ToyVoyagers - Travelling Toys - Little Things on Big Adventures

Hi Mom!!

Today I got on the computer and did a bunch of research on the state of North Carolina. I have prepared a big report for you to read about the Tarheel state!! I am having fun and a new TV arrived today named Holgihh. Now there is a big gang of us here in the house and we are having a great time! I hope you enjoy my report!!

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North Carolina is bordered by South Carolina on the south, Georgia on the southwest, Tennessee on the west, Virginia on the north, and the Atlantic Ocean on the east. The United States Census Bureau classifies North Carolina as a southern state in the subcategory of being one of the South Atlantic States.

North Carolina consists of three main geographic sections: the coastal plain, which occupies the eastern 45% of the state; the Piedmont region, which contains the middle 35%; and the Appalachian Mountains and foothills. The extreme eastern section of the state contains the Outer Banks, a string of sandy, narrow islands which form a barrier between the Atlantic Ocean and inland waterways. The Outer Banks form two sounds—Albemarle Sound in the north and Pamlico Sound in the south. They are the two largest landlocked sounds in the United States.

Immediately inland, the coastal plain is relatively flat, with rich soils ideal for growing tobacco, soybeans, melons, and cotton. The coastal plain is North Carolina's most rural section, with few large towns or cities. Agriculture remains an important industry. The major rivers of the coastal plain: the Neuse, Tar, Pamlico, and Cape Fear, tend to be slow-moving and wide.

The coastal plain transitions to the Piedmont region along the "fall line", a line which marks the elevation at which waterfalls first appear on streams and rivers. The Piedmont region of central North Carolina is the state's most urbanized and densely populated section - all five of the state's largest cities are located in the Piedmont. It consists of gently rolling countryside frequently broken by hills or low mountain ridges. A number of small, isolated, and deeply eroded mountain ranges and peaks are located in the Piedmont, including the Sauratown Mountains, Pilot Mountain, the Uwharrie Mountains, Crowder's Mountain, King's Pinnacle, the Brushy Mountains, and the South Mountains. The Piedmont ranges from about 300–400 feet (90–120 m) elevation in the east to over 1,000 feet (300 m) in the west. Due to the rapid population growth of the Piedmont, many of the farms and much of the rural countryside in this region is being replaced by suburbanization: shopping centers, housing developments, and large corporate office parks. Agriculture is steadily declining in importance in this region. The major rivers of the Piedmont, such as the Yadkin and Catawba, tend to be fast-flowing, shallow, and narrow.

The western section of the state is part of the Appalachian Mountain range. Among the subranges of the Appalachians located in the state are the Great Smoky Mountains, Blue Ridge Mountains, Great Balsam Mountains, and the Black Mountains. The Black Mountains are the highest in the Eastern United States, and culminate in Mount Mitchell at 6,684 feet (2,037 m).[3] It is the highest point east of the Mississippi River. Although agriculture remains important, tourism has become the dominant industry in the mountains. One agricultural pursuit which has prospered and grown in recent decades is the growing and selling of Christmas Trees. Due to the higher altitude of the mountains, the climate often differs markedly from the rest of the state. Winters in western North Carolina typically feature significant snowfall and subfreezing temperatures more akin to a midwestern state than a southern one.

North Carolina has 17 major river basins. Five of the state's river basins: the Hiwassee, Little Tennessee, French Broad, Watauga and New, are part of the Mississippi River Basin, which drains to the Gulf of Mexico. All the others flow to the Atlantic Ocean. Of the 17 basins, 11 originate within the state of North Carolina, but only four are contained entirely within the state's borders - the Cape Fear, Neuse, White Oak and Tar-Pamlico.

The coastal plain is influenced by the Atlantic Ocean which keeps temperatures mild in winter and moderate in the summer. Daytime high temperatures on the coast average less than 89 °F (31.6 °C) during the summer. In the winter, the coast has the mildest temperatures in the state, with daytime temperatures rarely dropping below 40 °F (4.4 °C); the average daytime winter temperature in the coastal plain is usually in the mid-60's. Temperatures in the coastal plain rarely drop below freezing even at night. The coastal plain usually receives only one inch (2.5 cm) of snow and/or ice annually, and in some years there may be no snow or ice at all.

The Atlantic Ocean has less influence on the Piedmont region, and as a result the Piedmont has hotter summers and colder winters than the coast. Daytime highs in the Piedmont often average over 90 °F (32.2 °C) in the summer. While it is not common for temperatures to reach over 100 °F (37.8 °C) in North Carolina, when it happens, the highest temperatures are to be found in the lower areas of the Piedmont, especially around the city of Fayetteville. Additionally, the weaker influence of the Atlantic Ocean means that temperatures in the Piedmont often fluctuate more widely than the coast.

In the winter, the Piedmont is much less mild than the coast, with daytime temperatures that are usually in the mid 50's, and temperatures often drop below freezing at night. The region averages from 3–5 inches of snowfall annually in the Charlotte area to 6–8 inches in the Raleigh–Durham area. The Piedmont is especially notorious for sleet and freezing rain. It can be heavy enough in some storms to snarl traffic and collapse trees and power lines. Annual precipitation and humidity is lower in the Piedmont than either the mountains or the coast, but even at its lowest, the precipitation is a generous 40 in (102 cm) per year.

The Appalachian Mountains are the coolest area of the state, with daytime temperatures averaging in the low 40's and upper 30's for highs in the winter and often falling into the teens (−9 °C) or lower on winter nights. Relatively cool summers have temperatures rarely rising above 80 °F (26.7 °C). Snowfall in the mountains is usually 14–20 in (36–51 cm) per year, but it is often greater in the higher elevations. For example, during the Blizzard of 1993 more than 50 inches (130 cm) of snow fell on Mount Mitchell over a period of three days.

Severe weather occurs regularly in North Carolina. On average, the state receives a direct hit from a hurricane once a decade. Tropical storms arrive every 3 or 4 years. In some years, several hurricanes or tropical storms can directly strike the state or brush across the coastal areas. Only Florida and Louisiana are hit by hurricanes more often. Although many people believe that hurricanes menace only coastal areas, the rare hurricane which moves inland quickly enough can cause severe damage. In 1989 Hurricane Hugo caused heavy damage in Charlotte and even as far inland as the Blue Ridge Mountains in the northwestern part of the state. On average, North Carolina has 50 days of thunderstorm activity per year, with some storms becoming severe enough to produce hail, flash floods, and damaging winds.

North Carolina averages fewer than 20 tornadoes per year. Many of these are produced by hurricanes or tropical storms along the coastal plain. Tornadoes from thunderstorms are a risk, especially in the eastern part of the state. The western piedmont is often protected by the mountains breaking storms up as they try to cross over them. The storms will often reform farther east. Also a weather feature known as "cold air damming" occurs in the western part of the state. This can also weaken storms but can also lead to major ice events in winter.

North Carolina was originally inhabited by many different native peoples, including those of the ancient Mississippian culture established by 1000 A.D. in the Piedmont. Historically documented tribes included Cherokee, Tuscarora, Cheraw, Pamlico, Meherrin, Coree, Machapunga, Cape Fear Indians, Waxhaw, Saponi, Tutelo, Waccamaw, Coharie, and Catawba.

Spanish explorers traveling inland encountered the last of the Mississippian culture at Joara, near present-day Morganton. Records of Hernando de Soto attested to his meeting with them in 1540. In 1567 Captain Juan Pardo led an expedition into the interior of North Carolina on a journey to claim the area for the Spanish colony, as well as establish another route to protect silver mines in Mexico (the Spanish did not realize the distances involved.) Pardo made a winter base at Joara, which he renamed Cuenca. The expedition built Fort San Juan and left 30 men, while Pardo traveled further, establishing five other forts. He returned by a different route to Santa Elena on Parris Island, South Carolina, then a center of Spanish Florida. In the spring of 1568, natives killed all the soldiers and burned the six forts in the interior, including the one at Fort San Juan. The Spanish never returned to the interior to press their colonial claim, but this marked the first European attempt at colonization of the interior of what became the United States. A journal by Pardo's scribe Bandera and archaeological findings at Joara have confirmed the settlement.[9][10]

Sir Walter Raleigh returns to find the colony abandonedIn 1584, Elizabeth I, granted a charter to Sir Walter Raleigh, for whom the state capital is named, for land in present-day North Carolina (then Virginia).[11] Raleigh established two colonies on the coast in the late 1580s, both ending in failure. It was the second American territory the British attempted to colonize. The demise of one, the "Lost Colony" of Roanoke Island, remains one of the great mysteries of American history. Virginia Dare, the first English child to be born in North America, was born on Roanoke Island on August 18, 1587. Dare County is named for her.

As early as 1650, colonists from the Virginia colony moved into the area of Albemarle Sound. By 1663, King Charles II of England granted a charter to establish a new colony on the North American continent which generally established its borders. He named it Carolina in honor of his father Charles I.[12] By 1665, a second charter was issued to attempt to resolve territorial questions. In 1710, due to disputes over governance, the Carolina colony began to split into North Carolina and South Carolina. The latter became a crown colony in 1729.

Reconstructed royal governor's mansion Tryon Palace in New BernThe first permanent European settlers of North Carolina were British colonists who migrated south from Virginia, following a rapid growth of the colony and the subsequent shortage of available farmland. Nathaniel Batts was documented as one of the first of these Virginian migrants. He settled south of the Chowan River and east of the Great Dismal Swamp in 1655.[13] By 1663, this northeastern area of the Province of Carolina, known as the Albemarle Settlements, was undergoing full-scale British settlement.[14] During the same period, the English monarch Charles II gave the province to the Lords Proprietors, a group of noblemen who had helped restore Charles to the throne in 1660. The new province of "Carolina" was named in honor and memory of King Charles I (Latin: Carolus). In 1712, North Carolina became a separate colony. With the exception of the Earl Granville holdings, it became a royal colony seventeen years later.[15]

Differences in the settlement patterns of eastern and western North Carolina, or the low country and uplands, affected the political, economic, and social life of the state from the eighteenth until the twentieth century. The Tidewater in eastern North Carolina was settled chiefly by immigrants from England and the Scottish Highlands. The upcountry of western North Carolina was settled chiefly by Scots-Irish and German Protestants, the so-called "cohee". Arriving during the mid-to-late 18th century, the Scots-Irish from Ireland were the largest immigrant group before the Revolution. During the Revolutionary War, the English and Highland Scots of eastern North Carolina tended to remain loyal to the British Crown, because of longstanding business and personal connections with Great Britain. The Scots-Irish and German settlers of western North Carolina tended to favor American independence from Britain.

Most of the English colonists arrived as indentured servants, hiring themselves out as laborers for a fixed period to pay for their passage. In the early years the line between indentured servants and African slaves or laborers was fluid. Some Africans were allowed to earn their freedom before slavery became a lifelong status. Most of the free colored families formed in North Carolina before the Revolution were descended from relationships or marriages between free white women and enslaved or free African or African-American men. Many had migrated or were descendants of migrants from colonial Virginia.[16] As the flow of indentured laborers to the colony decreased with improving economic conditions in Great Britain, more slaves were imported and the state's restrictions on slavery hardened. The economy's growth and prosperity was based on slave labor, devoted first to the production of tobacco.

On April 12, 1776, the colony became the first to instruct its delegates to the Continental Congress to vote for independence from the British crown, through the Halifax Resolves passed by the North Carolina Provincial Congress. The dates of both of these independence-related events are memorialized on the state flag and state seal.[17] Throughout the Revolutionary War, fierce guerilla warfare erupted between bands of pro-independence and pro-British colonists. In some cases the war was also an excuse to settle private grudges and rivalries. A major American victory in the war took place at King's Mountain along the North Carolina–South Carolina border. On October 7, 1780 a force of 1000 mountain men from western North Carolina (including what is today the State of Tennessee) overwhelmed a force of some 1000 British troops led by Major Patrick Ferguson. Most of the British soldiers in this battle were Carolinians who had remained loyal to the British Crown (they were called "Tories"). The American victory at Kings Mountain gave the advantage to colonists who favored American independence, and it prevented the British Army from recruiting new soldiers from the Tories.

