North Carolina - The Tar Heel State

Capital City:

Raleigh

Nickname:

Tar Heel State

Motto:

Esse Quam Videri (To Be Rather Than To Seem)

Statehood:

November 21, 1789 (12th)

Origin of State's Name:

Taken from "Carolus," the Latin word for Charles and named after England's King Charles I.

Largest Cities:

Charlotte, Raleigh, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Durham

Border States:

Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia

Land Area:

48,718 sq. mi., 29th largest

State Bird:

Cardinal

State Flower:

American Dogwood (cornus florida)

State Tree:

Longleaf Pine (pinus palustris)

State Song:

The Old North State

The first European settlement in North Carolina is the famous Lost Colony of Roanoke Island that vanished sometime after 1587. North Carolina is the northern portion of the original 1629 land grant made by England's King Charles I, which was named in his honor (Carolus is Latin for Charles). North Carolina joined the Union in 1789 and is the 12th of the original 13 states. Today, North Carolina is a growing research center and banking state. The capital of the "Tar Heel State" is Raleigh, and the dogwood blossom is the state flower.