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Relocation
Strategies for a Successful Move
Relocation
FAQ's 1994
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Calling
North Carolina Home
The
State Bird and Flower
Cardinal
(chosen March 4, 1943)
The Cardinal is sometimes called the Winter Redbird because it is most
noticeable during the winter when it is the only "redbird" present.
A year-round resident of North Carolina, the Cardinal is one of the
most common birds in our gardens, meadows, and woodlands. The Cardinal
is a fine singer, and what is unusual is that the female sings as beautifully
as the male.
Dogwood
(designated 1941)
The Dogwood is one of the most prevalent trees in our state, found in
regions stretching from the mountains to the coast. Its white (and sometimes
pink) blooms appear in early spring and last into summer.
The
State Flag
(current version established March
9, 1885)
It is interesting to examine the
significance of the dates on North Carolina's flag. The first date,
"May 20, 1775," refers to the Mecklenberg Declaration of Independence,
although many speculate the authenticity of this particular document.
The second date is "April 12, 1776." This date commemorates the Halifax
Resolves, a document that places the Old North Sate in the very front
rank, both in point of time and in spirit, among those who demanded
unconditional freedom and absolute independence from any foreign power.
This document, which helps define the state's involvement in the American
Revolution, is one of the great landmarks in North Carolina History.
The
State Tree and Mammal
Long Leaf Pine
(designated 1963)
The pine is the most common of trees found in North Carolina. It is
also the most important tree in the history of our state. During the
colonial and early statehood periods, the pine was a vital part of North
Carolina's economy. Naval stores—tar, pitch, and turpentine—derived
from the pine were needed by merchants to supply the shipbuilding industry.
Gray
Squirrel (designated
1969)
The gray squirrel is a common inhabitant of most areas of North Carolina,
from natural wildlife havens to city parks and suburbs. During the fall
and winter months, the gray squirrel survives on a diet of hardwoods,
with acorns providing carbohydrates and proteins. In the spring and
summer, its diet consists of new growths and fruits supplemented by
early corn, peanuts, and insects.
The
State Insect
Honey Bee
(designated 1973)
This industrious creature is responsible for the annual production of
more than $2 million worth of honey in North Carolina. The honey bee's
greatest value, however, is its role as a major contributor to the pollination
of North Carolina's crops and flowering plants.
OTHER
OFFICIAL STATE EMBLEMS
- Motto:
Esse Quam Videri (to be rather
than to seem) (adopted
1893)
- Song:
"The Old North State"
(adopted 1927)
- Colors:
Red and Blue
(declared 1945)
- Shell:
Scotch Bonnet
(designated 1965)
- Salt
Water Fish: Channel Bass
(Red Drum) (designated
1971)
- Precious
Stone: Emerald
(designated 1973)
- Reptile:
Eastern Box Turtle
(designated 1979)
- Rock:
Granite (designated
1979)
- Beverage:
Milk (adopted
1987)
- Historic
Boat: Shad Boat
(adopted 1987)
- Dog:
Plott Hound
(adopted 1989)
Partial from: *Columbia Encyclopedia,
Sixth Edition, Copyright (c) 2003.
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North Carolina
Facts
The University of North Carolina Chapel Hill is the
oldest State University in the United States.
In 1903 the Wright Brothers made the first successful powered
flight by man at Kill Devil Hill near Kitty Hawk. The Wright
Memorial at Kitty Hawks now commemorates their achievement.
High Point is known as the Furniture Capital of the World.
Know as "Fish Town" in the early 1700's when Blackbeard frequented
the coast, "Beaufort Town" was established as a seaport with
the right to collect customs, in 1722.
The Outer Banks of NC hosts some of the most beautiful beaches
in the country.
Whitewater Falls in Transylvania County is the highest waterfall
in the eastern United States.
Cape Hatteras is the largest lighthouse ever to be moved due
to erosion problems.
The University of North Carolina's mascot, the Tarheels, is
a nickname for North Carolinians that supposedly came from the
days when NC produced a lot of tar, and someone saw a set of
footprints made by someone who had stepped in the tar.
Charles Karault was born and raised in Wilmington.
Havelock is home of Marine Base "Cherry Point." It is the largest
air base in the Marine Corps.
North Carolina is the largest producer of sweet potatoes in
the nation. Students at a Wilson County school petitioned the
North Carolina General Assembly for the establishment of the
sweet potato as the official state vegetable.