The road to Yorktown and America's independence from Great Britain led through North Carolina. As the British Army moved north from victories in Charleston and Camden, South Carolina, the Southern Division of the Continental Army and local militia prepared to meet them. Following General Daniel Morgan's victory over the British Cavalry Commander Banastre Tarleton at the Battle of Cowpens on January 17, 1781, southern commander Nathanael Greene led British Lord Charles Cornwallis across the heartland of North Carolina, and away from Cornwallis's base of supply in Charleston, South Carolina. This campaign is known as "The Race to the Dan" or "The Race for the River."[15]

Generals Greene and Cornwallis finally met at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse in present-day Greensboro on March 15, 1781. Although the British troops held the field at the end of the battle, their casualties at the hands of the numerically superior American Army were crippling. Following this "Pyhrric victory", Cornwallis chose to move to the Virginia coastline to get reinforcements, and to allow the Royal Navy to protect his battered army. This decision would result in Cornwallis's eventual defeat at Yorktown, Virginia later in 1781. The Patriots' victory there guaranteed American independence.

Antebellum Period
On November 21, 1789, North Carolina became the twelfth state to ratify the Constitution. In 1840, it completed the state capitol building in Raleigh, still standing today. Most of North Carolina's slave owners and large plantations were located in the eastern portion of the state. Although North Carolina's plantation system was smaller and less cohesive than those of Virginia, Georgia or South Carolina, there were significant numbers of planters concentrated in the counties around the port cities of Wilmington and Edenton, as well as suburban planters around the cities of Raleigh, Charlotte and Durham. Planters owning large estates wielded significant political and socio-economic power in antebellum North Carolina, often to the derision of the generally non-slave holding "yeoman" farmers of Western North Carolina. In mid-century, the state's rural and commercial areas were connected by the construction of a 129–mile (208 km) wooden plank road, known as a "farmer's railroad," from Fayetteville in the east to Bethania (northwest of Winston-Salem).[15]

In addition to slaves, there were a number of free people of color in the state. Most were descended from free African Americans who had migrated along with neighbors from Virginia during the eighteenth century. After the Revolution, Quakers and Mennonites worked to persuade slaveholders to free their slaves. Enough were inspired by their efforts and the language of men's rights, and arranged for manumission of their slaves. The number of free people of color rose in the first couple of decades after the Revolution.[18]

On October 25, 1836 construction began on the Wilmington and Raleigh Railroad[19] to connect the port city of Wilmington with the state capital of Raleigh. In 1849 the North Carolina Railroad was created by act of the legislature to extend that railroad west to Greensboro, High Point, and Charlotte. During the Civil War the Wilmington-to-Raleigh stretch of the railroad would be vital to the Confederate war effort; supplies shipped into Wilmington would be moved by rail through Raleigh to the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia.

During the antebellum period North Carolina was an overwhelmingly rural state, even by Southern standards. In 1860 only one North Carolina town, the port city of Wilmington, had a population of more than 10,000. Raleigh, the state capital, had barely more than 5,000 residents.

While slaveholding was slightly less concentrated than in some Southern states, according to the 1860 census, more than 330,000 people, or 33% of the population of 992,622 were enslaved African-Americans. They lived and worked chiefly on plantations in the eastern Tidewater. In addition, 30,463 free people of color lived in the state. They were also concentrated in the eastern coastal plain, especially at port cities such as Wilmington and New Bern where they had access to a variety of jobs. Free African Americans were allowed to vote until 1835, when the state rescinded their suffrage.

In 1860, North Carolina was a slave state, in which about one-third of the population of 992,622 were enslaved African Americans. This was a smaller proportion than many Southern states. In addition, the state had a substantial number of Free Negroes, just over 30,000.[20] The state did not vote to join the Confederacy until President Abraham Lincoln called on it to invade its sister-state, South Carolina, becoming the second to last state to join the Confederacy. North Carolina was the site of few battles, but it provided at least 125,000 troops to the Confederacy— far more than any other state. Approximately 40,000 of those troops never returned home, dying of disease, battlefield wounds, and starvation. Elected in 1862, Governor Zebulon Baird Vance tried to maintain state autonomy against Confederate President Jefferson Davis in Richmond.

Even after secession, some North Carolinians refused to support the Confederacy. This was particularly true of non-slave-owning farmers in the state's mountains and western Piedmont region. Some of these farmers remained neutral during the war, while some covertly supported the Union cause during the conflict. Approximately 2,000 North Carolinians from western North Carolina enlisted in the Union Army and fought for the North in the war, and two additional Union Army regiments were raised in the coastal areas of the state that were occupied by Union forces in 1862 and 1863. Even so, Confederate troops from all parts of North Carolina served in virtually all the major battles of the Army of Northern Virginia, the Confederacy's most famous army. The largest battle fought in North Carolina was at Bentonville, which was a futile attempt by Confederate General Joseph Johnston to slow Union General William Tecumseh Sherman's advance through the Carolinas in the spring of 1865.[15] In April 1865 after losing the Battle of Morrisville, Johnston surrendered to Sherman at Bennett Place, in what is today Durham, North Carolina. This was the last major Confederate Army to surrender. North Carolina's port city of Wilmington was the last Confederate port to fall to the Union. It fell in the spring of 1865 after the nearby Second Battle of Fort Fisher.

Bennett Place historic site in Durham, North Carolina.The first Confederate soldier to be killed in the Civil War was Private Henry Wyatt, a North Carolinian. He was killed in the Battle of Big Bethel in June 1861. At the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863, the 26th North Carolina Regiment participated in Pickett/Pettigrew's Charge and advanced the farthest into the Northern lines of any Confederate regiment. During the Battle of Chickamauga the 58th North Carolina Regiment advanced farther than any other regiment on Snodgrass Hill to push back the remaining Union forces from the battlefield. At Appomattox Court House in Virginia in April 1865, the 75th North Carolina Regiment, a cavalry unit, fired the last shots of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the Civil War. For many years, North Carolinians proudly boasted that they had been "First at Bethel, Farthest at Gettysburg and Chickamauga, and Last at Appomattox."

Film studios are located in Shelby, Raleigh, Durham, Charlotte, Asheville, Wilmington, and Winston-Salem. Some of the best-known films and television shows filmed in the state include: All the Real Girls, Being There, Blue Velvet, Bull Durham, A Walk to Remember, Glory (film), The Color Purple, Cabin Fever, Super Mario Bros. (film), Cape Fear, Children of the Corn, The Crow, Dawson's Creek, Dirty Dancing, Evil Dead 2, The Fugitive, The Green Mile, Hannibal, The Last of the Mohicans, Nell, One Tree Hill, Patch Adams (film), Shallow Hal, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Leatherheads, Nights in Rodanthe and 28 Days. Half of Steven King's movies were filmed in North Carolina. The television show most associated with North Carolina is The Andy Griffith Show, which aired on CBS-TV from 1960 to 1968. The series is set in the fictional small town of Mayberry, North Carolina, and was based on the real-life town of Mount Airy, North Carolina, although it was filmed in California. Mount Airy is the hometown of actor Andy Griffith. The show is still popular in reruns and is frequently shown in syndication around the nation. North Carolina is also home to some of the Southeast's biggest film festivals, including the National Black Theatre Festival and the RiverRun International Film Festival in Winston-Salem, and the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival in Durham, North Carolina.

The School of Filmmaking at the North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem is a unique arts conservatory that combines rigorous professional training with unparalleled facilities, equipment and resources. All Second, Third and Fourth Year productions are entered into film and video festivals worldwide, and several have won major awards, including the Student Academy Award, the Angelus Award and the Cine Eagle Award. The best Fourth Year productions are also screened on film in front of large industry audiences at the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles in June each year. School of the Arts alumni have performed in or behind the scenes of Broadway shows, film, television and regional theatre, and are members of the world’s finest symphony orchestras and opera and dance companies. They have won or been nominated for all of the major awards in the entertainment industry, including Tony, Oscar, Emmy, Grammy and others. Some well-known alumni of the NCSA School of Drama are Jada Pinkett Smith, Mary-Louise Parker, Catherine Dent, and Tom Hulce.

Although North Carolina did not have a major-league professional sports franchise until the 1980s, the state has long been known as a hotbed of college basketball. Since the formation of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in 1953, the conference's North Carolina member schools have excelled in conference play. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), Duke University, and North Carolina State University are all located within 25 miles (40 km) of one another, creating fierce rivalries. Wake Forest University, another ACC member, is located less than 100 miles (160 km) to the west of these schools in Winston-Salem. UNC has won four NCAA national championships in basketball: 1957, 1982, 1993, and 2005. The Tar Heels also won a national-level championship in 1924, before the NCAA was created. Duke has won three NCAA championships: 1991, 1992, and 2001. NC State has won two: 1974 and 1983. The Duke-UNC basketball rivalry has been called one of the best rivalries in sports and the two schools are often contenders for the national title. In addition to the ACC schools, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte went to the NCAA's Final Four in 1977, and Davidson College near Charlotte went to the NCAA's "Elite Eight" in 1968, 1969, and 2008. In 2007 Barton College in Wilson won the NCAA Division II championship in men's basketball. Although basketball remains the dominant college sport in North Carolina, several schools have also enjoyed success in football and other sports. In 2005, 2006, and 2007 Appalachian State University won the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision championship; they are the first university to win the Division I Football Championship Subdivision championship three times in a row. Wake Forest University has also enjoyed substantial success in football; in 2007 they won the ACC football championship and participated in the 2007 Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida. This was the first major bowl berth for a North Carolina-based team since Duke defeated Arkansas in the 1961 Cotton Bowl (game).

The Blue Ridge Mountains of the Shining Rock Wilderness AreaDue to geography, rich history, and growing industry, North Carolina provides a large range of recreational activities from swimming at the beach[53] 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.

North Carolinians enjoy outdoor recreation utilizing numerous local bike paths, 34 state parks, and 14 national parks which are the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, the 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, the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail, Old Salem National Historic Site in Winston-Salem, the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail, Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, Uwharrie National Forest.

Famous food and drinks from North Carolina

2008 Lexington Barbecue Festival A nationally-famous cuisine from North Carolina is pork barbecue. However, there are strong regional differences and rivalries over the sauces and method of preparation used in making the barbecue. Eastern North Carolina pork barbecue uses a vinegar-based sauce and the "whole hog" is cooked, thus using both white and dark meat. The "capital" of eastern Carolina barbecue is usually considered to be the town of Wilson, near Raleigh. Western North Carolina pork barbecue uses a ketchup and vinegar based sauce and only the pork shoulder (dark meat) is used. The "capital" of western Carolina barbecue is usually considered to be the Piedmont Triad town of Lexington, home of the Lexington Barbecue Festival which brings in over 100,000 visitors each October.

North Carolina is the birthplace of Pepsi-Cola, first produced in 1890 in New Bern. Regional soft drinks created and still based in the state are Sun Drop and Cheerwine. Krispy Kreme, a popular chain of doughnut stores, was started in North Carolina; the company's headquarters are in Winston-Salem. Despite its name, the hot sauce Texas Pete was created in North Carolina; its headquarters are also in Winston-Salem. The Hardees fast-food chain was started in Rocky Mount. Another fast-food chain, Bojangles', was started in Charlotte, and has its corporate headquarters there. A popular North Carolina restaurant chain is Golden Corral. Started in 1973, the chain was founded in Fayetteville. Popular pickle brand Mount Olive Pickle Company was founded in Mount Olive in 1926. Cook Out, a popular fast food chain featuring burgers, hot dogs, and milkshakes in a wide variety of flavors, was founded in Greensboro in 1989 and operates exclusively in North Carolina.

