North Carolina General Information Nickname: Tar Heel State State bird: Cardinal State bird/flower: Flowering Dogwood Capital: Raleigh Date of admission to the Union: 21st Nov 1789 (original 13 States; date of ratification of the Constitution) Population: 8,049,313 (2000) Population density: 57.7/sq km 2000 total overseas arrivals/US ranking: 416,000/16 Time: Eastern (GMT - 5). Daylight Saving Time is observed. The State: Natural attractions in North Carolina range from sandy beaches in the east to high mountain ranges in the west. Fringed by 480km (300 miles) of beaches, islands and inlets, the North Carolina coast is renowned for its fishing, boating and other recreational opportunities. The Heartland, often referred to as ‘the Piedmont’, is composed of gently rolling plains that host picturesque golf courses, lakes and farmland, as well as the state’s largest urban areas. Charlotte, the largest city, is a thriving convention and entertainment centre. The Outer Banks Barrier Islands along the coast include resorts, fishing villages and stretches of national seashore. Cape Hatteras National Seashore also boasts areas of undeveloped beach. Western North Carolina is bounded by two ranges of the southern Appalachians, the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Great Smoky Mountains, with peaks exceeding 1800m (6000ft). Other attractions include Raleigh, with its fine architecture and cultural centres and the Qualla Boundary Cherokee Indian Reservation. Travel - International AIR: International airports: Charlotte/Douglas International Airport (CLT) (website: www.charlotteairport.com), 13km (8 miles) west of Charlotte, offers direct domestic and international services to more than 150 cities with over 500 daily flights. The Carolina Transportation Airport Express shuttle service operates to the uptown area, major hotels and most business districts. Car hire and fixed-fare taxis are also available. Raleigh/Durham International Airport (RDU) (website: www.rdu.com) is situated 6km (4 miles) from the Research Triangle Park and serves ten million passengers a year. The Raleigh/Durham Shuttle leaves every 30 minutes to the city centre. RAIL: A number of Amtrak (tel: (800) 872 7245 (toll free); website: www.amtrak.com) routes pass through the State, including three daily New York–Miami ‘Silver Service’ trains (one of which stops in Raleigh) and the New York–New Orleans ‘Crescent’, which stops at Charlotte. The ‘Piedmont’ provides a daily round-trip passenger train service from Raleigh to Charlotte, while the ‘Carolinian’ makes a day trip from Charlotte to Raleigh possible. The latter train continues on to Washington, DC, and New York City. ROAD: North Carolina has a good road network of highways and scenic byways allowing easy access to all parts of the State. Interstate 40 is the major east–west artery, crossing the State from Wilmington on the Atlantic Coast to the Great Smoky Mountains via Raleigh, Durham and Winston-Salem; the I-85 links it with Charlotte. A State-wide system of designated Bicycling Highways covers 4830km (3000 miles) of roads. Approximate bus travel times: From Raleigh to Durham is 35 minutes, to Chapel Hill is 1 hour 20 minutes, to Richmond is 3-4 hours, and to North Charleston is 8 hours. From Durham to Chapel Hill is 35 minutes, and to Washington, DC is 6 hours. From Asheville to Charlotte is 3 hours, to Knoxville is 3 hours, and to Atlanta is 7 hours. URBAN: The Triangle Transit Authority (website: www.ridetta.org) provides a bus service between the metropolitan areas of Raleigh, Durham, Cary and Chapel Hill. Introduction OUTER BANKS REGION: This region was selected as the site for the first English colony in America, but the attempt failed. This important part of North Carolina’s history is recreated every year in an outdoor play, The Lost Colony, performed from June to August. Outer Banks was also where the Wright brothers made the first powered flight in 1903, commemorated at the Wright Brothers Memorial at Kitty Hawk. Today, the Outer Banks offers beach resorts and magnificent wildlife reserves in the south. Attractions along the Cape Hatteras National Seashore include the Outer Banks ponies, Bodie