Harker's Island hosts the annual Core Sound Decoy Festival in
December.
Morehead City is home to the North Carolina Seafood Festival,
held the first weekend in October every year.
The World War II battleship 'North Carolina' is permanently
berthed on the Cape Fear River at Wilmington. She was saved
from the scrap heap in the 1960's by public subscription, including
donations of dimes by schoolchildren.
The first English colony in America was located on Roanoke Island.
Walter Raleigh founded it. The colony mysteriously vanished
with no trace except for the word "Croatoan" scrawled on a nearby
tree.
Mount Mitchell in the Blue Ridge Mountains is the highest peak
east of the Mississippi. It towers 6,684 feet above sea level.
Krispy Kreme Doughnut was founded in Winston-Salem.
The Venus Fly-Trap is native to Hampstead.
The first miniature golf course was built in Fayetteville.
Babe Ruth hit his first home run in Fayetteville on March 7,
1914.
Winston-Salem was created when the two towns Winston and Salem
combined.
The Biltmore Estate in Ashville is America's largest home, and
includes a 255-room chateau, an award-winning winery and extensive
gardens.
The first English child born in America was born in Roanoke
in 1587. Her name was Virginia Dare.
The Lost Colony Outdoor Drama in Albemarle commemorates the
birth of Virginia Dare. Scheduled to run just one year, it proved
so successful that it has played for nearly sixty consecutive
summers.
Fontana Dam is the tallest dam in the Eastern United States,
at 480 feet high.
Many people believe that North Carolina was the first state
to declare independence from England with the Mecklenburg Declaration
of 1775.
Grandfather Mountain, highest peak in the Blue Ridge, is the
only private park in the world designated by the United Nations
as an International Biosphere Reserve.
The Mile-High Swinging Bridge near Linville is 5,305 feet above
sea level. The bridge actually hangs about 80 feet above the
ground.
Pepsi was invented and first served in New Bern in 1898.
Beech Mountain is Eastern America's highest town at 5,506ft
above sea level.
Andrew Jackson, seventh President of the United States, was
born in the Waxsaws area on the border of North and South Carolina.
Arnold Palmer recognized as the player whose aggressive play
and winning personality raised golf to national attention, honed
his skills on the championship golf team of Wake Forest University.
James K. Polk, born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, was
the eleventh President of the United States.
Hiram Rhoades Revels, born in Fayetteville in 1822, was the
first African-American member of the United States Congress.
Andrew Johnson started his career as a tailor's apprentice in
Raleigh, North Carolina and rose to lead in the reuniting of
the nation as the seventeenth President of the United States.
North Carolina leads the nation in furniture, tobacco, brick,
and textile production.
Saluda, North Carolina is located at the top of the Saluda Grade.
The crest of the steepest standard gauge mainline railroad in
the United States.
State Motto: Esse quam videri (To be rather than to seem)
The town of Wendell town was named for the American writer,
Oliver Wendell Holmes.
The Swiss and German settlement of New Bern was named in honor
of the founder's home, Bern, Switzerland. When Bern, Switzerland
was founded, it was named by a group of hunters. They named
the city for the first animal they came upon on their hunting
expedition. It was a bear. "Bern" is the old Germanic word for
Bear, and the bear became the symbol of the city. It has been
adopted by New Bern, as well.
North Carolina was the first state in the nation to establish
a state museum of art in Raleigh.
North Carolina was one of the first states in the U.S. to establish
a state symphony. The North Carolina Symphony, founded in 1943,
currently performs nearly 185 full-orchestra concerts each year.
North Carolina has the largest state-maintained highway system
in the United States. The state's highway system currently has
77,400 miles of roads
The General Assembly of 1987 adopted milk as the official state
beverage.
The oldest town in the state is Bath, incorporated in 1705.
Located in northeastern North Carolina on the Albemarle-Pamlico
peninsula, Columbia is on the eastern shore of the Scuppernong
River. The Indians called the area "the place of the sweet bay
tree."
White Lake near Elizabethtown is very unique in that it has
a white sandy bottom and is blessed with crystal clear waters.
It has also been labeled as the "Nation's Safest Beach." It
is truly a child's paradise in that there are no currents, no
tides, no hazardous depressions or real dangers of any kind
to swimmers.
North Carolina has 1,500 lakes of 10 acres or more in size and
37,000 miles of fresh water streams
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