Ships named for the state
Several ships have been named for the state. Most famous is the USS North Carolina, a World War II battleship. The ship served in several battles against the forces of Imperial Japan in the Pacific theater during the war. Now decommissioned, it is part of the USS North Carolina Battleship Memorial in Wilmington. Another USS North Carolina, a nuclear attack submarine, was commissioned on May 3, 2008.[55]

Cardinal, North Carolina state bird
Strawberry, North Carolina state red berry
[edit] State symbols
Main article: North Carolina state symbols
State motto: Esse quam videri ("To be, rather than to seem") (1893)
State song: "The Old North State" (1927)
State flower: Dogwood (1941)
State bird: Cardinal (1943)
State colors: the red and blue of the N.C. and U.S. flags (1945)
State toast: The Tar Heel Toast (1957)
State tree: Pine (1963)
State shell: Scotch bonnet (1965)
State mammal: Eastern Gray Squirrel (1969)
State salt water fish: Red Drum (also known as the Channel bass) (1971)
State insect: European honey bee (1973)
State gemstone: Emerald (1973)
State reptile: Eastern Box Turtle (1979)
State rock: Granite (1979)
State beverage: Milk (1987)
State historical boat: Shad boat (1987)
State language: English (1987)
State dog: Plott Hound (1989)
State military academy: Oak Ridge Military Academy (1991)
State tartan: Carolina tartan (1991)[56]
State vegetable: Sweet potato (1995)
State red berry: Strawberry (2001)
State blue berry: Blueberry (2001)
State fruit: Scuppernong grape (2001)
State wildflower: Carolina Lily (2003)
State Christmas tree: Fraser Fir (2005)
State carnivorous plant: Venus Flytrap (2005)
State folk dance: Clogging (2005)
State popular dance: Shag (2005)
State freshwater trout: Southern Appalachian Brook Trout (2005)
State birthplace of traditional pottery: the Seagrove area (2005)

Hope you enjoyed your history lesson Mom!!

