North Carolina: A Better Place to Be
North Carolina promotes itself as “A Better Place To Be” and was admitted to the union November 21, 1789 making it the 12th state. The capital city is Raleigh. The state bird is the Cardinal and the state flower is American Dogwood.
The state got its name from the Latin word for Charles (Carolus) as it was named after England’s King Charles I.
The economy is built around agricultural interests including soybeans, cattle, nursery stock, poultry/eggs, tobacco, hogs and milk with industries such as tobacco products, textile goods, chemical products, machinery, electric equipment and tourism also contributing.
The total gross state product for North Carolina was $424.9-billion (2010) with a civilian workforce estimated at approximately 4.5-million with 4.1-million employed (2011).