Welcome to North Carolina

It’s not unusual for people from outside of the state to be unfamiliar with the stunning geography of North Carolina. This isn’t helped the by size of the United States. There are a lot of states out there and we can’t all be Florida. And that unfortunate habit of lumping North and South Carolina under the blanket term “the Carolinas,” confuses things as well. We’re different, really – South Carolina is rather flat. So don’t feel bad if you’re not familiar with our beautiful landscapes. I’m sure there are a few of us down here who would have trouble drawing New Jersey freehand. 

North Carolina rivals California in the range of its physical diversity. In six hours it’s possible to marathon from near-pristine barrier islands on the Atlantic coast to Day-Glo fall leaves on the summits of the Appalachian mountains. And for sheer beauty, there are many North Carolinians who would say the sun never looks so beautiful rising as it does from a skiff on the point of Cape Lookout. Or drifting into a set behind the hook-nose of Grandfather Mountain. And though there might be a little local bias talking, it’s only a little.

North Carolina offers a great deal to those who enjoy the outdoors, whether you’re  a skier or a surfer, a hiker or a diver. And one of the many rich advantages of the Research Triangle Park is that it’s in the perfect location to take advantage of both the Appalachians and the Atlantic Ocean. Chapel Hill, Durham, and Raleigh compose the geographic middle of North Carolina, almost equidistant to the coast and the mountains.

Live here and you’re the pad of butter between two seas of grits, to adapt a vintage Southern saying.