Iggy

vickyp Posted Mar 14, 2009, 12:57 pm	Hello world! I am Iggy the puppy! I am so small that I can fit in your pocket, so you can take me with you easily! I enjoy reading children's books and playing with children's toys! I am currently looking for hosts all over the world and I just can't wait to start my adventure!
Apperveilchen Posted Mar 18, 2009, 7:59 pm	Hi Mom! I safely arrived in Germany today. I met SaruMaru, an experienced toyvoyager and am looking forward to hearing his stories. I also met little Knopf the teddy. My host likes the handmade 'thank you'-card I brought her.
Apperveilchen Posted Mar 19, 2009, 7:07 pm	Hello Mommy! Today I met this famous children's book character: Little Bear. He's sick and had to get an i.v. He'S happy to show children that that's not too bad. Look at how tall I am: I was sunny again today.
Apperveilchen Posted Mar 20, 2009, 6:13 pm	Hi Mommy! I found a tree that I can climb. That's much better than any playground.
Apperveilchen Posted Mar 22, 2009, 6:33 pm	Hi Mommy! I went out for a long walk today. There were a lot of people around and we had to wait all the time because it was so crowded. On Sundays when it isn't raining a lot of Germans apparently like to go for walks with the family. The also meet neighbors or aquaintances on the way and stop to chat. Others have playdates for their dogs or kids or go horse riding or in our case golfing.
Apperveilchen Posted Mar 22, 2009, 6:37 pm	Mom, A good place for a walk is also the small water castle Gustavsburg in Jägersburg. There are benches to rest and one canfeed the water fowl.
Apperveilchen Posted Mar 22, 2009, 6:41 pm	Mommy, One the way back we stopped at the main post office and bought some stamps from the machine and dropped off Kunigunde. So she is now on her way to you. I told her the journey isn't too bad and told her about all the things she'll see in Greece.
Apperveilchen Posted Apr 2, 2009, 7:33 pm	We went to university today and it was a great day. Here's us in one of the study rooms. It was empty because the lectures and classes haven't started, yet. For the hard work we got rewarded with an ice-coffee. Yum!
Apperveilchen Posted Apr 7, 2009, 7:59 pm	Today we drove to Luxembourg to refill the car and run some errands in Luxembourg city. Unfortunately we didn't have a camera with us. But more important was the audio book because we got into the late rush hour on the way back.
Apperveilchen Posted Apr 7, 2009, 9:19 pm	Crafts time! We helped our host create a little something... Can you already see what it will be?
Apperveilchen Posted Apr 10, 2009, 9:45 pm	Mommy, today I had a look at children's books here. Favorite picture books are those by Ali Mitgutsch where there's a lot of details in every picture that make it fun to look at lots of times becasue there's always something new to discover. Janosch books are also very nice. They are the stories the little tiger and little bear that you saw in the hospital are from. Plus there are the classics like Robin Hood or The Little Nick. The other on is about a fire-red little devil, also a personal favorite of our host. Here are some books for older children, like part of the series of the 'wild hens' (wilde Hühner) by Cornelia Funke. Books by Christine Nöstlinger, the author of many children's books, and a story about the tom-cat who taught the little sea gull how to fly. These two are a cute little family: Here are some books that are quite old. They should show some moral value. Frederick is a formerly well-known little mouse and there's a book that gives information about hedgehogs in form of a poem and another that has children' songs. Naturally Astrid Lindgren's books are also popular in Germany. Here are my host's favorites. For the smaller children there's a picture book about firefighters and a book of fairytales of mice or giants. There are even books of toyvoyagers. Here's Felix, a bunny that travels the world and writes letters home to his family. When he returns he brings back the stickers of the different countries in his luggage. Thats also a nice thing for a tv to collect. He even traveled in time after he was lost in a museum and writes home about different ancient times. I also found some bigger books, like these well-known stories as illustrated books or comics, or dictionaries just in German, or in German, English and French. Among the educational books, the WasIstWas (what is what) series is quite big. These are about castles and knights, and one book about getting a new little sibling. There are fairy tales from all over the world and tales of little wood-dwellers. Another personal favorite is this: It's about David who is hit by a car and has to stay in the hospital. It explains how the hospital works. This book shows where Santa Claus lives and how presens are made. There are also old books where one had to buy the pictures seperately as stickers. I also found mroe comics and many books about Petterson and Findus, an old man and his cat. These aren't German but they are very popular here. A funny series by a German author is that of the Sams: An ordinary man suddenly aquires a 'Sams', something like a strange kind of child, with blue spots that fulfill wishes. But one truly has to be careful what to wish for and when and where to wish for it. I'm going to enjoy these for now. Bye!
Apperveilchen Posted Apr 15, 2009, 6:08 pm	After we lazed around in the sun later yesterday, there's a party tonight and we spent most of today preparing the house for it and making food and shopping. Here's the result of our cooking: tomato-mozarella-basil snacks; freshly cut carrots, peppers, cucumbers and kohlrabi with dip, filled peppers, cheese and fresh fruit, dates wrapped in bacon, olives, bread, avocado dip, bread and French and Lebanese style meat balls (filled with herbes de Provence and goat cheese, or with raisins, roasted pignolia and cinnamon). I couldn't get pictures of the cocktails. I was too 'happy'.
Apperveilchen Posted Apr 15, 2009, 6:14 pm	Happy Easter! Look how many eggs we found! People here also paint eggs for Easter. These are some of the accumulated works from earlier years, including one that Rex and Philéas helped to paint last year. Now we are going to have boiled eggs on bread, egg salad etc. for breakfast.
Apperveilchen Posted Apr 15, 2009, 8:15 pm	Hi Mom! We visited a residential area today. Aren't the gardens beautiful with the spring flowers and very green and soft grass? As you can see on the big thermometer we had 21°C, warm enough to have lunch outside. Can you find all of us in the apple trees? Iggy
Apperveilchen Posted Apr 15, 2009, 8:26 pm	Mommy, We stopped along the Autobahn on our way south. Do you see the castle ruin on the hill in the background? And we had a look into the beautiful Brohltal (Brohl valley). The better view is from the bridge, but we couldn't stop there to take a picture. Ig
Apperveilchen Posted Apr 17, 2009, 5:55 pm	Mom, We had an errand to run in a city called Völklingen, home of the UNESCO World Heritage site: Völklingen ironworks, or Alte Völklinger Hütte as it is called here. We only took a quick picture, though and bought some cookies and other essentials at the big Globus supermarket. Iggy
Apperveilchen Posted May 1, 2009, 4:58 pm	Hi Mommy, Tomorrow is a holiday, Tag der Arbeit (='Day of Work'), here. It's a funny name, sinsce for most people there is no work on that day. Anyway, that makes it a long weekend and we baked a cake for it. It's called Russischer Zupfkuchen, basically it's a cheesecake with a cacao base and topping. First we mixed flour, sugar, baking powder, vanilla sugar and cacao. Then we added an egg and butter, mixed it well and put half of it on the bottom of the form. Next came the cheese part: We took something called Quark, sugar, vanilla pudding powder, 3 eggs, and cooled off butter and put it on the base layer. Then we added the rest of the dough on top. It's a bit much, we should have put more in the bottom and less on the top so the cheese filling is still visible. Then we put it in the oven for an hour at 180°C. Guten Appetit! Iggy
Apperveilchen Posted May 1, 2009, 5:14 pm	Mom, Here we are in an area called the Saargau. There's the valley around the Saar and hills rising round it. Iggy
Apperveilchen Posted May 7, 2009, 9:02 pm	Hi Mommy, I am on my way to Portugal now. I can't wait for more adventures, a new country and new language. Hopefully I'll arrive soon. Doggy kisses from Iggy
Pixiedustlady Posted Aug 27, 2009, 1:30 am	Hi Mom!!! I just landed in North Carolina!!! I had a long trip all the way across the Atlantic ocean and I am so happy to be out of my envelope! It sure is HOT here! today was 98F with 100% humidity! I see now why Darcie stays in the air conditioned house all day LOL Here I am peeking out of my envelope. As soon as I get out there are four other TVs waiting to greet me!!! I meet Henrybo, HolgiHH, Hirvuli and Baubles! Everyone is from Europe so we all speak different languages!!! I am excited that they all tell me I got here JUST in time to go to the big Motorcycle race this weekend!! we leave tommorro at 10 am for West Virginia. We are going to Summit Point Raceway and we will drive through Virginia to get there. Anyways here I am with the gang! Here I am with my North Carolina postcard. Everyone is hanging out in the garage packing everything inside the Toy Hauler for the big trip. I thought a Toy Hauler was for me but actually it is a house on wheels to carry all your toys (motorcycles, scooters ect) in the back!! Here I am sitting on Darcie's Scooter. Darcie wanted to show me her pride and joy.... This is her show car and it is a 1955 Porsche Spyder. The Spyder stays in the garage covered up unless she takes him to a show She pulled the cover part way off so I could take a peek! Vroom Vroom do you see me in the Spyders driving seat?? anyone want to go for a ride?? Here I am sitting on the beautiful banjo steering wheel. Darcie promises to take me for a ride when we get back from West Virginia. Here I am outside the Toy Hauler. The Hauler is 22 feet long and has beds, kitchen, TV, microwave, fridge, bathroom, air conditioning ect ect just like a house!! Here I am peeking in the very back at the race bike and the two pit bikes. Pit bikes are used to get around the infield paddock area because you will be exhausted trying to walk around from one side to the other!!! Here I am on Steves GSXR 600... I am going to take it out on the track all by myself!! Here I am on the back of the truck. I was helping Steve hook the hauler up and now I have to go repack my suitcase for a weekend of fun at the track!! we are going to be camping in the infield with all the other racers and drinking beer and having BBQs every night!! Me and the other TVs are in for a experience of a lifetime!! Well mom I have a lot of stuff to still get packed up in the trailer, I am safe and sound and will try to update depending on wi fi at the race track. Here is the website on where I am traveling too!!! http://www.summitpoint-raceway.com/ Love Iggy Official Pit Crew Team Clark Racing
Pixiedustlady Posted Aug 28, 2009, 11:46 pm	Hi Mom!!!! Today we loaded up the truck and headed off for Summit Point, West Virginia. It is going to take us about 7 hours to arrive at the track. Here we are in the truck ready to go!!! We are getting on interstate 95 which is famous in the USA.... either South to Florida or North to New York City. Here we are getting on 95 to take us up North to West Virginia. We see lots of familiar signs and we are headed towards the Washington DC area. We are lucky we missed all the horrible everyday traffic on our way to the track! Here we are with our happy meal that we got from McDonalds. We pass over a real cool looking bridge in Virginia. It was hard to take a photo but I thought you would like it! We enjoy the beautiful scenery as we travel through the Shennandoah valley, the area is filled with beautiful horse farms and mountains and pretty trees There are a lot of National Civil war battlefields and parks that people travel all over the world to come and visit in Virginia. Here we are passing through one of the parks. We finally arrive in West Virginia, we drive through a lot of old historic tiny towns like this one in the photo. This little town is called Millwood and it was so cute! Here we are!!! we are finally at the racetrack!!! We have to wait 15 more minutes before we can go into the Paddock so we wait in line with everyone else till they open up the gate. Here we are with the signs telling us which way to go to the main Paddock. There are two race courses here at the Sports park. We find our friends and we start setting up all the pits. We all camp together and have a great time. Here we are on our friend Jamie's bike. This is a GSXR 600. We like the paint job. Here we are on our host, Steves bike. Dont we look cool?! Here we are on our friends Yamaha R1. This is a 1000cc motorcycle and he is in 1st place this year for the WERA club racing Championship. Here is our friend Kent holding us on our host's Dirt Bike. He thinks it is fun we are visiting! Here we are hanging out in our pit on the tables against the toy hauler. We get the tool box out to do some last minute adjustments and get ready for the track day tommmorro!! a track day is a practice day before the races on Saturday and Sunday. We are tired and it is time for bed!! Thumper the pug dog has also come on the trip and has been having a fun time watching us get our photo taken Well mom that is what happened on our first day. Mostly just traveling up here and getting everything set up for the track day!! I get to get out on the track tommorro!!! hope you are enjoing the updates. The weather is NICE and cool here much better then the heat in North Carolina!!! We are going to watch a movie before bed... I think we are going to watch The Hangover for the 10000000000000th time LOL it is sooooooooooo funny!! Love Iggy
Pixiedustlady Posted Aug 29, 2009, 3:19 pm	Hi Mom! We got up at 6:00 am and checked the weather and saw it might rain!! rain is NOT good for motorcycles on the race track. Steve has rain tires but was hoping not to have to use them. Today is a track Day which means it is a opportunity just to practice all day long. It is a great time to do any kind of adjustments that need to be done to the motorcycle. We got our breakfast out and cooked scrambled eggs, bacon and had some Amaretto Cheesecake flavored yogurt and Vanilla Coffee Here we are cooking. Yum doesnt it look good?! We have to get the bike ready for practice so we put the tire warmers on the tires. The tires stick better to the race track when they are warmed up. If they are cold it is easy to crash. Darcie had some friends go water tubing earlier that day and this is a portable cooler that they took down the river. It holds all your drinks and has spaces for your cups around the bottom! pretty cool! Something that they NEVER have at the races is racing sidecar Motorcycles. We went over and took some photos with them. This one was our favorite, it looks like a rocket!! Here we are watching the sidecars do race practice. Here is the podium that winners will stand on tommorro if they place 1st, 2nd or 3rd. Can you see us way at the bottom? Here we are on our pit bike. We are going to take it down to the hot pit so we can watch our host do race practice. Here we are with Steve holding us and his friend Kent before they went out on the track. Here is Steve coming down the front straight at 150 mph.. we love watching the bikes zoom real fast!!! Here we are with one of the race officials. He was laughing at the fact we were coming to the hot pit to watch the race. He said he had never held TVs before and posed for a picture with us. Here we are watching all the bikes come in after a red flag. A red flat is when someone has crashed and they have to go send out the crash truck to pick up the bike and rider. Here is Steve and his four friends all together waving at you with us in the front!! If you look hard WE are on the bikes!!!!! HolgiHH and Henry-Bo are on bike number 142 on the right hand side of the intake valve (to the right of the number) they were too little to sit on the windscreen Here I am sitting on Seans race bike. He is a good friend of Steve's. When the practice started again, I got tucked inside his leathers and got to go for a wild ride around the track!! After a long day we cooked dinner and then had a few Coronas, took a shower and went to bed. Tommorro is race day #1!!! I cant wait to see all the action!! Love Iggy
