20 Fun & Interesting Facts about North Carolina

1. The single oldest university in the United States is located in Chapel Hill North Carolina It was first created in 1697 several years after the new colony was established.

2. The first ever flight by airplane was made by the wright brothers over Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. They flew over the water for more than a minute.

3. North Carolina is at the foot hills of the smoky Mountains. Over the years, they have been known to make some of the best furniture in the world by hand. As a result of this attention to detail in their work High Point, North Carolina has become known as the Furniture capital of the world.

4. During the reign of Black Beard the pirate the city of Fish town was frequented by his band of merry thieves, to steal the customs tax from the collectors as they left or came into port.

5. Many of the beaches along the coast have been protected areas of North Carolina since its inception. Making them some of the most pristine beaches in the country.

6. Waterfalls along the east coast are numerous. None, are more numerous than in North Carolina the highest waterfall in the eastern US is located in North Carolina.

7. One of the most massive under takings in the U.S was for cape Hatteras Light house. It had to be moved before erosion of the land beneath it made it impossible.

8. North Carolina is known as the “Tarheels” in the university sports arenas. It came from the amount of tar that is found in North Carolina when someone saw a set if footprints in there and the name just stuck.

9. The largest airbase in the nation dedicated to the Marines is in Cherry point North Carolina.

10. The official state vegetable is the Sweet potato. The sweet potato is the largest vegetable produced in North Carolina and was approved after multiple petitions were received by the general assembly by grade school children calling for its inclusion into state history.

11. The North Carolina coast is full of fresh seafood every year. The largest seafood festival in the nation is celebrated every year on the first weekend in October.

12. North Carolina is home to Cape fear. It got its name because of the tremendous storms that have come upon the little inlet. Many ships have shipped wrecked on this little area of land.

13. The battle ship North Carolina that was active during World War II was decommissioned and is now on display at the dock on cape Fear. The ship was originally going to be scrapped in the 1960s until North Carolina stepped up to save the ship.

14. The first colony to be set up in the new world was in Roanoke North Carolina. Walter Raleigh found the colony. The colony simple vanished after a resupply shipped returned and found only the word creation scrawled on to a tree.

15. Mount Mitchell is the largest mountain on the east coast. It towers over 7000 feet into the air and is enjoyed by many amateur rock climbers.

16. The southern delicious donuts made by crispy cream were first served in Winston Salem.

17. One of the most unusual plants on earth that eats insects, is the Venus fly trap. It is native to North Carolina and can still be found in the wild around Hampstead.

18. The idea of reducing a full size golf course was first thought of by a Fayetteville, North Carolina native

19. One of the most popular sports stars of our time Babe Ruth hit his first home run in Fayetteville, North Carolina in November 17, 1914 in a game against the pirates.

20. Raleigh is home to the first state owned natural museum of art.