So, you're thinking about attending a college or university in North Carolina?

One of the original Thirteen Colonies, and home to the first English colony in the Americas, North Carolina is located in the southeastern section of the United States. The famous first flight of a powered, heavier-than-air vehicle, performed by the Wright brothers in 1903, took place within this state. North Carolina is bordered to the north by Virginia, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the south by South Carolina and Georgia, and to the west by Tennessee.

The geography of North Carolina can be broken into three distinct parts, each with its own climate and geographic features. The first of these is the coastal plain, which makes up the eastern 45% of the state. This area is fairly flat and begins as a chain of narrow, sandy barrier islands. The coastal plain usually receives only one inch of snow annually. The temperatures in the summer average less than 90°F while temperatures in the winter rarely drop below 40°F.

The second section of the state is the Piedmont region, which lies in the middle 35% of North Carolina. It is the most urbanized and densely-populated section of the state and is composed of gently rolling countryside often broken by hills and a few low, isolated mountain ridges. Here, the average snowfall is 8-10 inches annually with summer temperatures usually reaching over 90°F and winter temperatures dropping to 30°F or below.

The Appalachian Mountains and surrounding foothills make up the remaining 20% of the state in the west. They include the Black Mountains, which are the highest mountains in the eastern U.S. as well as Mount Mitchell, which, standing at 6,684 feet tall, is the highest point east of the Mississippi River. This region is generally the coldest in the state. Winter temperatures frequently drop into the teens or lower and even the summer temperatures rarely rise above 80°F. Annual snowfall for this part of the state is usually between 14 and 20 inches, though higher elevations can see more than this.

In North Carolina, severe weather is far from rare. The state has been known to be struck directly by hurricanes about once a decade. Only Florida and Louisiana are more often hit by hurricanes. North Carolina also has approximately 50 days of thunderstorm activity a year, some of which produce hail and damaging winds, and slightly less than 20 tornadoes annually.

The 2006 census estimated North Carolina's population to be 8,856,505. This is roughly a 10% increase since the year 2000, exceeding the rate of growth for the nation as a whole. The state has one of the largest Native American populations in the U.S. along with the second largest Laotian American population.

Since 1968, North Carolina voters have supported the Republican candidate in every presidential election, except for the 1976 election involving Jimmy Carter. In other elections, however, the Democratic and Republican parties are fairly well balanced. Currently, both U.S. Senate seats are held by Republicans, but the Democrats control the governorship, the majority in both houses of the state legislature, and a majority of the U.S. House seats.

Like most other southern states, North Carolina's residents are largely Protestant. Of the 88% of citizens who claim the Christian faith, 77% are Protestant and only 10% are Roman Catholic, though the Catholic religion is growing. The remaining population either follow other religions, 1%, or are non-religious, 11%.

The personal income tax rate in North Carolina is composed of four brackets, which range from 6% to 8.25%. Though the state sales tax is set at 4.5%, all counties levy an additional 2.5%, for a total of 7%. In some areas, due to local taxes, this rate can reach up to 8%. On top of this, there are additional taxes on certain items, such as a 29.9 cent tax per gallon of gas and a 2% and 8% tax on food and prepared foods respectively.

When looking for a college or university in North Carolina, there are a number of different options available. Some of these are:

• The University of North Carolina at Charlotte

• North Carolina State University

• North Carolina A&T State University

To find more information about universities and colleges in this area, visit the Online College Degrees page on this website.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "North Carolina".

Free College Planning Resources