|
Tell me about North Carolina
We have been getting antsy again about living here in new england and are once again looking at the possibility of moving south. during my most recent job with fidelity, we found out they were opening an office in Raliegh, North Carolina, and we were wondering what people thought about it there, from anyone who has been, or better yet, lived there.
Not that I would be looking to work for fidelity again, but I am looking heavily at telecommuting jobs where it wont matter where I live. As I have mentioned before, the people in New Hampshire basically suck, at least around this part, and we are hoping that the people in the raliegh region are nicer (think nice friendly Paula Deen type people), but barring that, even if the people still sucked, its warmer and the cost of living is 17% lower than it is here. So anyone, wether you drove through or lived there, I would love to hear it. :) |
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. The first state owned art museum in the country is located in Raleigh. 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. 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." Babe Ruth hit his first professional home run in Fayetteville on March 7, 1914. 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. |
Ive been hiking there a long time ago. Real stunning scenery. A beautiful place. If you like that kinda away from civilization feel (depends on where in the state your planning on staying however.)
you'll like it. |
People with North Carolina connections who have contributed to the entertainment arts include:
ACTING Frances Bavier [1902-1989] (best known as "Aunt Bee" on the Andy Griffith Show) Ava Gardner [1922-1990] Kathryn Grayson [1921- ] Pam Grier [1949- ] Andy Griffith [1926- ] George Grizzard [1928- ] MUSIC Carol Brice [1918-1985] Contralto Shirley Caesar [1938- ] "Baby Shirley, the Gospel Singer" George Clinton [1941- ] Rhythm & Blues/Funk Songwriter, Singer and Bandleader John Coltrane [1926-1967] Jazz Saxophonist Libba Cotten [circa 1895-1987] Folk Singer Charlie Daniels [1936- ] Singer/Songwriter Mary Cardwell Dawson [1894-1962] Opera Director Donna Fargo [1949- ] Country Singer/Songwriter Roberta Flack [1940- ] Singer/Pianist "Blind Boy" Fuller [1908-1941] Bluesman Kay Kyser [1906-1985] Bandleader Clyde McPhatter [1933-1972] Rhythm & Blues Singer Ronnie Milsap [1944- ] Country Singer Thelonious Monk [1917-1982] Jazz Pianist Earl Scruggs [1924- ] Bluegrass Guitarist/Bandleader Nina Simone [1935-2003] Soul Singer James Taylor [1948- ] Singer/Songwriter Randy Travis [1959- ] Country Singer/Songwriter Doc [1923- ] and Merle [1949-1985] Watson Country Singers/Guitarists |
|
Wow... Newb's a regular NC genius! How many NCAA Basketball tourneys have the NC Tar Heels) won?
|
I have spent more time in the Winston-Salem area than Raleigh, but I think that the Raleigh-Durham area would be a nice place to live. The main downsides are going to be the summer heat/humidity and the greater prevalence of Jesus freaks from what you are probably used to.
My experience with the South is that people are much friendly here than in most other parts of the country but that it is a surface-level friendliness. It is common for people to make eye contact, smile, strike up a conversation, and appear genuinely interested in chatting at any opportunity. The thing is, native southerners have never been known for accepting those who didn't grow up in the South. Having said that, the good thing about the Raleigh-Durham area is that it has attracted many people from outside the South so it shouldn't be as restrictive in this way as many other areas. What is it about the people in New England you don't care for? I only ask because I've always wanted to visit that part of the country. The Maine/Vermont/New Hampshire area is one of the few regions I haven't been able to visit yet. |
If it's anything like South Carolina, then I hope you like country music because that was pretty much all they had on the radio all day long.
|
I have never been to Raleigh, but I have vacationed for 18 years in the Outer Banks of NC. I adore the Outer Banks, very nice beaches and not trashy at all. Some parts still have wild horses. Fishing and boating is popular there.
The winters are mild, and the summers are hot and humid. I would still say that you get four seasons though the summer will be the longest. I would think that the metropolitan status of Raleigh would be on par with your most populated city in NH. The south is known for their "southern hospitality" and most tend to be friendlier, but people are people. Wherever you go some people are rude and some are nice. It's just the way of things. Regardless, go to AAA, get a NC tourbook and go down there and see for yourself before you decide to move anywhere. It sounds like you just want to move out of NH, the country is a big place and there are more states than NC. Baltimore is wonderful. ;) |
I've spent a lot of time in Raleigh. It's really mellow, but the presence of the Universities makes for a vital music and arts scene. It is a surprisingly cosmopolitan city for its size.
There is also a great deal of television and film production going down in N.C. It isn't a bad place to try to get something going. I'd say go for it. Move. Change is good...actually it's great. Go for it. |
| All times are GMT -8. The time now is 04:59 PM. |