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North Carolina is a state in the southeast of the United States of America. One of the original states, it was home to the first English colony in the Americas. It was also the location of the first successful heavier than air flight when the Wright brothers' took off from the beach at Kitty Hawk in 1903.
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.
Regions
Mountains
The Appalachian mountain chain runs through the western part of the state, forming the lush landscape of the region. The Great Smoky Mountains in southwestern North Carolina are one of the country's top natural destinations, and visitors can enjoy 250 miles of the world-famous Blue Ridge Parkway winding through North Carolina's mountains. Mount Mitchell is the highest peak in the state, and at 6,684 feet, it is also the tallest mountain in the eastern United States.
Two-thirds of North Carolina's mountains are covered with hardwood forests, and in autumn, the over 120 species of trees put on a brilliant display of color. Some areas of the region see over 30 inches of snow a year, so skiing, snowboarding and other winter sports are popular activities. Summers are cool and refreshing with low humidity.
Coast
Warmed by the Gulf Stream, the North Carolina Coast is a sunny place filled with pristine beaches, giant sand dunes (including Jockey's Ridge, the highest along the East Coast) and wetlands filled with wildlife and a variety of plants. The defining characteristic of the area is the Outer Banks, a chain of fragile barrier islands - 130 miles of unspoiled coastline surrounded by 900 square miles of water.
The area is also full of history, dating back to the 16th century, when the first English settlement was built - and then vanished. There are also sites from pre-Revolutionary Days through the Civil War. Not to mention the historic lighthouses (including the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, which at 208 feet is the tallest brick lighthouse in the nation). The city of Wilmington is a major US seaport. And, in 1903 the Wright Brothers ushered in the era of flight at Kitty Hawk. The average annual temperature here is 63 degrees. The growing season lasts 295 days.
Piedmont
Covering nearly one half of North Carolina in the central part of the state, the Piedmont is an area of gently rolling foothills with the occasional boulder or unexpected rock outcropping. The Piedmont region boasts of one of the most dynamic economies in the United States and is home to the state's largest cities and biggest financial institutions. Renowned research universities, textile and furniture factories, tobacco farms, shopping meccas, top golf courses and abundant historic sites are also part of the makeup of the Piedmont.
Although the area enjoys four distinct seasons, temperatures are mild year round. The average wintertime temperature is about 42 degrees. In summer, it's 77 degrees. The area also enjoys sunshine for about 210 days a year.
Favorite Foods
North Carolinians enjoy eating and cooking so much that they hold festivals in honor of their favorite delicacies, such as apples and watermelons, seafood and turkey, even pickles and collard greens.
Pork is a basic fare, and Tar Heel cooks can prepare it in many delicious ways: sausage biscuits with grits, country ham with red eye gravy, livermush (in a sandwich or with eggs) and of course barbecue, or, as it is commonly spelled, BBQ.
BBQ is chopped pork slowly cooked so the hickory flavor is just right. But the key ingredient is the sauce, and the debate over which kind is best is intense and heated. Eastern Carolina BBQ features a vinegar-based sauce, while western North Carolinians use a tomato-based sauce. The city of Lexington––which features a Western variation––is considered the BBQ capital of the state.
In North Carolina, you'll find BBQ any way you like it, on a bun or as an entrée and served up with coleslaw, hushpuppies and baked beans.
On the Atlantic coast near the South Carolina line, there’s a fishing village called Calabash. It lends its name to a style of cooking known all along the Carolina coast, a laid-back, fill-the-stomach, easygoing manner of cooking and eating. From lean-to oyster shacks to fancy gourmet-style restaurants, the fresh oysters, clams, crabs, scallops and shrimp are generally fried to be called Calabash, but certain connoisseurs tell us seafood can be steamed or shucked and gobbled down raw with drawn butter, or broiled lightly and eaten with a squeeze of lemon juice. As a local states, “Calabash is a style of eating fresh seafood where you are – right here – however you like it.”
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.
Regions
Mountains
The Appalachian mountain chain runs through the western part of the state, forming the lush landscape of the region. The Great Smoky Mountains in southwestern North Carolina are one of the country's top natural destinations, and visitors can enjoy 250 miles of the world-famous Blue Ridge Parkway winding through North Carolina's mountains. Mount Mitchell is the highest peak in the state, and at 6,684 feet, it is also the tallest mountain in the eastern United States.
Two-thirds of North Carolina's mountains are covered with hardwood forests, and in autumn, the over 120 species of trees put on a brilliant display of color. Some areas of the region see over 30 inches of snow a year, so skiing, snowboarding and other winter sports are popular activities. Summers are cool and refreshing with low humidity.
Coast
Warmed by the Gulf Stream, the North Carolina Coast is a sunny place filled with pristine beaches, giant sand dunes (including Jockey's Ridge, the highest along the East Coast) and wetlands filled with wildlife and a variety of plants. The defining characteristic of the area is the Outer Banks, a chain of fragile barrier islands - 130 miles of unspoiled coastline surrounded by 900 square miles of water.
The area is also full of history, dating back to the 16th century, when the first English settlement was built - and then vanished. There are also sites from pre-Revolutionary Days through the Civil War. Not to mention the historic lighthouses (including the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, which at 208 feet is the tallest brick lighthouse in the nation). The city of Wilmington is a major US seaport. And, in 1903 the Wright Brothers ushered in the era of flight at Kitty Hawk. The average annual temperature here is 63 degrees. The growing season lasts 295 days.
Piedmont
Covering nearly one half of North Carolina in the central part of the state, the Piedmont is an area of gently rolling foothills with the occasional boulder or unexpected rock outcropping. The Piedmont region boasts of one of the most dynamic economies in the United States and is home to the state's largest cities and biggest financial institutions. Renowned research universities, textile and furniture factories, tobacco farms, shopping meccas, top golf courses and abundant historic sites are also part of the makeup of the Piedmont.
Although the area enjoys four distinct seasons, temperatures are mild year round. The average wintertime temperature is about 42 degrees. In summer, it's 77 degrees. The area also enjoys sunshine for about 210 days a year.
Favorite Foods
North Carolinians enjoy eating and cooking so much that they hold festivals in honor of their favorite delicacies, such as apples and watermelons, seafood and turkey, even pickles and collard greens.
Pork is a basic fare, and Tar Heel cooks can prepare it in many delicious ways: sausage biscuits with grits, country ham with red eye gravy, livermush (in a sandwich or with eggs) and of course barbecue, or, as it is commonly spelled, BBQ.
BBQ is chopped pork slowly cooked so the hickory flavor is just right. But the key ingredient is the sauce, and the debate over which kind is best is intense and heated. Eastern Carolina BBQ features a vinegar-based sauce, while western North Carolinians use a tomato-based sauce. The city of Lexington––which features a Western variation––is considered the BBQ capital of the state.
In North Carolina, you'll find BBQ any way you like it, on a bun or as an entrée and served up with coleslaw, hushpuppies and baked beans.
On the Atlantic coast near the South Carolina line, there’s a fishing village called Calabash. It lends its name to a style of cooking known all along the Carolina coast, a laid-back, fill-the-stomach, easygoing manner of cooking and eating. From lean-to oyster shacks to fancy gourmet-style restaurants, the fresh oysters, clams, crabs, scallops and shrimp are generally fried to be called Calabash, but certain connoisseurs tell us seafood can be steamed or shucked and gobbled down raw with drawn butter, or broiled lightly and eaten with a squeeze of lemon juice. As a local states, “Calabash is a style of eating fresh seafood where you are – right here – however you like it.”