GMA On the Road in North Carolina

April 29, 2002 -- From Nascar to cutting-edge research and dorm life, Good Morning America truly dug into its North Carolina digs, launching its "5 States, 5 Days" tour in the "Tar Heel" state.

As far as states go, North Carolina is an over-achiever. Don't let its sleepy Southern charms fool you: down here, it's all about being first.

One hundred years ago, the Wright brothers chose North Carolina's Outer Banks island chain as the site of their first flight, and people have been coming here to fly ever since.

The first miniature golf course was in Fayetteville, N.C. Plus, the country's first gold rush happened in North Carolina.

High-Tech and Tobacco

The Outer Banks are summer home to thousands of vacationers each year, and a permanent home to the country's third-largest film industry.

As you head west, sand turns to farmland, where tradition has deep roots. Tobacco brings $814 million a year to the state. The Blalock family has been growing it for over 80 years.

But David Blalock might be the last in his family to plant it. The future of tobacco farming is dim.

High-tech is where many Carolinians see their state going. Research Triangle Park near Raleigh employs over 30,000 scientists and computer programmers.

Another big source of jobs: the military. When trouble happens anywhere in the world, chances are the first soldiers on the ground come from one of North Carolina's seven military bases.

Your bureau drawers probably hail from North Carolina. Sixty percent of the furniture made in America comes from the Piedmont area.

Here are some basic facts on North Carolina:

Population:The state's population is 8 million, making it the 11th-largest state in the nation. The median age of its residents is 35.3.

Major industries:

Tourism: The state receives 43 million visitors per year, bringing in $12 billion in revenues.

Tobacco: As always, the state ranks No. 1 in tobacco production in the U.S., with annual farm income of $814 million to approximately 12,000 tobacco farmers. The industry employs 255,000 people in the state.

Other Farming: Largely hogs and broiler chickens

Geography:

Largest cities: Charlotte (pop. 540,828), Raleigh, the capital, (pop. 276,093), Greensboro (pop. 233,891), Durham (pop. 187,035), Winston-Salem (pop. 185,776).

The state consists of three regions:

The Coast:There are 300 miles of white, sandy beaches on the Atlantic.

The tallest natural sand dune on the East Coast is Jockey's Ridge at Nags Head.

The Wright brothers made the first successful powered aircraft flight at Kitty Hawk, N.C., on December 17, 1903.

The Heartland:The central part of the state is made up of rolling hills and lush fields.

The MountainsWestern North Carolina is home to the highest mountains in the eastern U.S., with three ranges: the Appalachian, Blue Ridge and the Great Smokey Mountains. Mt. Mitchell (6,684 feet) is the highest peak in the eastern United States.

University of North Carolina:

Located in Chapel Hill (about halfway between Washington, D.C., and Atlanta), UNC is the nation's oldest public university and consistently ranks among the top public universities. It was founded in 1789 and opened to students in 1795. It was the only public university to award degrees to students in the 18th century.

Current Enrollment: 24,180 (15,400 undergraduates, 8,780 graduate students); 2,420 faculty. Eighty-two percent of freshmen are from North Carolina.

Famous alumni: Thomas Wolfe ('20), Michael Jordan ('84), Mia Hamm ('94), Erskine Bowles ('67), Andy Griffith ('49),

Tar Heel State's History:

Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazano explored the state of North Carolina in 1524.

America's first unsolved mystery happened in 1585 on Roanoke Island near what is now the town of Manteo, when colonists, sponsored by Sir Walter Raleigh, settled but later disappeared without a trace.

The state's first permanent settlements began around 1653, when colonists from Virginia moved in.

The state was named for Charles I of England.

The state's nickname "Tar Heel State," by one account dates back to the Revolution. As Cornwallis' troops retreated, patriots poured tar into a stream, which then stuck to the Brits' heels.

North Carolina was late to ratify the Constitution (Nov. 1789) because the state opposed a strong central government.

It was also late to secede during the Civil War. Few North Carolinians held slaves.

Increased use of tobacco during the war helped stimulate growth.

By the 1950s, North Carolina became the Southeast's leading industrial state, when the value of manufactured goods surpassed that of farming for the first time.

In the 1980s, Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham became major air travel hubs, helping drive tremendous growth in the travel industry, along with the areas of finance, research and high tech industry (highlighted by the famous 'Research Triangle' between Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill).

To learn more about North Carolina, and the areas that Good Morning America visited, go to www.visitnc.com.