Island and the Hatteras lighthouses which are among the oldest in the country. A few miles inland, America’s past is revealed in the historic Albemarle region, in which the towns of Halifax, Edenton, Washington and Bath are located. New Bern is the State’s first capital and second-oldest town. The restored Tryon Palace and surrounding buildings transport visitors back to the 18th century. Also in New Bern is the Fireman’s Museum, formed by the two oldest continuously operated fire companies in the USA. Included in the exhibits is ‘Fire Horse Fred’, who pulled the fire-hose wagon for 17 years. He died in 1925 while pulling the fire wagon to a false alarm. A 40-minute drive from New Bern is the Crystal Coast area, which includes the deep-sea port of Morehead City, the historic waterfront town of Beaufort and many beautiful beaches. Wilmington is North Carolina’s largest seaport. The Cotton Exchange, a 19th-century structure converted into shops and boutiques, once exported more cotton than any other port in the world. Across the river sits the USS North Carolina Battleship Memorial, a World War II battleship. Her story is told on summer nights in ‘The Immortal Showboat’, a spectacular sound and light show. HEARTLAND REGION: The State capital, Raleigh, is a relaxed, historic town with a thriving arts community. It is the home of the nation’s first State symphony and museum of art: the North Carolina Museum of Art has eight galleries with works by Rubens, Monet, Botticelli and Raphael. Other attractions include the North Carolina Museum of History and the Museum of Natural Sciences. Chapel Hill is the setting for the University of North Carolina, the oldest State-supported institution in the country. North Carolina Botanical Gardens contain almost every plant found in the State, and the Morehead Planetarium is where more than 100 of America’s astronauts trained before venturing into space. Durham, known as ‘The City of Medicine’, is the home of the world-famous Research Triangle Park and Duke University with its lovely chapel and gardens. Other attractions include Bennett Place, site of the largest surrender of the Civil War, the Tobacco Museum and the historic Stagville Center. Charlotte is the State’s largest city and is rich in commerce and industry. Discovery Place features hands-on exhibits of science and technology for all ages. The State’s biggest theme park, Carowinds, lies ten minutes south of Charlotte. It pays tribute to the film Wayne’s World with a white-knuckle ride called Hurler. CAROLINA MOUNTAINS: To the west are the magnificent North Carolina Mountains, including Mount Mitchell (2040m/6684ft), the highest peak in Eastern America. Two hundred peaks in the Appalachian Mountain chain reach more than a mile high. A great way to see the area is along the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway which winds along the spine of the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains. Within easy reach of the parkway are numerous small mountain towns. Tweetsie Railroad has a steam locomotive that carries passengers through mountain passes and a frontier village. The parkway also leads to Asheville, where George Vanderbilt’s elaborate 225-room Biltmore Estate is located. The estate includes a winery with a visitor centre, tasting room and shop where bottles of the local vintage are sold. Grove Park Inn Resort is also situated nearby. The list of people who have stayed at this high-class hotel includes Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D Roosevelt and F Scott Fitzgerald. Social Profile Food & Drink: Numerous festivals are held annually in North Carolina in honour of favourite foods, including apples, watermelons, seafood, turkey, pickles and collard greens. (See Special Events below for further details of food festivals). Local specialities include sweet potato pie, fried okra and buttered lima beans. Other dishes that regularly feature on menus in North Carolina include roast chicken with pecans, country ham with red-eye gravy and chocolate pecan torte with whipped cream. Seafood lovers should head for Calabash, which locals boast is ‘the seafood capital of the world’. Barbecues