latitude, and between the meridians 75°30' and 84°30' west longitude.

A Rainy Day in the SmokiesIts western boundary is the crest of the Smoky Mountains, which, with the Blue Ridge, forms a part of the great Appalachian system, extending almost from the mouth of the Saint Lawrence River to the Gulf of Mexico; its eastern is the Atlantic Ocean. Its mean breadth from north to south is about one hundred miles (160 km); its extreme breadth is one hundred and eighty-eight miles (303 km). The extreme length of the State from east to west is five hundred miles (800 km). The area embraced within its boundaries is fifty-two thousand two hundred and eighty-six square miles (135,000 km²).

Major geographic features include the Blue Ridge Mountains in the west, the Piedmont region of the central portion of the state, the Coastal Plain, and Cape Fear, Cape Hatteras, and the Outer Banks off the eastern coast. These regions are roughly divided by their elevation, with the Coastal Plain extending to areas below 400 feet above sea level; the Piedmont encompassing those areas between 400 and 1,500 feet; and the Mountain region referring to areas from 1,500 feet to the highest Appalachian peaks at more than 6,000 feet.

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Economy
The state's 1999 total gross state product was $259 billion, placing it 12th in the nation. Its 2000 Per Capita Personal Income was $27,194, 30th in the nation. North Carolina's agricultural outputs are poultry and eggs, tobacco, hogs, milk, nursery stock, cattle, and soybeans. Its industrial outputs are tobacco products, textile goods, chemical products, electric equipment, machinery, and tourism. North Carolina is also the largest film making state outside of California. Movie Studios are located in Shelby, Raleigh-Durham, Charlotte, and the most the most popular, EUE Screen Gems Studios in Wilmington. Some of the film/telelvision credits filmed there include: Dawson's Creek, One Tree Hill, Cape Fear, Maximum Overdrive, and The Crow.

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Demographics
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2003, North Carolina's population was estimated at 8,407,248 people.

The racial makeup of the state is:

70.2% White Non-Hispanic
21.6% Black
4.7% Hispanic
1.4% Asian
1.2% American Indian
1.3% are mixed race
The 5 largest ancestry groups in North Carolina are African American (21.6%), American (19.8%), English (13.2%), German (13.1%), Irish (10.2%).

The 5 largest religious denominations in North Carolina are Baptist (40%), Methodist (11%), Roman Catholic (9%), "Christian" (6%), Episcopalian (3%). 11% of the population is nonreligious.

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

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Important cities and towns
Asheville
Cary
Chapel Hill
Charlotte
Durham
Fayetteville
Gastonia
Greensboro
Greenville
High Point
Jacksonville
Raleigh (state capital)
Rocky Mount
Wilmington
Winston-Salem

Small towns/areas with interesting names:

Climax, North Carolina (in Guilford County, near Greensboro)
Lizard Lick, North Carolina (in Wake County, near Raleigh)
Soul City, North Carolina (in Warren County)
Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina (in Dare County)
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Education
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Colleges and universities
Barber-Scotia College
Barton College
Belmont Abbey College
Bennett College
Brevard College
Campbell University
Catawba College
Chowan College
Davidson College
Duke University
Elon 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 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 System:
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
Wake Forest University
Warren Wilson College
Wingate University

[edit]
Professional sports teams

Carolina Panthers, National Football League
Carolina Hurricanes, National Hockey League
Charlotte Bobcats, National Basketball Association 2004
Charlotte Sting, Women's National Basketball Association
Carolina Courage, Women's United Soccer Association (playing in Chapel Hill)
Minor League Baseball teams
Charlotte Knights (playing in South Carolina)
Durham Bulls
Kinston Indians
Winston-Salem Warthogs
Burlington Indians
Carolina Mudcats
Kannapolis Intimidators
Greensboro Grasshoppers
Asheville Tourists
Hickory Crawdads

[edit]
Miscellaneous information
North Carolina State Symbols
North Carolina Award
List of individuals executed in North Carolina
List of television stations in North Carolina
List of radio stations in North Carolina
[edit]
Also see
North Carolina communities
North Carolina subcategories
[edit]
External links
http://www.ncgov.com
US Census Bureau (http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/37000.html)

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "North Carolina".

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