North Carolina Property
Mappers Association
North Carolina Facts & Figures

State Population | 9,535,483 (2010 Census) |
State Area | 52,669 sq. miles |
State Capital | Raleigh (established 1792) |
State Name Origin | From Latin "Carolus" in honor of King Charles I of
England |
State Nickname | Tar Heel State |
State Motto | "Esse Quam Videri" ("To Be, Rather Than To Seem") |
State Song | The Old North State by Judge William Gaston |
State Flower | Dogwood |
State Tree | Pine |
State Bird | Cardinal |
State Shell | Scotch Bonnet |
State Fish | Channel Bass |
State Insect | Honey Bee |
State Colors | Blue and Red |
State Reptile | Box Turtle |
State Stone | Emerald |
State Beverage | Milk |
State Rock | Granite |
State Mammal | Gray Squirrel |
State Dog | Plott Hound |
Did You Know?
- North Carolina has 301 miles of coastline.
- There are 1,500 lakes of 10 acres or more in North Carolina.
- The highest peak in North Carolina is Mt. Mitchell at 6,684 feet.
- The oldest town in North Carolina is Bath which was incorporated in 1705.
- There are about 37,000 miles of freshwater streams in North Carolina.
- North Carolina has 17 major river basins.
- North Carolina is the leading manufacturer of tobacco, textiles and brick; and markets
the most furniture of any state in the United States.
- Located in the Appalachian Mountains of Ashe County, the New River is the oldest river
in the nation and the second oldest in the world.
- Jockey's Ridge at Nags Head is the tallest natural sand dune on the east coast which
stands at 138 feet in height.
- The tallest lighthouse in the United States is the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse which stands
at 208 feet on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
- The Venus' Flytrap, which eats and digests insects and other small living things,
survives only in an approximate 100-mile area located near Wilmington.
*Sources: "North Carolina, Facts and Figures", compiled through the North Carolina Travel and Tourism Division and 2010 Census Figures from www.census.gov
Return to the NCPMA Main Page.