North Carolina

North Carolina
Nickname(s)
The Tarheel State, The Old North State
Motto(s)
Esse quam videri[a] "To be, rather than to seem"
Anthem: "The Old North State"[1]
Map of the United States with North Carolina highlighted
Map of the United States with North Carolina highlighted
CountryUnited States
Before statehoodProvince of North Carolina
Admitted to the UnionNovember 21, 1789 (12th)
CapitalRaleigh
Largest cityCharlotte
Largest county or equivalentWake
Largest metro and urban areasCharlotte
Government
 • GovernorRoy Cooper (D)
 • Lieutenant GovernorMark Robinson (R)
LegislatureGeneral Assembly
 • Upper houseSenate
 • Lower houseHouse of Representatives
JudiciaryNorth Carolina Supreme Court
U.S. senatorsThom Tillis (R)
Ted Budd (R)
U.S. House delegation
  • 7 Republicans
  • 7 Democrats
(list)
Area
 • Total53,819.16 sq mi (139,391.0 km2)
 • Land48,617.91 sq mi (125,919.8 km2)
 • Water5,201.25 sq mi (13,471.2 km2)  9.66%
 • Rank28th
Dimensions
 • Length500[2] mi (804 km)
 • Width184 mi (296 km)
Elevation
700 ft (210 m)
Highest elevation6,684 ft (2,037 m)
Lowest elevation
(Atlantic Ocean[3])
0 ft (0 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total10,439,388
 • Rank9th
 • Density214.72/sq mi (82.90/km2)
  • Rank14th
 • Median household income
$52,752[4]
 • Income rank
39th
Demonym(s)North Carolinian (official);
Tarheel (colloquial)
Language
 • Official languageEnglish[5]
 • Spoken languageAs of 2010[6]
  • English 90.70%
  • Spanish 6.93%
  • Other 2.73%
Time zoneUTC– 05:00 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC– 04:00 (EDT)
USPS abbreviation
NC
ISO 3166 codeUS-NC
Traditional abbreviationN.C.
Latitude33° 50′ N to 36° 35′ N
Longitude75° 28′ W to 84° 19′ W
Websitewww.nc.gov
State symbols of North Carolina
List of state symbols
MottoEsse quam videri
("To be, rather than to seem")[a]
SloganFirst in Flight, First in Freedom (unofficial)
Song"The Old North State"
Living insignia
AmphibianPine Barrens tree frog
BirdCardinal
ButterflyEastern tiger swallowtail
Dog breedPlott Hound
FishRed drum
FlowerFlowering dogwood
InsectWestern honey bee
MammalEastern gray squirrel
MarsupialVirginia opossum
ReptileEastern box turtle
TreePine
Inanimate insignia
BeverageMilk
Color(s)Red and blue
DanceCarolina shag
FoodScuppernong grape and sweet potato
FossilMegalodon teeth
GemstoneEmerald
MineralGold
RockGranite
ShellScotch bonnet
OtherMarbled salamander (salamander)
State route marker
Route marker
State quarter
North Carolina quarter dollar coin
Released in 2001
Lists of United States state symbols

North Carolina (/ˌkærəˈlnə/ KARR-ə-LIE-nə) is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina and Georgia to the south, and Tennessee to the west. The state is the 28th-largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. Along with South Carolina, it makes up the Carolinas region of the East Coast. At the 2020 census, the state had a population of 10,439,388.[7] Raleigh is the state's capital and Charlotte is its largest city. The Charlotte metropolitan area, with an estimated population of 2,805,115 in 2023,[8] is the most-populous metropolitan area in North Carolina, the 22nd-most populous in the United States, and the largest banking center in the nation after New York City.[9] The Raleigh-Durham-Cary, NC, Metropolitan Statistical Area, with an estimated population of 1,509,231 in 2023, is the second-largest metropolitan area in the state and 41st-most populous in the United States,[8] and is home to the largest research park in the United States, Research Triangle Park.

The earliest evidence of human occupation in North Carolina dates back 10,000 years, found at the Hardaway Site. North Carolina was inhabited by Carolina Algonquian, Iroquoian, and Siouan speaking tribes of Native Americans prior to the arrival of Europeans. King Charles II granted eight lord proprietors a colony they named Carolina after the king and which was established in 1670 with the first permanent settlement at Charles Town (Charleston). Because of the difficulty of governing the entire colony from Charles Town, the colony was eventually divided and North Carolina was established as a royal colony in 1729 and was one of the Thirteen Colonies. The Halifax Resolves resolution adopted by North Carolina on April 12, 1776, was the first formal call for independence from Great Britain among the American Colonies during the American Revolution.[10]

On November 21, 1789, North Carolina became the 12th state to ratify the United States Constitution. In the run-up to the American Civil War, North Carolina declared its secession from the Union on May 20, 1861, becoming the tenth of eleven states to join the Confederate States of America. Following the Civil War, the state was restored to the Union on July 4, 1868.[11] On December 17, 1903, Orville and Wilbur Wright successfully piloted the world's first controlled, sustained flight of a powered, heavier-than-air aircraft at Kitty Hawk in North Carolina's Outer Banks. North Carolina often uses the slogan "First in Flight" on state license plates to commemorate this achievement, alongside a newer alternative design bearing the slogan "First in Freedom" in reference to the Mecklenburg Declaration and Halifax Resolves.

North Carolina is defined by a wide range of elevations and landscapes. From west to east, North Carolina's elevation descends from the Appalachian Mountains to the Piedmont and Atlantic coastal plain. North Carolina's Mount Mitchell at 6,684 ft (2,037 m) is the highest point in North America east of the Mississippi River.[12] Most of the state falls in the humid subtropical climate zone; however, the western, mountainous part of the state has a subtropical highland climate.[13]


Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).

  1. ^ "Chapter 149". Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  2. ^ "North Carolina Climate and Geography". NC Kids Page. North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State. May 8, 2006. Archived from the original on November 4, 2006. Retrieved November 7, 2006.
  3. ^ a b "Elevations and Distances in the United States". United States Geological Survey. 2001. Archived from the original on October 15, 2011. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
  4. ^ "Median Annual Household Income". The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  5. ^ "State language". Ncga.state.nc.cus. p. § 145–12. Retrieved May 23, 2016. (a) Purpose. English and Spanish are the most common languages of the people of the United States of America and the State of North Carolina. This section is intended to preserve, protect and strengthen the English language, and not to supersede any of the rights guaranteed to the people by the Constitution of the United States or the Constitution of North Carolina. (b) English as the Official Language of North Carolina. English is the official language of the State of North Carolina.[permanent dead link]
  6. ^ "North Carolina". Modern Language Association. Archived from the original on June 4, 2013. Retrieved August 11, 2012.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference 2020CensusQuickFacts was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference PopEstCBSA was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Roberts, Deon (November 15, 2018). "Charlotte regains its place as No. 2 U.S. banking center. Will it keep it?". The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on November 21, 2018. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
  10. ^ The Halifax Resolves and the Declaration of Independence Archived May 2, 2021, at the Wayback Machine. National Park Service. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
  11. ^ Richter, William Lee (2009). The A to Z of the Civil War and Reconstruction. Lanham: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-6336-1. OCLC 435767707.
  12. ^ "Mount Mitchell State Park". Archived from the original on November 20, 2010. Retrieved November 7, 2010.
  13. ^ "Western North Carolina Weather and Climate Information". www.hikewnc.info. Retrieved September 22, 2022.