NORTH CAROLINA THE OLD NORTH STATE North North Carolina is a mix of old and new It has unmistakable Southern roots Its people are friendly and polite and they share a love of BBQ cooking basketball and slow meanders through Appalachian Mountain forests But the modern world has come full force to North Carolina In its central Piedmont region new computer and biotech companies plus many acclaimed universities have transformed the state into a high tech powerhouse It is one of the fastest growing states in the nation In 1629 England's King Charles I created an American colony called the Province of Carolina It was much larger than today's North Carolina It also covered the lands of modern South Carolina Georgia and several other Southern states In 1729 the colony was officially divided The southern lands were called South Carolina while the older northern settlements were called North Carolina That is why today it is nicknamed The Old North State The 1903 first flight of a heavier than air aircraft by the Wright brothers is remembered in Kill Devil Hills North Carolina NORTH CAROLINA
Completed in 1870 the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is the tallest brick lighthouse in America It is 198 feet 60 m tall has 269 steps and its light can be seen for more than 28 miles 45
NORTH CAROLINA QUICK FACTS Name North Carolina is named after England's King Charles I 1600 1649 The word Carolina is a form of the word Carolus which is a way of writing Charles in Latin State Capital Raleigh population 439 896 Date of Statehood November 21 1789 12th state Population 10 042 802 9th most populous state Area Total Land and Water 53 819 square miles 139 391 sq km 28ch largest state Largest City Charlotte population 809 958 Nicknames The Old North State The Tar Heel State Motto Esse quam videri To be rather than to seem State Bird Cardinal NORTH CAROLINA
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA State Flower Dogwood State Rock Granite State Tre Pine State Song The Old North State Highest Point Mount Mitchell 6 684 feet 2 037 m Lowest Point Atlantic Ocean O feet 0 m Average July High Temperature 88°F 31°C Mount Mitchell Record Hig Temperature 110°F 43°C in Fayetteville on August 21 1983 Atlantic Ocean Average January Low Temperature 29°F 2°C Record Low Temperature 34°F 37°C on Mount Mitchelon January 21 1985 Andrew Johnson Average Annual Precipitation 49 inches 124 cm Number of U S Senators 2 Number of U S Representatives 13 James Polk U S Presidents Born in North Carolina Andrew Johnson 1808 1875 James Polk 1795 1849 JoeTW NORTH U S Postal Service Abbreviation NC QUICK FACTS
