- Krispy Kreme Doughnuts was founded in Winston-Salem.
- Winston-Salem was created when the two towns Winston and Salem combined. The first English colony in America was located on Roanoke Island.
- The first English child born in America was Virginia Dare in 1587 in Roanoke, North Carolina.
- The first silver mine discovered in the United States was the Silver Hill Mine in 1838 near Lexington, NC.
- The first gold nugget found in the United States was found at Reed Mine in Cabarrus County, NC in 1799.
- The University of North Carolina, which opened in 1795, is the oldest state university in the United States.
- Bechtler Mint in Rutherford County, NC was the first mint in the United States to coin a gold dollar.
- Albemarle Sound in North Carolina is the largest freshwater sound in the world.
- Murphy, North Carolina’s westernmost county, is closer to six other state capitals than it is to Raleigh, North Carolina’s capital.
- Richard Jordan Gatling, inventor of the Gatling gun, was born in Hertford County in 1818.
- The Tryon Daily Bulletin of Tryon, NC claims to be the world’s smallest daily newspaper.
- There are 43 mountain peaks in North Carolina that exceed 6,000 feet in elevation, and 82 peaks that exceed 5,000 feet.
- Snow has been recorded on Mount Mitchell, the highest peak in eastern America at 6,684 feet above sea level, in every month of the year.
- In addition to the Blue Ridge, there are five other mountain ranges in North Carolina: Black Mountains, Balsam Mountains, Pisgah Mountains, New Found Mountains, and the Great Smoky Mountains.
- Only one county in the entire United States boasts a range of mountains all its own. Stokes County is home to the Sauratown Mountains named for the Saura Indians who once lived in the area.
- The North Carolina Appalachians comprise of the oldest mass of mountains in America which have never been submerged or subjected to glacier erosion.
- Thirty-two of North Carolina’s 100 counties were organized before the Revolutionary War.
- Oregon Inlet and Hatteras Inlet were both created during a severe hurricane in September 1846.
- The old Cape Hatteras Lighthouse was the first structure for which the United States Congress ever appropriated money.
- Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is the tallest lighthouse in the United States.
- Pepsi-Cola was invented in 1896 in New Bern, North Carolina by Caleb D. Bradham.
- The Wright Brothers made the first successful powered flight at Kill Devil Hills in 1903.
- Whitewater Falls in Transylvania County is the highest waterfall in the eastern United States.
- On-air personality Charles Kuralt was born and raised in Wilmington, NC.
- North Carolina is the largest producer of sweet potatoes in the nation.
- The Venus Fly-Trap is native to Hampstead, NC.
- The first miniature golf course was built in Fayetteville, NC.
- Babe Ruth hit his first professional home run in Fayetteville, NC on March 7, 1914.
- With over 250 room, the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC is America’s largest private home.
- At 480 feet, Fontana Dam in Graham County s the tallest dam in the Eastern United States.
- Beech Mountain is eastern America’s highest town at 5,506 feet above sea level.
- Arnold Palmer honed his golfing skills at Wake Forest University.
- Hiram Rhoades Revels, born in Fayetteville in 1822, was the first African-American member of the United States Congress.
- Saluda, NC is located at the crest of the steepest standard gauge mainline railroad in the United States.
- North Carolina is the birthplace of three United States presidents: Andrew Jackson – Waxsaw, NC (7th), James Polk – Mecklenburg County, NC (11th) and Andrew Johnson – Raleigh, NC (17th).
- Bath is the oldest North Carolina town – incorporated in 1705.
- North Carolina has the largest state-maintained highway system in the United States maintaining 77,400 miles of roads.
- Jockey’s Ridge is the tallest natural sand dune in the eastern United States.
North Carolina Data:
- Capital: Raleigh
- Population: 8,186,268 (2001 Census Bureau Estimate)
- Area: 48,718 square miles
- Largest County (Population): Mecklenburg (716,407 people in 2001)
- Largest County (Area): Robeson (948.9 square miles)
- Entered the Union: November 21, 1789 (12th state)
- Nickname: The Old North State/The Tarheel State
- Motto: "Esse Quam Videri" ("To Be Rather Than To Seem")
- Song: "The Old North State" by Judge William Gaston
- Flower: Dogwood
- Tree: Pine
- Bird: Cardinal
- Shell: Scotch Bonnet
- Fish: Channel bass
- Insect: Honey Bee
- Colors: Blue and Red
- Rock: Granite
- Vegetable: Sweet Potato
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