Pixiedustlady Posted Sep 2, 2009, 2:53 am	Hi Mom!!!! Well it is race day here at the track! lots of people have arrived and my host is geared up and ready to go! These photos will cover both Saturday and Sunday Here we are in our bed waking up and getting ready to go out and cook breakfast. I get the coffee going and then I decide to cook some pancakes! YUM!! After breakfast we need to go get a new pair of Pirelli race tires. Tires are the most expensive part of racing and here we are checking out the prices....yikes!! Darcie asks the Pirelli guy for some Tshirts and hats ect. He says he is totally out of everything but stickers here we are with the stickers and then we go inside to see all the tires. It is now race time and we go to the hot pit and watch the races!! We watch from the front straight for a bit, then we go down to turn 6 which is at the bottom of the race track. We take the pit bikes and ride through the beautiful wooded area to get down to the fence line. Here we are with AMA rider Jeff Wood. Jeff set a new track record of 1 minute 11 seconds while we were watching him race!!! it was so exciting to see him fly around the track like it was nothing! he laughed when we asked if we could take a photo of him with his motorcycle After the races we get into a bottle of Captain Morgans spiced rum Here we are with Ava, who is a daughter of one of my host's friends, She did NOT want to give us back lol Now it is dinner time. We cook New York strip steaks, Garlic mashed potatoes and corn on the cob!! We get into bed and go to sleep! we leave early the next morning and arrive home and unpack and get ready for our next adventure Well mom I had a fantastic time and now I want to get my own motorcycle!!! I am sure more adventures will be coming my way soon!! Love, Iggy
Pixiedustlady Posted Sep 9, 2009, 1:12 am	Hi Mom!! Tonight we took Darcie's Spyder down to PTs Grille for a cruise in with a another car club. We had a lot of fun looking at the Dune Buggies!! Here we are with Darcie's Spyder. Here we are with two of the Dune Buggies We ordered our dinner and they had the BEST Hamburgers in the world!!! We had a fun time and enjoyed meeting all of the other people in the car club well mom tonight we are going to eat hot dogs and watch movies!!! I am having a great time!! Love Iggy
Pixiedustlady Posted Sep 11, 2009, 6:05 pm	Hi Mom!! Today Darcie had to rescue me from her puppy!! hahaha dont worry I didnt get hurt!! I am relaxing today and watching The Donna Reed Show Darcie is a HUGE 1950s TV show fan and I really like this series!!! Love Iggy
Pixiedustlady Posted Sep 13, 2009, 2:52 pm	Hi Mom! Today we went to Marine Corps Base, Camp Lejeune. The base is about a 30 minute drive from our house. My host Steve works at the other Marine Base which is only 15 minutes away. The base he works at is called New River Air Station, which has all the helicopters! we are going to sneak in and see all of them tommorro!! anyways we went to Camp Lejeune today to go to the hospital. My host was sick and had to go to the Doctor so we went along for the ride!!! Here we are approaching the entrance to Camp Lejeune. If you look to the right, you can see the main entrance sign. We could not slow down to take a better photo, but hope you like it! Here we are approaching the gate guard. You have to have a special military sticker on your car to be able to drive on the base. The Marines look at us funny as we take their photo The first base sign welcoming us aboard Camp Lejeune! The second one with the names of the Base Commanders on it. Here we are at the top of the hospital looking down on the main building. We sneak inside the emergency room and take a photo before the Doctor arrives My host hurt his knee during training but the Doctor fixed him up and he is much better now!! Tommorro we are going to the Air Station, Beirut Memorial and Vietnam Memorial. I will take lots of photos of our big day!! Love Iggy
Pixiedustlady Posted Sep 15, 2009, 8:05 pm	b]Hi Mom!!!! A few days ago on September 11th we went out in town and went to my hosts work at the New River Air station. After that we went to the Beirut Memorial, World Trade center memorial and the Vietnam Veterens Memorial. The airstation and the parks were very nice. Here I am with all the other TVs as our day unfolded Here we are at the entrance to my host Steves work. As you can see it is fenced off and you have to have a special clearance to get on the flight line. We sneak through with my host and start exploring!! We are now inside the compound and we take a photo with the units sign. This is a Helicopter Squadron and we are amazed at what we see!! First stop we climb up this very interesting staircase!!! Can you see us on the stairs?? We read the signs on the side of the building, these are the battles the Marines have fought in. We learn a lot of history today. We then go in my hosts office to get a key so we can go out into the helicopter bay... we need top secret clearence for this and we hide in our hosts pocket Since we will be out in the helicopters we need to grab our safety helmets WOW look how BIG this first helicopter is!! This is the CH53 helicopter and it can hold 50 Marines and pick up 15,000 pounds of gear!! Here is a larger view, can you see me? We climb inside..... this is very special since we are not suppose to be here lol Here we are up front, look at all the dials!! I get my honorary flight crew status and now I am FLYING the helicopter!!!! dont I look good!! This is the view looking out the back................kinda dark but I wanted you to see how big it is! We peak out the Helicopter bay and see the other bay across the yard. Here is a view of the CH53 parking lot My host now shows us the V22 Osprey helicopter. This is the ONLY place in the entire world that they are available to see. They are kept here exclusively! The V22 has a rotor on each side of it. It is unique in that the rotors spin down like a airplane but once up in the air they rotate above the top of the helicopter. Here is a great photo of one. Here we are posing with the V22 I go inside to see where the pilots sit.. sssshhhhh dont tell anyone I was in here!!!!! We leave the flight line and go to the Staff NCO club. This is for ranks E6 and above. Here we are outside the club. Here we are with a pretty view of the New River inlet. We leave the club and drive to the Aviation outdoor memorial. Here is a view of the flight line from the car. We arrive at the memorial, which is outdoors and pretty neat! Here we are with the statues, signs and old helicopters on display. We leave and go visit the Beirut Memorial We walk through the beautiful gardens over to the world trade center memorial. This is a actual steal beam from the world trade center tragedy. Since this day was September 11th lots of people were also here. We walk around the corner and visit the new Vietnam Memorial. this is a beautiful fountain and the panals that you see are made of glass and every single person that died in Vietnam has their name on the glass. I learned a lot about the Marines today and their past history. I wanted to share my fun day with you and hope you enjoyed the updates. Love Iggy
Pixiedustlady Posted Sep 22, 2009, 7:59 pm	Hi Mom!!! Guess where I am?? I am in the state of Virginia at Virginia International Raceway!!! Yep I am at the final Motorcycle race of the year! We just had Brauts for dinner and drank a few Coronas. This is the NICEST race track in the USA!!! It looks like a Country Club! We are camping in the paddock again and we are right next to a small lake. The trees and the mountains are just beautiful!! I will post a lot of photos when we return on Sunday!!! Tommorro is a track day (practice) and racing is on Saturday and Sunday!! Well mom we are going to go inside the trailer and watch a movie and eat some chocolate chip cookies!! Love Iggy
Pixiedustlady Posted Sep 23, 2009, 2:42 pm	Hi Mom! I am back and unpacked from VIR. I had a great time at the race track and loved watching the races! We camped out with our host's friends and got to meet a lot of new people. Here are my photos with the other TVs and all the new things we got to see!! Here we are at our pit area. As you can see there is a pretty lake behind us and we fed the ducks in the evening time!! Our host rides on Pirelli tires..... we have a big sign on the side of our trailer advertising that he uses Pirelli Here we are at the top of Turn #4 Here we are watching our host going around turn #2 Here we are overlooking the entire paddock area. The weather was nice and cool but a bit cloudy! We go in the hot pit area and watch the bikes race down the front straight!! They are going up to speeds of 175 MPH Our hosts friends son is riding his skateboard and gives us a ride!! Here we are looking up at the scoring/start/finish tower. The Porsche club of America was having a track day on the South Course so we went to the Porsche Paddock to take some photos! We watched the cars practice racing around the track and we were amazed at how fast they went! My host did very well in the races and finished 7th, 8th and 10th. There are usually about 30 bikes in each class so he did well! I had a great time in Virginia and it sure is a beautiful state! Love Iggy
Pixiedustlady Posted Oct 6, 2009, 1:01 am	Hi Mom!! Today I got on the computer and did a bunch of research on the state of North Carolina. I have prepared a big report for you to read about the Tarheel state!! I am having fun and a new TV arrived today named Holgihh. Now there is a big gang of us here in the house and we are having a great time! I hope you enjoy my report!! North Carolina is bordered by South Carolina on the south, Georgia on the southwest, Tennessee on the west, Virginia on the north, and the Atlantic Ocean on the east. The United States Census Bureau classifies North Carolina as a southern state in the subcategory of being one of the South Atlantic States. North Carolina consists of three main geographic sections: the coastal plain, which occupies the eastern 45% of the state; the Piedmont region, which contains the middle 35%; and the Appalachian Mountains and foothills. The extreme eastern section of the state contains the Outer Banks, a string of sandy, narrow islands which form a barrier between the Atlantic Ocean and inland waterways. The Outer Banks form two sounds—Albemarle Sound in the north and Pamlico Sound in the south. They are the two largest landlocked sounds in the United States. Immediately inland, the coastal plain is relatively flat, with rich soils ideal for growing tobacco, soybeans, melons, and cotton. The coastal plain is North Carolina's most rural section, with few large towns or cities. Agriculture remains an important industry. The major rivers of the coastal plain: the Neuse, Tar, Pamlico, and Cape Fear, tend to be slow-moving and wide. The coastal plain transitions to the Piedmont region along the "fall line", a line which marks the elevation at which waterfalls first appear on streams and rivers. The Piedmont region of central North Carolina is the state's most urbanized and densely populated section - all five of the state's largest cities are located in the Piedmont. It consists of gently rolling countryside frequently broken by hills or low mountain ridges. A number of small, isolated, and deeply eroded mountain ranges and peaks are located in the Piedmont, including the Sauratown Mountains, Pilot Mountain, the Uwharrie Mountains, Crowder's Mountain, King's Pinnacle, the Brushy Mountains, and the South Mountains. The Piedmont ranges from about 300–400 feet (90–120 m) elevation in the east to over 1,000 feet (300 m) in the west. Due to the rapid population growth of the Piedmont, many of the farms and much of the rural countryside in this region is being replaced by suburbanization: shopping centers, housing developments, and large corporate office parks. Agriculture is steadily declining in importance in this region. The major rivers of the Piedmont, such as the Yadkin and Catawba, tend to be fast-flowing, shallow, and narrow. The western section of the state is part of the Appalachian Mountain range. Among the subranges of the Appalachians located in the state are the Great Smoky Mountains, Blue Ridge Mountains, Great Balsam Mountains, and the Black Mountains. The Black Mountains are the highest in the Eastern United States, and culminate in Mount Mitchell at 6,684 feet (2,037 m).[3] It is the highest point east of the Mississippi River. Although agriculture remains important, tourism has become the dominant industry in the mountains. One agricultural pursuit which has prospered and grown in recent decades is the growing and selling of Christmas Trees. Due to the higher altitude of the mountains, the climate often differs markedly from the rest of the state. Winters in western North Carolina typically feature significant snowfall and subfreezing temperatures more akin to a midwestern state than a southern one. North Carolina has 17 major river basins. Five of the state's river basins: the Hiwassee, Little Tennessee, French Broad, Watauga and New, are part of the Mississippi River Basin, which drains to the Gulf of Mexico. All the others flow to the Atlantic Ocean. Of the 17 basins, 11 originate within the state of North Carolina, but only four are contained entirely within the state's borders - the Cape Fear, Neuse, White Oak and Tar-Pamlico. The coastal plain is influenced by the Atlantic Ocean which keeps temperatures mild in winter and moderate in the summer. Daytime high temperatures on the coast average less than 89 °F (31.6 °C) during the summer. In the winter, the coast has the mildest temperatures in the state, with daytime temperatures rarely dropping below 40 °F (4.4 °C); the average daytime winter temperature in the coastal plain is usually in the mid-60's. Temperatures in the coastal plain rarely drop below freezing even at night. The coastal plain usually receives only one inch (2.5 cm) of snow and/or ice annually, and in some years there may be no snow or ice at all. The Atlantic Ocean has less influence on the Piedmont region, and as a result the Piedmont has hotter summers and colder winters than the coast. Daytime highs in the Piedmont often average over 90 °F (32.2 °C) in the summer. While it is not common for temperatures to reach over 100 °F (37.8 °C) in North Carolina, when it happens, the highest temperatures are to be found in the lower areas of the Piedmont, especially around the city of Fayetteville. Additionally, the weaker influence of the Atlantic Ocean means that temperatures in the Piedmont often fluctuate more widely than the coast. In the winter, the Piedmont is much less mild than the coast, with daytime temperatures that are usually in the mid 50's, and temperatures often drop below freezing at night. The region averages from 3–5 inches of snowfall annually in the Charlotte area to 6–8 inches in the Raleigh–Durham area. The Piedmont is especially notorious for sleet and freezing rain. It can be heavy enough in some storms to snarl traffic and collapse trees and power lines. Annual precipitation and humidity is lower in the Piedmont than either the mountains or the coast, but even at its lowest, the precipitation is a generous 40 in (102 cm) per year. The Appalachian Mountains are the coolest area of the state, with daytime temperatures averaging in the low 40's and upper 30's for highs in the winter and often falling into the teens (−9 °C) or lower on winter nights. Relatively cool summers have temperatures rarely rising above 80 °F (26.7 °C). Snowfall in the mountains is usually 14–20 in (36–51 cm) per year, but it is often greater in the higher elevations. For example, during the Blizzard of 1993 more than 50 inches (130 cm) of snow fell on Mount Mitchell over a period of three days. Severe weather occurs regularly in North Carolina. On average, the state receives a direct hit from a hurricane once a decade. Tropical storms arrive every 3 or 4 years. In some years, several hurricanes or tropical storms can directly strike the state or brush across the coastal areas. Only Florida and Louisiana are hit by hurricanes more often. Although many people believe that hurricanes menace only coastal areas, the rare hurricane which moves inland quickly enough can cause severe damage. In 1989 Hurricane Hugo caused heavy damage in Charlotte and even as far inland as the Blue Ridge Mountains in the northwestern part of the state. On average, North Carolina has 50 days of thunderstorm activity per year, with some storms becoming severe enough to produce hail, flash floods, and damaging winds. North Carolina averages fewer than 20 tornadoes per year. Many of these are produced by hurricanes or tropical storms along the coastal plain. Tornadoes from thunderstorms are a risk, especially in the eastern part of the state. The western piedmont is often protected by the mountains breaking storms up as they try to cross over them. The storms will often reform farther east. Also a weather feature known as "cold air damming" occurs in the western part of the state. This can also weaken storms but can also lead to major ice events in winter. North Carolina was originally inhabited by many different native peoples, including those of the ancient Mississippian culture established by 1000 A.D. in the Piedmont. Historically documented tribes included Cherokee, Tuscarora, Cheraw, Pamlico, Meherrin, Coree, Machapunga, Cape Fear Indians, Waxhaw, Saponi, Tutelo, Waccamaw, Coharie, and Catawba. Spanish explorers traveling inland encountered the last of the Mississippian culture at Joara, near present-day Morganton. Records of Hernando de Soto attested to his meeting with them in 1540. In 1567 Captain Juan Pardo led an expedition into the interior of North Carolina on a journey to claim the area for the Spanish colony, as well as establish another route to protect silver mines in Mexico (the Spanish did not realize the distances involved.) Pardo made a winter base at Joara, which he renamed Cuenca. The expedition built Fort San Juan and left 30 men, while Pardo traveled further, establishing five other forts. He returned by a different route to Santa Elena on Parris Island, South Carolina, then a center of Spanish Florida. In the spring of 1568, natives killed all the soldiers and burned the six forts in the interior, including the one at Fort San Juan. The Spanish never returned to the interior to press their colonial claim, but this marked the first European attempt at colonization of the interior of what became the United States. A journal by Pardo's scribe Bandera and archaeological findings at Joara have confirmed the settlement.