North Carolina "Fun Facts"

Here are some interesting and fun facts about North Carolina.

• Raleigh is North Carolina’s state capital.



• North Carolina state bird is the Cardinal.



• On November 21, 1789, North Carolina was the 12th state admitted to the United States.



• The state flower is the dogwood and the state tree is the pine.



• The state motto is “Esse Quam Videri,” which is Latin for "to be rather than to seem."



• In 1987, the General Assembly named milk the official state beverage.



• North Carolina is the largest producer of sweet potatoes in the United States.



• The Biltmore Estate in Asheville is the largest home in the United States. It includes a 255 room chateau, winery and gardens.



• In the eastern US, the highest waterfall is Whitewater Falls in Transylvania County.



• The first successful airplane flight was made on December 17, 1903 at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina by the Wright brothers.



• University of North Carolina was the first public university in the United States.



• Krispy Kreme Doughnuts originated in Winston-Salem.



• Pepsi was invented in New Burn in 1898.



• Furniture, tobacco, blueberries, strawberries and textile production are among those things for which North Carolina is famous.



• The nation’s highest swinging bridge, at one mile high, can be found on Grandfather Mountain.



• The first English child born in the United States was Virginia Dare, who was born on Roanoke Island in 1587.



• Fayetteville is home to the first miniature golf course.



• North Carolina has 37,000 miles of fresh water streams, and 1,500 lakes that are 10 acres or more in size.



• Incorporated in 1705, Bath is the oldest town in the state.



• The highest peak east of the Mississippi is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Mount Mitchell measures 6,684 feet above sea level.



• Babe Ruth hit his first home run March 7, 1914, in Fayetteville.



• When the two town of Winston and Salem were combined, Winston-Salem was created.



• The seventh president of the United States, Andrew Jackson, was born near the border of North and South Carolina in the Waxsaws area.



• The first state art museum is located in Raleigh.



• High Point is the Furniture Capital of the World.



• With over 77,000 miles of roads, North Carolina has the largest state maintained highway system in the nation.