North Carolina is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southern region of the United States of America. It was one of the original Thirteen Colonies, originally known as Carolina, and the home of the first English colony in the Americas. On 20 May 1861, it became the last of the Confederate states to secede from the Union, and was readmitted on 4 July 1868. It was also the location of the first successful powered heavier-than-air flight by the Wright brothers at Kill Devil Hills near Kitty Hawk in 1903. Today, it is a fast-growing state with an increasingly diverse economy and population. As of 1 July 2006, the population estimate is 8,856,505 - a 10% increase since 1 April 2000.
University of North Carolina System:
Appalachian State University
East Carolina University
Elizabeth City State University
Fayetteville State University
North Carolina A&T State University
North Carolina Central University
North Carolina School of the Arts
North Carolina State University
University of North Carolina at Asheville
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
University of North Carolina at Pembroke
University of North Carolina at Wilmington
Western Carolina University
Winston-Salem State University
Private and Public Liberal Arts Colleges:
Barton College
Belmont Abbey College
Bennett College
Brevard College
Catawba College
Davidson College
Elon University
Guilford College
Lenoir-Rhyne College
Mars Hill College
Meredith College
Montreat College
Mount Olive College
North Carolina School of the Arts
North Carolina Wesleyan College
Peace College
Salem College
University of North Carolina at Asheville
Warren Wilson College
Private Colleges and Universities:
Barber-Scotia College
Bennett College
Campbell University
Chowan University
Duke University
Gardner-Webb University
Greensboro College
High Point University
John Wesley College
Johnson C. Smith University
Lees-McRae College
Livingstone College
Louisburg College
Methodist University
Peace College
Pfeiffer University
Piedmont Baptist College
Queen's University
Roanoke Bible College
St. Andrews Presbyterian College
St. Augustine's College
School of Communication Arts
Shaw University
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
Wake Forest University
Wingate University
North Carolina Community College System:
Alamance Community College
Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College
Beaufort County Community College
Bladen Community College
Blue Ridge Community College
Brunswick Community College
Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute
Cape Fear Community College
Carteret Community College
Catawba Valley Community College
Central Carolina Community College
Central Piedmont Community College
Cleveland Community College
College of the Albemarle
Coastal Carolina Community College
Craven Community College
Davidson County Community College
Durham Technical Community College
Edgecombe Community College
Fayetteville Technical Community College
Forsyth Technical Community College
Gaston College
Guilford Technical Community College
Halifax Community College
Haywood Community College
Isothermal Community College
James Sprunt Community College
Johnston Community College
Lenoir Community College
Martin Community College
Mayland Community College
McDowell Technical Community College
Mitchell Community College
Montgomery Community College
Nash Community College
Pamlico Community College
Piedmont Community College
Pitt Community College
Randolph Community College
Richmond Community College
Roanoke-Chowan Community College
Robeson Community College
Rockingham Community College
Rowan-Cabarrus Community College
Sandhills Community College
Sampson Community College
South Piedmont Community College
Southeastern Community College
Southwestern Community College
Stanly Community College
Surry Community College
Tri-County Community College
Vance-Granville Community College
Wake Technical Community College
Wayne Community College
Western Piedmont Community College
Wilkes Community College
Wilson Technical Community College
The first franchise from a major professional sports league to be created in North Carolina were the NBA's Charlotte Hornets, which began play in the 1987-1988 NBA season. North Carolina remains without a Major League Baseballannounced team despite numerous efforts to attract a team to the state (including the 2006 push to relocate the Florida Marlinsto Charlotte). North Carolina lacks its own team, and only one neighboring state (equally sized Georgia) has a team, the Atlanta Braves.
On June 19, 2006, the Carolina Hurricanes, a National Hockey League franchise based in Raleigh, won the Stanley Cup. The Hurricanes are the first professional sports team from North Carolina to win their sport's highest championship. Home games are played in the RBC Center, which was named by the Royal Bank of Canada. The National Football League (NFL) is represented by the Carolina Panthers, who play home games in the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. The NBA is represented by the Charlotte Bobcats; home games are played in the Charlotte Bobcats Arena in Charlotte. The Carolina Railhawks are a men's professional soccer team in the United Soccer Leagues, due to compete in their first season in 2007. Home field is the SAS Stadium in Cary. North Carolina was home to the now defunct AFL teams the Charlotte Rage from 1992 to 1996 and the Carolina Cobras from 2000 to 2004. The Rage's home games were played in the Charlotte Coliseum. The Cobras' home games were played in the RBC Center from 2000 to 2002. They then moved to the Charlotte Coliseum until being terminated by the league. The National Indoor Football League (NIFL) is represented by the Fayetteville Guard who plays at Crown Coliseum.
The state is also a center of American motorsports, with more than 80% of NASCAR racing teams and related industries located in the Piedmont region. The largest race track in North Carolina is the Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina where the NASCAR's Nextel Cup holds three major races each year. NASCAR recently began construction on the NASCAR Hall of Fame will open late 2008 in Uptown Charlotte. There are also many motocross and off-road races in North Carolina. Many of NASCAR's most famous driver dynasties, the Pettys, Earnhardts, Allisons, Jarretts and Waltrips all live within an hour of Charlotte.
North Carolinians enjoy outdoor recreation utilizing numerous local bike paths, 34 state parks, and 14 national parks, including:
Appalachian National Scenic Trail
Blue Ridge Parkway
Cape Hatteras National Seashore
Cape Lookout National Seashore
Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site at Flat Rock
Croatan National Forest in Eastern North Carolina
Fort Raleigh National Historic Site at Manteo
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Guilford Courthouse National Military Park in Greensboro
Moores Creek National Battlefield near Currie
Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail
Trail of Tears National Historic Trail
Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina
Uwharrie National Forest
Due to geography, rich history, and growing industry, North Carolina provides a large range of recreational activities from swimming at the beach to skiing in the mountains. North Carolina offers fall colors, freshwater and saltwater fishing, hunting, birdwatching, agritourism, ATV trails, ballooning, rock climbing, biking, hiking, skiing, boating and sailing, camping, canoeing, caving (spelunking), gardens, and arboretums. North Carolina has theme parks, aquariums, zoos, museums, historic sites, lighthouses, elegant theaters, concert halls, and fine dining.
Disclaimer:
While every care has been taken in preparing this travel information for travelers, neither INeedAHotel.com, LLC nor its agents or employees including any member of the INeedAHotel.com, LLC staff, can accept liability for injury, loss or damage arising in respect of any statement contained therein.
|
 Additional Reading:
|
Easily book online or call toll free 1-800-594-3541