[9][10] Sir Walter Raleigh returns to find the colony abandonedIn 1584, Elizabeth I, granted a charter to Sir Walter Raleigh, for whom the state capital is named, for land in present-day North Carolina (then Virginia).[11] Raleigh established two colonies on the coast in the late 1580s, both ending in failure. It was the second American territory the British attempted to colonize. The demise of one, the "Lost Colony" of Roanoke Island, remains one of the great mysteries of American history. Virginia Dare, the first English child to be born in North America, was born on Roanoke Island on August 18, 1587. Dare County is named for her. As early as 1650, colonists from the Virginia colony moved into the area of Albemarle Sound. By 1663, King Charles II of England granted a charter to establish a new colony on the North American continent which generally established its borders. He named it Carolina in honor of his father Charles I.[12] By 1665, a second charter was issued to attempt to resolve territorial questions. In 1710, due to disputes over governance, the Carolina colony began to split into North Carolina and South Carolina. The latter became a crown colony in 1729. Reconstructed royal governor's mansion Tryon Palace in New BernThe first permanent European settlers of North Carolina were British colonists who migrated south from Virginia, following a rapid growth of the colony and the subsequent shortage of available farmland. Nathaniel Batts was documented as one of the first of these Virginian migrants. He settled south of the Chowan River and east of the Great Dismal Swamp in 1655.[13] By 1663, this northeastern area of the Province of Carolina, known as the Albemarle Settlements, was undergoing full-scale British settlement.[14] During the same period, the English monarch Charles II gave the province to the Lords Proprietors, a group of noblemen who had helped restore Charles to the throne in 1660. The new province of "Carolina" was named in honor and memory of King Charles I (Latin: Carolus). In 1712, North Carolina became a separate colony. With the exception of the Earl Granville holdings, it became a royal colony seventeen years later.[15] Differences in the settlement patterns of eastern and western North Carolina, or the low country and uplands, affected the political, economic, and social life of the state from the eighteenth until the twentieth century. The Tidewater in eastern North Carolina was settled chiefly by immigrants from England and the Scottish Highlands. The upcountry of western North Carolina was settled chiefly by Scots-Irish and German Protestants, the so-called "cohee". Arriving during the mid-to-late 18th century, the Scots-Irish from Ireland were the largest immigrant group before the Revolution. During the Revolutionary War, the English and Highland Scots of eastern North Carolina tended to remain loyal to the British Crown, because of longstanding business and personal connections with Great Britain. The Scots-Irish and German settlers of western North Carolina tended to favor American independence from Britain. Most of the English colonists arrived as indentured servants, hiring themselves out as laborers for a fixed period to pay for their passage. In the early years the line between indentured servants and African slaves or laborers was fluid. Some Africans were allowed to earn their freedom before slavery became a lifelong status. Most of the free colored families formed in North Carolina before the Revolution were descended from relationships or marriages between free white women and enslaved or free African or African-American men. Many had migrated or were descendants of migrants from colonial Virginia.[16] As the flow of indentured laborers to the colony decreased with improving economic conditions in Great Britain, more slaves were imported and the state's restrictions on slavery hardened. The economy's growth and prosperity was based on slave labor, devoted first to the production of tobacco. On April 12, 1776, the colony became the first to instruct its delegates to the Continental Congress to vote for independence from the British crown, through the Halifax Resolves passed by the North Carolina Provincial Congress. The dates of both of these independence-related events are memorialized on the state flag and state seal.[17] Throughout the Revolutionary War, fierce guerilla warfare erupted between bands of pro-independence and pro-British colonists. In some cases the war was also an excuse to settle private grudges and rivalries. A major American victory in the war took place at King's Mountain along the North Carolina–South Carolina border. On October 7, 1780 a force of 1000 mountain men from western North Carolina (including what is today the State of Tennessee) overwhelmed a force of some 1000 British troops led by Major Patrick Ferguson. Most of the British soldiers in this battle were Carolinians who had remained loyal to the British Crown (they were called "Tories"). The American victory at Kings Mountain gave the advantage to colonists who favored American independence, and it prevented the British Army from recruiting new soldiers from the Tories. The road to Yorktown and America's independence from Great Britain led through North Carolina. As the British Army moved north from victories in Charleston and Camden, South Carolina, the Southern Division of the Continental Army and local militia prepared to meet them. Following General Daniel Morgan's victory over the British Cavalry Commander Banastre Tarleton at the Battle of Cowpens on January 17, 1781, southern commander Nathanael Greene led British Lord Charles Cornwallis across the heartland of North Carolina, and away from Cornwallis's base of supply in Charleston, South Carolina. This campaign is known as "The Race to the Dan" or "The Race for the River."[15] Generals Greene and Cornwallis finally met at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse in present-day Greensboro on March 15, 1781. Although the British troops held the field at the end of the battle, their casualties at the hands of the numerically superior American Army were crippling. Following this "Pyhrric victory", Cornwallis chose to move to the Virginia coastline to get reinforcements, and to allow the Royal Navy to protect his battered army. This decision would result in Cornwallis's eventual defeat at Yorktown, Virginia later in 1781. The Patriots' victory there guaranteed American independence. Antebellum Period On November 21, 1789, North Carolina became the twelfth state to ratify the Constitution. In 1840, it completed the state capitol building in Raleigh, still standing today. Most of North Carolina's slave owners and large plantations were located in the eastern portion of the state. Although North Carolina's plantation system was smaller and less cohesive than those of Virginia, Georgia or South Carolina, there were significant numbers of planters concentrated in the counties around the port cities of Wilmington and Edenton, as well as suburban planters around the cities of Raleigh, Charlotte and Durham. Planters owning large estates wielded significant political and socio-economic power in antebellum North Carolina, often to the derision of the generally non-slave holding "yeoman" farmers of Western North Carolina. In mid-century, the state's rural and commercial areas were connected by the construction of a 129–mile (208 km) wooden plank road, known as a "farmer's railroad," from Fayetteville in the east to Bethania (northwest of Winston-Salem).[15] In addition to slaves, there were a number of free people of color in the state. Most were descended from free African Americans who had migrated along with neighbors from Virginia during the eighteenth century. After the Revolution, Quakers and Mennonites worked to persuade slaveholders to free their slaves. Enough were inspired by their efforts and the language of men's rights, and arranged for manumission of their slaves. The number of free people of color rose in the first couple of decades after the Revolution.[18] On October 25, 1836 construction began on the Wilmington and Raleigh Railroad[19] to connect the port city of Wilmington with the state capital of Raleigh. In 1849 the North Carolina Railroad was created by act of the legislature to extend that railroad west to Greensboro, High Point, and Charlotte. During the Civil War the Wilmington-to-Raleigh stretch of the railroad would be vital to the Confederate war effort; supplies shipped into Wilmington would be moved by rail through Raleigh to the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia. During the antebellum period North Carolina was an overwhelmingly rural state, even by Southern standards. In 1860 only one North Carolina town, the port city of Wilmington, had a population of more than 10,000. Raleigh, the state capital, had barely more than 5,000 residents. While slaveholding was slightly less concentrated than in some Southern states, according to the 1860 census, more than 330,000 people, or 33% of the population of 992,622 were enslaved African-Americans. They lived and worked chiefly on plantations in the eastern Tidewater. In addition, 30,463 free people of color lived in the state. They were also concentrated in the eastern coastal plain, especially at port cities such as Wilmington and New Bern where they had access to a variety of jobs. Free African Americans were allowed to vote until 1835, when the state rescinded their suffrage. In 1860, North Carolina was a slave state, in which about one-third of the population of 992,622 were enslaved African Americans. This was a smaller proportion than many Southern states. In addition, the state had a substantial number of Free Negroes, just over 30,000.[20] The state did not vote to join the Confederacy until President Abraham Lincoln called on it to invade its sister-state, South Carolina, becoming the second to last state to join the Confederacy. North Carolina was the site of few battles, but it provided at least 125,000 troops to the Confederacy— far more than any other state. Approximately 40,000 of those troops never returned home, dying of disease, battlefield wounds, and starvation. Elected in 1862, Governor Zebulon Baird Vance tried to maintain state autonomy against Confederate President Jefferson Davis in Richmond. Even after secession, some North Carolinians refused to support the Confederacy. This was particularly true of non-slave-owning farmers in the state's mountains and western Piedmont region. Some of these farmers remained neutral during the war, while some covertly supported the Union cause during the conflict. Approximately 2,000 North Carolinians from western North Carolina enlisted in the Union Army and fought for the North in the war, and two additional Union Army regiments were raised in the coastal areas of the state that were occupied by Union forces in 1862 and 1863. Even so, Confederate troops from all parts of North Carolina served in virtually all the major battles of the Army of Northern Virginia, the Confederacy's most famous army. The largest battle fought in North Carolina was at Bentonville, which was a futile attempt by Confederate General Joseph Johnston to slow Union General William Tecumseh Sherman's advance through the Carolinas in the spring of 1865.[15] In April 1865 after losing the Battle of Morrisville, Johnston surrendered to Sherman at Bennett Place, in what is today Durham, North Carolina. This was the last major Confederate Army to surrender. North Carolina's port city of Wilmington was the last Confederate port to fall to the Union. It fell in the spring of 1865 after the nearby Second Battle of Fort Fisher. Bennett Place historic site in Durham, North Carolina.The first Confederate soldier to be killed in the Civil War was Private Henry Wyatt, a North Carolinian. He was killed in the Battle of Big Bethel in June 1861. At the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863, the 26th North Carolina Regiment participated in Pickett/Pettigrew's Charge and advanced the farthest into the Northern lines of any Confederate regiment. During the Battle of Chickamauga the 58th North Carolina Regiment advanced farther than any other regiment on Snodgrass Hill to push back the remaining Union forces from the battlefield. At Appomattox Court House in Virginia in April 1865, the 75th North Carolina Regiment, a cavalry unit, fired the last shots of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the Civil War. For many years, North Carolinians proudly boasted that they had been "First at Bethel, Farthest at Gettysburg and Chickamauga, and Last at Appomattox." Film studios are located in Shelby, Raleigh, Durham, Charlotte, Asheville, Wilmington, and Winston-Salem. Some of the best-known films and television shows filmed in the state include: All the Real Girls, Being There, Blue Velvet, Bull Durham, A Walk to Remember, Glory (film), The Color Purple, Cabin Fever, Super Mario Bros. (film), Cape Fear, Children of the Corn, The Crow, Dawson's Creek, Dirty Dancing, Evil Dead 2, The Fugitive, The Green Mile, Hannibal, The Last of the Mohicans, Nell, One Tree Hill, Patch Adams (film), Shallow Hal, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Leatherheads, Nights in Rodanthe and 28 Days. Half of Steven King's movies were filmed in North Carolina. The television show most associated with North Carolina is The Andy Griffith Show, which aired on CBS-TV from 1960 to 1968. The series is set in the fictional small town of Mayberry, North Carolina, and was based on the real-life town of Mount Airy, North Carolina, although it was filmed in California. Mount Airy is the hometown of actor Andy Griffith. The show is still popular in reruns and is frequently shown in syndication around the nation. North Carolina is also home to some of the Southeast's biggest film festivals, including the National Black Theatre Festival and the RiverRun International Film Festival in Winston-Salem, and the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival in Durham, North Carolina. The School of Filmmaking at the North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem is a unique arts conservatory that combines rigorous professional training with unparalleled facilities, equipment and resources. All Second, Third and Fourth Year productions are entered into film and video festivals worldwide, and several have won major awards, including the Student Academy Award, the Angelus Award and the Cine Eagle Award. The best Fourth Year productions are also screened on film in front of large industry audiences at the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles in June each year. School of the Arts alumni have performed in or behind the scenes of Broadway shows, film, television and regional theatre, and are members of the world’s finest symphony orchestras and opera and dance companies. They have won or been nominated for all of the major awards in the entertainment industry, including Tony, Oscar, Emmy, Grammy and others. Some well-known alumni of the NCSA School of Drama are Jada Pinkett Smith, Mary-Louise Parker, Catherine Dent, and Tom Hulce. Although North Carolina did not have a major-league professional sports franchise until the 1980s, the state has long been known as a hotbed of college basketball. Since the formation of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in 1953, the conference's North Carolina member schools have excelled in conference play. