NORTH CAROLINA - over 20 interesting key facts

Located in the Southeast Region of the United States North Carolina has been a popular relocation spot over the last decade for many people from other regions of the U.S. seeking more affordable living and warmer weather. The list of kid-friendly facts below contain interesting information about this U.S. state including when it became a state, what famous events occurred here and where it is located.

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North Carolina Quick Facts

On November 21st, 1789 North Carolina became the 12th state of the United States.
The capital of North Carolina is Raleigh.
The population of North Carolina is approximately 9,848,060 (2013 U.S. Census Bureau estimate).
With a total land area of 53,819 square miles (139,391 square kilometers) North Carolina ranks 28th among the 50 U.S. states.
The population of Charlotte is approximately 792,862 (2013 U.S. Census Bureau) making it the largest city in North Carolina.
North Carolina's state bird is the Cardinal.
The Dogwood is the state flower of North Carolina.
The state motto is "Esse quam videri" which is Latin for "to be, rather than to seem (to be)".
The state song is "The Old North State".
At 6,684 feet (20,037 meters) Mount Mitchell is the highest point in this state. In fact it is the highest point in the entire eastern United States.
North Carolina borders South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia, and the Atlantic Ocean.

Interesting North Carolina Facts

This state is often referred to as the Tar Heel State or the Old North State.
A region comprised of the cities of Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill comprise what has been dubbed the Research Triangle; an area consisting of numerous universities and companies that conduct cutting-edge technical and scientific research.
Several U.S. war ships have been named for this state. The World War Two battleship USS North Carolina is the most famous. It is now decommissioned and docked at Wilmington NC where tourist can visit it.

North Carolina History Facts

Well before the arrival of Europeans in their region the native people who inhabited North Carolina had developed advance civilizations. The Native American Indians in this region included the Cape Fear Indians, Waxhaw, Catawba, Cherokee, Pamlico, Roanoke, and many others.
The Province of Carolina which consisted of both present day North Carolina and South Carolina was one of the original English colonies prior to the American Revolutionary War. Before the American Revolution England split this colony into the Province of North Carolina and the Province of South Carolina.
On October 7, 1780 a major victory for the American colonist seeking freedom from England during the American Revolutionary War took place at King's Mountain which is on the border of North Carolina and South Carolina.
In the early 1800s cotton and tobacco became important crops for this state which led to the development of a society that relied heavily on slavery.
North Carolina was the last of the U.S. states to declare secession and join the Confederate states at the outbreak of the American Civil War; it did so on May 20th of 1861.
In June 1861 Private Henry Wyatt from North Carolina was the first Confederate soldier killed in the American Civil War; at the Battle of Big Bethel.
The Battle of Bentonville, fought from March 19th through the 21st of 1865, was the largest American Civil War battle to take place in North Carolina. Other American Revolutionary War battles taking place in North Carolina were the Battle of Guilford Courthouse and the Battle of Cowan's Ford.
Approximately 20,000 soldiers from North Carolina were killed in battle during the American Civil War; more than any other Confederate state. An additional 20,000 soldiers or more from this state would die from diseases during the war.