What Every Tar Heel Should Know About North Carolina

Symbols of North Carolina Bird: Cardinal Flower: Dogwood Tree: Longleaf Pine, Christmas

TreeFraser Fir

Rock: Granite Gemstone: Emerald Dog: Plott Hound Drink: Milk Boat: Shad Shell: Scotch Bonnet Fish: Channel Bass-Saltwater,

Appalachian Brook Trout-Freshwater

Insect: Honey Bee Vegetable: Sweet Potato Mammal: Grey Squirrel Reptile: Eastern Box Turtle

North Carolina’s State Song

The Old North State William Gaston Adopted: 1927

Carolina! Carolina! Heaven's blessings attend her, While we live we will cherish, protect and defend her, Tho' the scorner may sneer at and witlings defame her, Still our hearts swell with gladness whenever we name her.

Chorus: Hurrah! Hurrah! the Old North State forever,            Hurrah! Hurrah! the good Old North State.

Tho' she envies not others, their merited glory, Say whose name stands the foremost, in liberty's story Tho' too true to herself e'er to crouch to oppression, Who can yield to just rule a more loyal submission.

(Repeat chorus) Then let all those who love us, love the land that we live in,

As happy a region as on this side of heaven, Where plenty and peace, love and joy smile before us, Raise aloud, raise together the heart-thrilling chorus.

North Carolina State Toast The State Toast

by Leonora Martin and Mary Burke Kerr (1904) Adopted: 1957

Here's to the land of the longleaf pine, The summer land where the sun doth shine, Where the weak grow strong and the strong grow great,Here's to "Down Home," the Old North State!

Here's to the land of the cotton bloom white, Where the scuppernong perfumes the breeze at night, Where the soft southern moss and jessamine mate, 'Neath the murmuring pines of the Old North State!

Here's to the land where the galax grows, Where the rhododendron's rosette glows, Where soars Mount Mitchell's summit great, In the "Land of the Sky," in the Old North State!

Here's to the land where maidens are fair, Where friends are true and cold hearts rare, The near land, the dear land whatever fate, The best land, the best land, the Old North State!

NC Flag

Dates on Flag:

May 20th, 1775

Mecklenburg Resolves: Citizens of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. First community in American colonies to declare independence from Great Britain.

April 12th, 1776

Halifax Resolves: made NC the first colony to call for independence from Great Britain.

“First in Freedom”

Beginnings

Statehood: November 21st 1789. We were the 12th state to join the Union.

State Capital: Named for Sir Walter Raleigh, “Father of English America” Wake County, established in 1792

Name Origin: “Carolus” Land of Charles in Latin. Named for king Charles I of Great Britain in 1629.

Nickname: Tar Heels

During the colonial period (1663-1776) North Carolina was a leading producer of tar and pitch used in building and repairing wooden ships.

State Motto

“Esse Quam

Vederi”To Be Rather than to Seem

The Great Seal

Lady Liberty Holding the North Carolina

Constitution

Lady

Plenty

Mountains to the Sea, Dates of Mecklenburg and Halifax Resolves

North Carolina’s Population

Largest Cities:

Charlotte- Mecklenburg Co. 526,000

Raleigh- Wake Co. 273,000

Greensboro- Guilford Co. 208,000

Winston- Salem- Forsyth Co. 173,000

Durham- Durham Co. 169,000

Fayetteville- Cumberland Co. 128,000

Cary- Wake Co. 92,000

High Point- Guilford Co. 77,000

Wilmington- New Hanover Co. 75,000

Asheville- Buncombe Co. 68,000

Chief Agriculture Products:

TobaccoChickensTurkeysSweet PotatoesPeanutsHogsSoybeansCornDairy ProductsChristmas Trees

Chief Manufacturing Products

Tobacco ProductsTextilesFurnitureBiotechnologyChemicals

Mining:

GraniteLimestoneFeldsparMicaGravel/Sand

Fishing:

ShrimpBlue CrabClamsFlounderTroutOystersShad

Land:

Area- 28th in the nation Elevation- Mount Mitchell (6684 feet) Yancey Co. Coastline-301miles Distance-N/S=180mi,E/W

503mi Major Rivers-French

Broad, Catawba, Yadkin, Cape Fear, Neuse, Tar, Pamlico, Roanoke, Pee Dee

Natural Lakes- Matumuskeet, Phelps, Waccamaw

Major Mountain Ranges-Great Smokey, Blue Ridge

Mt. Mitchell

Mitchell Falls, Yancey County Where Dr. Mitchell

Lost His Life in June of 1857

Dr. Elisha Mitchell and His MountainHighest Peak East of the Mississippi River6,684 Feet Above Sea Level

Education:

UNC-Chapel Hill supported opened in 1795 as the nation’s first state supported university

115 School Systems2,137 k-12 schools, 93

charter schools16 Public Universities59 Community Colleges38 Private Colleges

UNC-Chapel Hill

Appalachian State University-Boone

Duke University-Durham

Government(Executive Branch)

Governor’s Mansion

(Completed in 1891)Governor Pat McCrory

(Republican: Mecklenburg County

Judicial Branch(Interprets Laws Made By General Assembly)

District Court-misdemeanors, juvenile, family

Superior Court-felonies( trial/Jury)

Court of Appeals-- (13 Judges)

NC Supreme Court-- (7 Judges)

Buncombe County Court House

Completed in 1929

Legislative Branch(Makes All Laws for NC)

General Assembly120 Members in the House of

Representatives50 Members in the Senate

“Old Capitol” 1840 Legislative Building ,1963-

Present

North Carolina Is My Home

Here’s to the land of the Longleaf Pine.Here’s to the state I’ll always call mine.We have open front doors and smiling. faces and

throughout the South you won’t find more beautiful places.

We bleed Carolina Blue that covers our skies.That’s how we know God is a Tar Heel as He sits up

high.The Cherokee roamed free and settled our hills.We’ve always counted on tobacco to pay our bills.Blackbeard fought hard and died on our coast.At Gettysburg 1863 we lost the most.But that is ok for we fought hard and our monument

stands tall.And for all time we will be known by all.

Here’s to the land where the sun will always shine.

And James Taylor sang Carolina is always on my mind

In 1960 at Greensboro lunch counters black students sat brave.

And some mountain men never shave.At Guilford Courthouse 1781 for freedom we

stood.We always use manners because we know we

should.

In old country churches is where we find peace.

And the frying of chicken will never cease.We put ice in our tea and we know it’s sweet.Memories of family we will always keep.Kitty Hawk sands watched as the Wright

Brothers flew.No Ohio, that wasn’t you!From the top of Mount Mitchell to the sand on

our coast,North Carolina’s the state we’ll always boast!