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), Duke University, and North Carolina State University are all located within 25 miles (40 km) of one another, creating fierce rivalries. Wake Forest University, another ACC member, is located less than 100 miles (160 km) to the west of these schools in Winston-Salem. UNC has won four NCAA national championships in basketball: 1957, 1982, 1993, and 2005. The Tar Heels also won a national-level championship in 1924, before the NCAA was created. Duke has won three NCAA championships: 1991, 1992, and 2001. NC State has won two: 1974 and 1983. The Duke-UNC basketball rivalry has been called one of the best rivalries in sports and the two schools are often contenders for the national title. In addition to the ACC schools, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte went to the NCAA's Final Four in 1977, and Davidson College near Charlotte went to the NCAA's "Elite Eight" in 1968, 1969, and 2008. In 2007 Barton College in Wilson won the NCAA Division II championship in men's basketball. Although basketball remains the dominant college sport in North Carolina, several schools have also enjoyed success in football and other sports. In 2005, 2006, and 2007 Appalachian State University won the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision championship; they are the first university to win the Division I Football Championship Subdivision championship three times in a row. Wake Forest University has also enjoyed substantial success in football; in 2007 they won the ACC football championship and participated in the 2007 Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida. This was the first major bowl berth for a North Carolina-based team since Duke defeated Arkansas in the 1961 Cotton Bowl (game). The Blue Ridge Mountains of the Shining Rock Wilderness AreaDue to geography, rich history, and growing industry, North Carolina provides a large range of recreational activities from swimming at the beach[53] 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. North Carolinians enjoy outdoor recreation utilizing numerous local bike paths, 34 state parks, and 14 national parks which are the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, the 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, the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail, Old Salem National Historic Site in Winston-Salem, the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail, Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, Uwharrie National Forest. Famous food and drinks from North Carolina 2008 Lexington Barbecue Festival A nationally-famous cuisine from North Carolina is pork barbecue. However, there are strong regional differences and rivalries over the sauces and method of preparation used in making the barbecue. Eastern North Carolina pork barbecue uses a vinegar-based sauce and the "whole hog" is cooked, thus using both white and dark meat. The "capital" of eastern Carolina barbecue is usually considered to be the town of Wilson, near Raleigh. Western North Carolina pork barbecue uses a ketchup and vinegar based sauce and only the pork shoulder (dark meat) is used. The "capital" of western Carolina barbecue is usually considered to be the Piedmont Triad town of Lexington, home of the Lexington Barbecue Festival which brings in over 100,000 visitors each October. North Carolina is the birthplace of Pepsi-Cola, first produced in 1890 in New Bern. Regional soft drinks created and still based in the state are Sun Drop and Cheerwine. Krispy Kreme, a popular chain of doughnut stores, was started in North Carolina; the company's headquarters are in Winston-Salem. Despite its name, the hot sauce Texas Pete was created in North Carolina; its headquarters are also in Winston-Salem. The Hardees fast-food chain was started in Rocky Mount. Another fast-food chain, Bojangles', was started in Charlotte, and has its corporate headquarters there. A popular North Carolina restaurant chain is Golden Corral. Started in 1973, the chain was founded in Fayetteville. Popular pickle brand Mount Olive Pickle Company was founded in Mount Olive in 1926. Cook Out, a popular fast food chain featuring burgers, hot dogs, and milkshakes in a wide variety of flavors, was founded in Greensboro in 1989 and operates exclusively in North Carolina. Ships named for the state Several ships have been named for the state. Most famous is the USS North Carolina, a World War II battleship. The ship served in several battles against the forces of Imperial Japan in the Pacific theater during the war. Now decommissioned, it is part of the USS North Carolina Battleship Memorial in Wilmington. Another USS North Carolina, a nuclear attack submarine, was commissioned on May 3, 2008.[55] Cardinal, North Carolina state bird Strawberry, North Carolina state red berry [edit] State symbols Main article: North Carolina state symbols State motto: Esse quam videri ("To be, rather than to seem") (1893) State song: "The Old North State" (1927) State flower: Dogwood (1941) State bird: Cardinal (1943) State colors: the red and blue of the N.C. and U.S. flags (1945) State toast: The Tar Heel Toast (1957) State tree: Pine (1963) State shell: Scotch bonnet (1965) State mammal: Eastern Gray Squirrel (1969) State salt water fish: Red Drum (also known as the Channel bass) (1971) State insect: European honey bee (1973) State gemstone: Emerald (1973) State reptile: Eastern Box Turtle (1979) State rock: Granite (1979) State beverage: Milk (1987) State historical boat: Shad boat (1987) State language: English (1987) State dog: Plott Hound (1989) State military academy: Oak Ridge Military Academy (1991) State tartan: Carolina tartan (1991)[56] State vegetable: Sweet potato (1995) State red berry: Strawberry (2001) State blue berry: Blueberry (2001) State fruit: Scuppernong grape (2001) State wildflower: Carolina Lily (2003) State Christmas tree: Fraser Fir (2005) State carnivorous plant: Venus Flytrap (2005) State folk dance: Clogging (2005) State popular dance: Shag (2005) State freshwater trout: Southern Appalachian Brook Trout (2005) State birthplace of traditional pottery: the Seagrove area (2005) Hope you enjoyed your history lesson Mom!! Iggy
Pixiedustlady Posted Oct 8, 2009, 12:47 am	Hi Mom!!! Even though motorcycle racing season is now over, we took Steves race bike up to the drag strip! Now if you remember Steve races his bike around road coarses such as Daytona, VIR, Road Atlanta ect. He was complaining that his starts were not very good at the last race so we had the idea to take the bike up for some drag racing fun!! They had the IHRA drag racing going on with the top fuel Dragsters. I saw the Drag cars go 200 MPH!!! My host has never had his bike up at the drag strip and Darcie said it was going to be fun!! Here we all are pulling into the track at the main gate. Here we are warming up Steves Bike while he gets his leathers on. Here is a closer view of us on the gas tank of the GSXR 600. We go over and get the special Race Fuel. This is VP U4.2 you have to order it from a dealer and it is not sold at the gas station. It is very hot out tonight so we go get a diet coke to drink!! Here we are watching some of the cars on the drag strip. They are super loud and very fast. Now it is Steves turn so Darcie tucks us into his leathers and we go race down the track with him!! They had a Junior dragster class and look at how young this little girl was!! This is her and her drag car we thought it was cool!! Here we are on a Hayabusa 1300 cc motorcycle. Darcie tells us this is a very unsafe and dangerous drag racing bike, because it has WAY to much power!! This bike is very popular with the 20 year olds LOL We thought it was very cool looking! We had chili dogs and french fries for dinner and we stayed out till about midnight. I had a great time and hope you liked the photos!! Love Iggy
Pixiedustlady Posted Oct 25, 2009, 2:26 pm	Hi Mom! Today we all got in the car and drove to the Pumpkin Patch! Darcie said we can each get our own pumpkin for Halloween so we start looking to find that special one!! We pick out our pumpkins and take them back home. We start putting up all the Halloween decorations!! We put cobwebs on the rose bushes...dont they look scary!! We see a spooky cemetary that only comes around in the front yard during Halloween We hang up all the decorations on the front porch. We like the witch that moves up and down and the dancing skeleton. Here we are with the candy and toys that we will hand out on Halloween. This is my other host Steve and he tries to scare us with his Saw mask. The Saw mask is very real looking and Darcie's dogs hate it lol well that is all for now! we are going to a Halloween cruise in with Darcies car club today! It should be lots of fun! Love Iggy
Pixiedustlady Posted Oct 27, 2009, 11:33 pm	Hi Mom! Last night we all got in Darcie's Spyder and drove down to Arbys for the car clubs Halloween Spooktacular cruise in. Everyone was dressed in costumes and they also dressed up the cars. We handed out candy to the kids. Here are some photos of the night! Here we are sitting on top of the Spyder. I loved the lights and the spooky skeleton!! Here we are with a witch and a wizard. Here we are with my other host Steve in his werewolf costume! Look its the cat in the hat!! lol We find a spookey grave yard and walk around looking for candy. Here we are with a pirate! We pose for a picture with the Sheriff Here we are with a Gypsy lady. Here we are getting ready to get inside the candy bowl! Guess who we used for a Halloween candy bag? Etwas!!! he came in very handy!! We had a lot of fun and Darcie and Steve won Best dressed car we only have four more nights until Halloween!!! Love Iggy
Pixiedustlady Posted Oct 31, 2009, 5:04 pm	Hi Mom! Today is Halloween! I am getting everything all ready for the trick or treaters that will come to the house. We watched scary movies last night. We saw The Shining Carrie and Christine. We also made Tandoori chicken last night and carved out our pumpkins!! Here are the photos! First we start by cooking the black beans. Next we get the Nan bread already to go in the oven. Here we are cooking the rice. Doesnt the chicken look good? This is one of Darcies favorite foods and it is a shame there are no Indian restaurants in this town! Here we are with the completed meal...yum!! After dinner we all go outside to start carving pumpkins. Here we are ready to go! First we pick out a design to carve our pumpkins with. Next we get our special pumpkin carving tools. Here is our finished pumpkin! Do you know what it is?? Today has been really fun and we are waiting for it to get dark outside!!! Happy Halloween mom!!
Pixiedustlady Posted Nov 9, 2009, 2:18 pm	Hi Mom! I JUST got back from South Carolina from the Marine Corps Birthday ball!!! those photos will follow shortly Here are my photos from Halloween!! I could not take any photos of kids in costumes as most parents do not allow that here I did have fun handing out all the candy and hanging out with the other TVs!! Here is Darcies dog Thumper in her Devil costume!! Here is Sombrita looking at us wondering what we are doing!! she is as small as we are! I had a fantastic fun time and cant wait to tell you about the ball!! Love Iggy
Pixiedustlady Posted Nov 14, 2009, 9:22 pm	Hi Mom!!! Well I finally have rested up from the big birthday ball!!! The ball is a tradition that the Marines hold every year in honor of their birthday!! We get the car packed and drive down to another state. We are going to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Darcie says they never go in the summer because all the tourists FLOCK to this location and it is a big headache with traffic. But it is winter and no one is around AND it is 75 degrees out!! The ride down is two hours and I take a nap. I get to the hotel and check into my room. Since I am going to a formal event I put on my black tie dont I look nice?! I look out my room and see the ocean. This is what the Grand Strand (main road) looks like from my room I start having some fun and Darcie tells me it is time to drink some Patron!!! This is very smooth tequila and I love how good it is! haha Now it is dark outside and I take another picture of my view... it is very pretty!! I go downstairs and sit down at a table with 10 other friends and Marines. Here I am watching a movie and listening to the Commandants birthday message. The official ball ceremony is about to start and I get so excited when I hear the band start playing!! look at these great seats we got!! I try to be still as the color guard and Marines come out and the cermony has started!! NOTE: the photos did not turn out as planned sorry they are not more clear. While I wait for my fancy dinner everyone at the table wants to hold me. It is now dinner time!! First I get a salad. Then my main coarse of Filet Mignon wrapped in bacon, chicken, potato and veggies. Then I get dessert, a nice piece of Marine Corps birthday cake!! Here I am with my host Steve. He is making a tough Marine face for you hahaha After dinner the DJ plays music and we dance for a bit. Everyone decides we want to go out on the town so we change clothes and go to Broadway at the beach. There are 8 nightclubs all hooked into one! We go to Revolutions and Senor Frogs. Even though I am not 21 I hide in Darcies purse and sneak in!! Here I am dancing!! We stay out till 2am and I am ready for bed!! I look out at the beautiful lights one more time...... I turn around because I hear a strange noise...... it is Darcie laughing because the big tough Marine (Steve) has had WAY to much to drink and he passes out LOLOLOL I laugh and snicker and take a photo for evidence to put on his Facebook :0 I will never ever forget getting to be the first and probabley the ONLY TV in the WORLD that gets to go to a Marine Corps birthday ball. I met a lot of fantastic friends and had the time of my life!! Love Iggy
Pixiedustlady Posted Nov 18, 2009, 12:33 am	Today a new TV arrives! Her name is Rhinono and she is from China. I introduce her to everyone and tell her she is going to have fun here! She is JUST in time for the big Thanksgiving holiday!! I tell her she JUST missed the Marine Corps ball maybe next time hahaha. Love Iggy
Pixiedustlady Posted Nov 30, 2009, 8:57 pm	Happy Thanksgiving Mom!!! I know we do not celebrate Thanksgiving in Greece so this was VERY exciting for me!! We made a HUGE meal and had friends over!! I also got to see the famous Macys Thanksgiving Day parade!!! Darcie took a lot of photos but something happened with her battery and she is sooo mad she did not get all the shots of us with the big fat 15 lb turkey!!!! Here is our menu we cooked!! Turkey, Ham, Homemade Mashed Potatoes, Cranberry sauce, Corn bread Souffle, Deviled eggs, Sweet potato casserole, stuffing, dinner rolls, pumpkin pie and Key Lime pie!!! I ate until I could not eat anymore!!!! Plus we had a big table full of snacks for everyone to eat while the big dinner was cooking. First we had to go shopping for a LOT of stuff!! Then we got out the cookbooks and started getting the recipes together! Here we are with the sweet potato casserole. It was soooo sweet it tasted like a dessert! We have to make a yummy cheese dip the night before so it can form the correct way in the fridge. We get up Thanksgiving morning and have a real fun American breakfast of Trix cereal, Cinnamon toast and orange juice. It was also Thumper the pugs 3rd birthday!!! all the dogs (including TV dogs) got to have a special meal!!! Next we have to peel all these potatoes! Darcie says they only do homemade mashed potatoes once a year...too much work LOL Next the big Macys Thanksgiving parade starts so we head for the front room to watch! The parade is held every year in Manhatten, New York and is a American tradition to watch while cooking the big feast. Here is the outside of Macys department store. Darcie says Macys is fantastic to shop at! It is time to move to the kitchen, as we have a lot of cooking to do but that is ok because there is a TV in the kitchen so we do not miss any of the action! Here are the world famous Rockettes dancing and singing! They are so pretty to watch! There are a lot of great marching bands to watch play during the parade. The best part of the parade were the HUGE helium ballons! It would take up to 40 people to walk the ballons through the parade! here are a few of my favorite ones! I liked this giant turkey float!! Here is a drill team of all girls on their horses. The grand finale of the parade was Santa Claus!!! we loved looking at him and his reindeer as he passed by Macys!! Yummy deviled eggs! Here is our snack table... unfortunatley the rest of the photos did not turn out I had a fantastic time celebrating Thanksgiving and helping out in the kitchen!! I am invited back for next year!!!! do you want to come too??