are also very popular, particularly in Lexington, North Carolina’s barbecue capital, which has more barbecue restaurants per capita than any other area in the country. Barbecue sauce is an often keenly debated subject. Eastern Carolina BBQ features a vinegar-based sauce, while western North Carolinians use a tomato-based sauce. Barbecue is often served with coleslaw, hush puppies and baked beans. Theatre & Concerts: North Carolina’s State theatre, the Flat Rock Playhouse, is the oldest professional summer theatre in the State and its Vagabond Players are rated as one of the best summer stock theatre companies in the country. The Brevard Music Center, near Flat Rock, offers a summer season in which guest artists perform more than 50 different concerts. Nightlife: Student bars dominate the university towns of Durham, Raleigh and Chapel Hill; top rock bands appear at the Cat’s Cradle club in Carroboro. Charlotte offers a wide range of entertainment, including the popular Jazz Charlotte Festival in the second week of September. Shopping: North Carolina’s aquariums offer workshops for coastal crafts and include shops selling unusual gifts. They are located in Manteo on Roanoke Island, Kure Beach and Pine Knoll Shores. Brevard is also popular for its many craft centres and shops. The world’s largest furniture market is located in High Point near Winston-Salem. Concord Mills, just north of Charlotte, has over 200 outlet and speciality shops, restaurants and a 24-screen cinema. Sport: The dirt-track racing in Wayne County, sports car racing at the Chimney Rock Hill Climb, drag racing at Fayetteville International Dragway, and NASCAR races at Charlotte Motor Speedway, are just some of the exciting motorsports events in the State. Pinehurst is recognised as the centre of golf in North Carolina but there are more than 600 courses spread across the State, including Oyster Bay, Marsh Harbor, Lockwood Folly, Sea Trail, Brick Landing and The Pearl. Other popular sporting activities include cycling, horseriding, tennis, watersports and archery. Special Events: The following is just a sample of events taking place in 2003: Apr North Carolina Renaissance Faire, Raleigh; North Carolina Azalea Festival, Wilmington; Ham & Yam Festival, Smithfield; North Carolina Pickle Festival, Mt Olive, Faison; Civil War Re-enactment at Stonewall Manor, Rocky Mount. May Harambee Festival (African-American celebration), Rocky Mount; Strawberry Festival & Craft Show, Concord. Jun Big Rock Blue Marlin Fishing Tournament (one-week long event, one of the largest tournaments of its kind), Morehead City; Tar Heel Regatta, Lake Wheeler; Tar River Fest, Rocky Mount. Jun-Jul Eastern Music Festival, Greensboro. Jun-Aug The Lost Colony Outdoor Drama (focusing on the the first English settlers), Fort Raleigh National Historic Site. Jul Piedmont Berry Festival, Dobson; North Carolina Watermelon Festival, Murfreesboro; Candor Peach Festival, Candor. Aug Corolla Seafood Festival; Sneads Ferry Annual Shrimp Festival, Sneads Ferry. Sep Hardee’s Atlantic Beach King Mackerel Tournament, Atlantic Beach; Bald is Beautiful (contest includes shiniest and most beautiful heads), Morehead City; Annual North Carolina Apple Festival, Hendersonville; North Carolina Grape Stompin’ Festival, Rosehill; Rocky Mount Fair, Rocky Mount; North Carolina Turkey Festival, Raeford; Lincoln County Apple Festival, Lincolnton; Jazz Festival (second week of September), Charlotte. Oct The Barbecue Festival, Lexington; Annual Woolly Worm Festival, Banner Elk; North Carolina Seafood Festival, Morehead City; Peanut Festival, Edenton; Brushy Mountain Apple Festival, North Wilkesboro; Annual North Carolina Oyster Festival, Shallotte; International Festival, Raleigh; North Carolina State Fair, Raleigh. Nov Community Thanksgiving Feast, Beaufort; Annual Holiday Bazaar, Rocky Mount. Dec Festival of Lights, Greensboro; Christmas at Stonewall, Rocky Mount. Climate North Carolina has a moderate climate with an average year-round temperature of 61°F (16°C). Climate varies sharply with altitude, so the State’s Atlantic coastline is naturally warmer than the mountains in the west. Copyright © 2003 Columbus Publishing Ltd.