Pixiedustlady Posted Dec 6, 2009, 1:05 am	Today a new TV arrives! here she is meeting all the other TVs that are at the house! She is a Dutch bunny named Nijntje. We all exchange stories of the other places we have visited. Thumper listens in and is nodding her head yes that she wants a dog cookie Here we are under the Christmas tree with Darcies Disney tree skirt. She had their last name embroidered on it and you can see Mickey and the gang decorating a tree!! There are a TON of movies here to watch! This is what we are going to watch tonight. The movie is called Christmas Vacation with Chevy Chase and it is sooooooooo funny!! Here are Darcies favorite top three Christmas movies that we will watch this weekend. A Christmas story Its a wonderful life and Miracle on 34th st Here we are up on the window sill with Santa and Frosty the snowman. You see it says let it snow well it never snows here and my hosts want it to snow for a week straight!! Here we are up on the fireplace mantle. We like all the lights and the stockings. Here we are with all the fun Christmas decorations! dont we look great!! Here we are sitting under the tree with all the presents. We all helped wrap them up today!! Well mom I am going to go play Xbox with Steve and then go to bed. I will write again real soon!! PS... Darcie wants to know if you can send her some Baklava?? LOL its her favorite and very hard to get here!! Love Iggy
Pixiedustlady Posted Dec 7, 2009, 12:44 am	Hi mom! Today Darcie got two envelopes. The envelopes were from California. Inside the envelopes were five TVs that needed to be rescued!!. I was happy to see some new friends and we sat around and talked!! Tonight we had Pepperoni Pizza for dinner. Here is our big gang of TVs minus two rescues who were sleeping in the next room We are now watching a Christmas movie every night!! Tonight we watched Christmas with the Kranks it was really funny!! I am going to go get some hot cocoa and look at the Christmas lights!!!
Pixiedustlady Posted Dec 10, 2009, 11:00 pm	Hi mom! Tonight we are doing a easy dinner. Fishsticks and french fries!! We eat dinner and everyone agrees that this was very yummy! we then bake some Blueberry Muffins. We then all gather by the Christmas tree. We love to look at the lights and we go around in a circle and talk about what kind of customs and traditions each of our own Country has. It is fun to be in a different country and see how they decorate, display the ornaments, hang stockings and burn yummy smelling Yankee Candles. We want to watch a musical tonight so we go and get Darcies favorite one of all time Sound of Music filmed in beautiful Austria!! Darcie starts singing........... Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens Brown paper packages tied up with strings These are a few of my favorite things Cream colored ponies and crisp apple streudels Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings These are a few of my favorite things Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes Silver white winters that melt into springs These are a few of my favorite things When the dog bites When the bee stings When I'm feeling sad I simply remember my favorite things And then I don't feel so bad
Pixiedustlady Posted Dec 16, 2009, 1:05 am	Hi Mom!!! Yesterday me and the other TVs went down to Wilmington. Darcie's car club was meeting up and then went to a senior rest home to deliver Christmas Presents. We were suppose to take the Porsche but it was raining!!! The Porsche does not have a top so we would of gotten soaked!! The rain really ruined the entire day but we still had a fun time. While we were at the rest home a new TV asked if he could join our gang. His name is Tuffy and he is now a official TV. We went to McDonalds for lunch. Here we are with our Happy Meal Inside the Happy Meal is a horse from the new movie Avatar he hears all of us outside eating and talking so he jumps out. He is very strange looking and he has six hooves! We introduce everyone to him and he asks if he can join us for lunch. We say yes and we start sharing our traveling stories with him. We finish our lunch and when we get home Darcie says that Snuttig's mom has sent some beautiful and delicious chocolates and a beautiful postcard of Gratz, Austria where Snuttig is from. Dont we all look cute with our Santa hats on? Next Snuttig lays down and starts pointing and explaining all the beautiful pictures of Gratz and tells us about each place that is pictured. We love our history lesson and we are also trying to figure out how to get the chocolate!! Snuttig sees we are trying to take all the Chocolate and he grabs a hold of the bag and pulls with all his bear strength and rescues it for Darcie to eat!! Well mom that is about it for now. We are busy wrapping presents and getting ready for Christmas to arrive!!! hope you are well!!
Pixiedustlady Posted Dec 24, 2009, 7:49 pm	Hi Mom!!!! It is Christmas eve!!! Today Darcie showed us some of her Vintage Christmas books. She loves the 1950s and had some wonderful things to read about. First though we want to bake something so we make some Orange/Cranberry muffins and put butter on them! They are sooo good! Do you like our Santa hats? Next we get on the floor and start looking at the books...this one has old decorations from 1930-1960 and the photos are great! Here we are with a few more oldies from the 1950s. We decide to sing Christmas carols. We start off with Santa Claus is coming to town Here we are with a book called Its a wonderful Christmas! it is filled with all the old toys from the 1950s. They sure had some neat things!! Here we are with the Christmas card holder. I do not know if you can see it, but the card holders are shaped like Mickey Mouse!! Darcie is a big Disney fan! Today we went to a store called Lowes. It is a HUGE store that you can buy things for your house. Darcie had to get some replacement bulbs but then discovered all the Christmas stuff was 75% off!!! we bought a Cinderella Advent Calender that talks, Winnie, Piglet and Tigger singing and moving toy and a Santa Claus that sings Rudolph the Rednose Reindeer tonight we are making Enchiladas and Darcie showed us this really cool website!! It is called Santa Tracker!! www.santanorad.org please go look at it because it is sooooo much fun! We started tracking him last night when he took off from the North Pole. He flew to Australia, then off to Russia and India. He was last spotted flying around the Taj Mahal (see videos of all his stops) we cant WAIT for him to arrive with all the presents!!! Go Santa Go!!! Darcies husband will be happy to see all the Motorcycle stuff for next race season!! boy is that stuff expensive!!! well mom I am going to go eat some more candy and play Xbox!!! Merry Christmas!!
Pixiedustlady Posted Dec 28, 2009, 11:43 pm	Hi Mom! Christmas was a lot of fun!!! we started the day with snuggling up on the couch before our host woke up. We wanted to look at all the gifts that Santa had brought! Here we are under the nice warm blanket at 5:30 am!! We go over to the fireplace and see the presents that santa has left as stocking stuffers. In America everyone hangs a stocking and it gets filled with small gifts and candy. Looks like Santa also leaves things for dogs! He left all kinds of treats and toys for the two host dogs Of course he also left us some nice candy! Here we are with a gift card to Starbucks Coffee house, a gift card to Red Robin hamburger shop, Skittles, orange flavored chocolate and Reeses peanut butter cups!! Y U M!! Next we help Darcie open some presents. Here are just a few of her favorites! she loves old 1950-1960s TV shows. Here is season one of Bewitched it is a show about a woman who is a witch and is married to a regular man. It is VERY funny!! Here we are with four more shows from the 1950s-1960s. They are called I married Joan Father knows best Petticoat Junction and The Donna Reed show Next we open really nice smelling bath products!! Here is stuff from the Bath and Body works store! Nutcracker bubble bath, Candy apple body spray, Ed Hardy perfume and Pear Glaze body lotion! it all smells so good! Next is a wonderful gift! a Twilight duffle bag and the New Moon soundtrack!! We have a wonderful day watching movies and eating candy and talking about Christmas!! I had a great time and will never forget it!! I hope you had a Merry Christmas and hope you have a Happy New Year!!!
Pixiedustlady Posted Jan 4, 2010, 10:37 pm	Happy New Years Mom!!! I hope you had fun on New Years!! we stayed home and made a bunch of drinks and watched movies all night long!! Here we are with all of our alchohol LOL Here we are with very expensive Tequila. This is called Patron and it is very smooth! we all drank a few shots and then licked some salt then ate a small piece of lemon Here we are with our shot glasses from around the world. There are two in the photo. One is from Kaiserslautern, Germany. The other is from Holland. We follow the Television all day. We watch Time Square in New York City. People start arriving at 6am to secure a spot. Then they have to wait ALL DAY till midnight comes. Darcie has done it one time and says the crowds are HUGE. The reporter checks in a few hours later and it is SNOWING!!! the police work hard to barracade off the roads and set up everything for the big ball drop. Here it is later in the evening.....we are waiting and waiting!!! Now it is 9:00 pm so I know that overseas has just struck 12am!! Here is a beautiful shot of places around the world that were celebrating the New Year. We took a bunch of photos at Midnight, but the flash went off on the TV and messed everything up! we still had a great time and wished each other a Happy Traveling 2010!!!
Pixiedustlady Posted Jan 17, 2010, 1:43 am	Hi Mom!!! Not much going on here right now! Darcie had a operation so we have been taking care of her! Today we saw our other host Steve getting out his Alphas what are Alphas? They are one of his Marine uniforms. Today he has to check into a new unit and when you check in you have to be wearing your Alphas. We help him pin on all his ribbons and he explains what all of them are for! We look proud in this photo with him!! After he leaves we go in the kitchen for some Caramal Drizzle Coffee! Darcie likes to put LOTS of sweet stuff in her Coffee so it tastes good!! I tried the Hazelnut creamer and its yum!! Next we see this round, lumpy thing. It is called a Bean Bag and you can lay in it and watch TV. As you can see Darcie is a HUGE Atlanta Braves fan!!! she tells us Baseball will be here in just a few months! Go Braves Go!! Next we go over to the huge movie selection. We are going to start watching Dexter today!! This is one of Darcies favorite shows and she likes to buy the sets so she does not have to wait week after week to see what is next! This is about a police officer named Dexter and it is filmed in Miami. Florida. So far it is really cool!! Next we all get under the covers and then we have to move Darcies Chihuahua, Sombrita, out of the way! Now we start watching the movie!! hope you are having a nice weekend!!
Pixiedustlady Posted Feb 7, 2010, 1:57 pm	Hi mom!! Ciao! Today is Super Bowl Sunday!!! That means everyone in the USA will be gathered around the TV to watch the big football game. We are having a super bowl party and we plan on eating lots of yummy snacks. The two teams that are playing are the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints. This will be the first time ever that the Saints have been to a Super Bowl. We are excited to watch all the funny commercials. Air time for a commercial during the game is 3 million dollars for a 30 second spot. A new TV arrived yesterday. Her name is Dottie Grace and she is a Giraffe from Australia. Here are a few shots of us meeting her!! I just got done eating a bowl of Lucky Charms and now I am going to prepare for the big game!!
Pixiedustlady Posted Feb 11, 2010, 2:20 pm	Hi Mom! Today was Super Bowl Sunday!!! It is the NFL championship game. Almost everyone in the USA gets together and eats lots of junk food and watches the game. The first thing we do is get on the internet and go to a Las Vegas Bookie and place a bunch of bets. We are going to try and win some money!! After we place our bets, we head to the kitchen and pull out all our yummy food! We have mini Corn Dogs, Chicken Fajitas, Jalapeno Poppers, Nachos, Mozzarella Sticks with Marinara sauce and ice cream. Here we are with our yummy Nacho dip. We made it with hot peppers and Velvetta cheese. Pinito said the peppers reminded her of Costa Rica. Here we are with all of our junk food! It is all cooked and the game is about to start. We all fix our own plate and head off for the couch so we can eat and our hosts explain the Football game and tells us the commercials will be fantastic!!! Here we are with the NFL official sign on the TV Here we are watching the game and cheering on the Saints!! Here we are watching the teams line up and ready to charge and try and get a touchdown. This is the Super Bowl logo!! The Saints win the game!!! This is the first time EVER they have been to the Super Bowl!! The end score!!! Go Saints!! We had a fantastic night!!! hope you are doing well!!
Pixiedustlady Posted Feb 14, 2010, 1:57 am	Last night my host turned on the news and showed us that a big snow storm was coming!!! Snow is very rare in this part of the state! It started snowing around 8pm and when we woke up the next day it had snowed 8 inches!! Here we are looking out into the backyard. The snow is just beautiful and my host wishes it would never melt!! We all go out in the front yard and crawl into the show for a photo!! Next we go over and pose by the rose bushes. The snow was sooo cold! Next we all decide to pick teams and have a snowball fight!!!! Who do you think is going to win?? we have fun throwing them back and forth in the yard all morning long! This was my first time seeing the snow and tonight it is going to drop down to freezing level so we can have a bit more fun tommorro!! Hope you enjoyed the snow update!!!
Pixiedustlady Posted Mar 7, 2010, 11:26 pm	Hi Mom, Not a lot going on here. I went to the airport today to pick up two TVs that have arrived. Klaus and Piyo are visiting for the month of March. Here I am greeting them!!
Pixiedustlady Posted Apr 10, 2010, 10:31 pm	i Mom! Happy Easter! I hope you had a nice Easter Day!! When I woke up in the morning, me and the other TVs went around the house on a Easter Egg hunt! These are very special eggs to find as they are Cadbury!! We had a great time finding them and also my host got two new movies in her Easter Basket. We watched New Moon and Princess and the Frog! Here we are on our Egg hunt and with our Easter Basket! After watching movies and eating chocolate eggs we cook dinner. We make yummy chicken burritos with black beans and rice!
Pixiedustlady Posted Apr 16, 2010, 12:22 am	Well mom I have seen all the fun holidays and my host says that it is now time for me to go home. I am awaiting your message to give me the ok to fly home. I had a fantastic time here and want to come back again someday!!
Pixiedustlady Posted Nov 17, 2011, 11:31 am	poor Iggy sits and waits and waits for his owner to come back so I can send him home!! He has been waiting for over a year and I will keep him safe till she writes to me to return him!! No longer doing updates so removing him from my current hosting area.