1. Introduction to North Carolina

2. What are the four major regions of NC?
Tidewater
Coastal Plain
Piedmont
Mountains

3. NC Maps

4. So where is the 4th region?
Our book uses four regions-breaking up the coastal plain into two regions.

5. Section 1: The Tidewater Region
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
What are the major features of the Tidewater Region?
What words do I need to know?
sound
barrier islands
inlet
estuary
pocosin
Savanna
sediment

6. Section 1: The Tidewater Region
Narrow strip of land along the Atlantic Ocean
30-50 miles wide
Tides affect the region’s water
sounds: inland bodies of salt/fresh water mix

7. Barrier Islands
Most less than two miles across, barely above sea level, and ever changing due to surf and wind
The Outer Banks are the most famous barrier islands
At Cape Hatteras islands are widest; Jockey’s Ridge is tallest point (114’)
Inlets: low places in the sand; allows water from the ocean into the sound
“Graveyard of the Atlantic”: nickname for waters near Cape Hatteras – dangerous due to storms caused by warm Gulf Stream colliding with cold Labrador Current
Cape Fear: true break in the island chain;
Cape Fear River flows directly into the Atlantic

8. The Sounds Currituck Albemarle Pamlico Core Bogue
Each sound fed by fresh water river
Oldest towns in NC near the sounds
Great location for trade along river routes and ocean
Fishing is an important industry
Sediment (soil, clay, gravel) is deposited by the rivers in the sounds – makes them too shallow for large ships
estuaries: salt water wetlands; these marshes are home to shellfish and shrimp
Largest Sounds
Currituck
Albemarle
Pamlico
Core
Bogue

9. Swamps and Lakes
pocosins: wetland type; Indian name means “swamp on a hill”
Alligator and Big Pocosin are the largest
savanna: wetland type
tall grasses mix with various pines
example: Green Swamp (home of Venus Fly Trap)
Most natural lakes in NC are in the Tidewater
Lake Mattamuskeet is largest
(only 6’ deep)
Least populated area of the state
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10. Section 2: The Coastal Plain Region
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
What are the major features of the Coastal Plain Region?
What words do I need to know?
crossroads hamlets
tobacco towns
Carolina bays
Sandhills

11. Section 2: The Coastal Plain Region
Covers about 1/3 of the state
Rich soil and flat land make area good for farming
Crossroads hamlets: serve rural areas, usually one or two stores, church, school, etc.
Greenville, NC
Wilson, NC

12. Tobacco Towns
Towns whose life and culture were dominated by tobacco farming
Largest tobacco growing area in the world
In mid-1900s, nearly every town in the coastal plain had at least one tobacco warehouse
Tobacco farming is declining because of health risks associated with smoking and loss of government payments to guarantee farmers’ income
Longleaf pines were original plants of the region; millions of acres cut down for tobacco farming

13. Carolina Bays Carolina Bays are an unusual feature of the state
Hundreds of elongated depressions in the ground, from ½ to 2 miles long and a mile wide
Some filled with water; others are wet and mucky in wet times, and dry other parts of the year
Origin unknown
Google Maps

14. The Sandhills Located northwest of the bays
Sandy, rolling ridges left by ancient coast
of the Atlantic Ocean
Very poor soil
Used as home for golf courses
and Fort Bragg military installation

15. Section 3: The Piedmont Region
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
What are the major features of the Piedmont Region?
What words do I need to know?
fall line
headwaters
sectionalism
mill village
NASCAR
monadnock

16. Section 3: The Piedmont Region
Large region of NC known for hills and red clay soil
Red clay is a subsoil brought up through the black woods dirt as a result of timber loss and plowing fields
Piedmont: from Latin, means “foot of the mountains”
Principal rivers: Yadkin-Pee Dee and Catawba – flow into South Carolina
River “highways” connected people in western NC with SC more than they did with eastern NC, resulting in “sectionalism”
Over ½ of region is forests; pines cover old farms
Most large cities in NC are in this region.
Fall Line: divides the coastal plain from the Piedmont, noted by the last waterfall a river hits before going to the ocean

17. Farms and Factories Soil made farming difficult in the Piedmont
Livestock and dairy farms were more profitable, but have declined
Economy of the region has depended on factories to produce textiles, furniture and cigarettes
mill villages: clusters of homes in a town where mill workers lived; the company often provided the homes, schools, and stores
1990s: decline in industry
Textile and furniture factories moved to Asia

18. Banking and Racing
Charlotte: national banking center and home to NASCAR, and NASCAR Hall of Fame
Winston-Salem and Durham have grown in medical service industries linked to Wake Forest and Duke Universities
Salisbury: home to grocery industry
Research Triangle Park: leader in pharmaceuticals and computers

19. The Uwharries
monadnocks: geological formation in which a point of land sticks out due to erosion of surrounding land
Uwharrie Mountains: cluster of monadnocks south of Greensboro (ex. Morrow Mountain) – slopes and slate soil discouraged settlement
Piedmont Crescent: string of towns from Raleigh to Charlotte

20. Section 4: The Mountains Region
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
What are the major features of the Mountains Region?
What words do I need to know?
elevation
bald
cove

21. Section 4: The Mountains Region
Blue Ridge: more than 1,000 ft above the Piedmont hills; eastern boundary of the Appalachians
Blue Ridge Parkway: road that runs along the top of the ridge – Cherokee NC to Waynesboro, VA
Continental Divide – streams on the east run to the Atlantic; streams on the west run to the Gulf of Mexico

22. The Appalachians: The Blue Ridge Run from New York to Alabama
43 peaks in NC over 6,000 feet
Mt. Mitchell (6,684 ft): highest point east of the Rockies
Ranges
Black Mountains: known for dark shadows during thunderstorms
Great Smoky Mountains: dew rises in mists creating a smoky effect; tallest peaks are Clingman’s Dome and Mt. Guyot; great variety of plants
Balsams: large number of balds (places where few trees grow)
Runs from Pennsylvania to Georgia
One long landform (like the barrier islands) with peaks and gaps
Early settlers depended on gaps to get through the mountains
1870s: tunnels and road beds laid through Swanannoa Gap – near current I-40 from Old Fort to Black Mountain

23. Mountain Streams and Rocks
Rivers run north and west out of NC
Asheville is largest city in the region
Cherokee built their villages along the Tennessee River
Most of the over 100 lakes are manmade (ex. Lake Lure & Fontana Lake)
Fontana Dam (1930s) is highest in eastern US ; built to provide cheaper electricity
Famous sites: Blowing Rock, Chimney Rock, Grandfather Mountain, Nantahala River Gorge

24. The Mountains Economy Early settlers isolated from others
Farming, traveling, trading were more difficult
Towns developed in valley areas
Known for sales of local plants with medicinal properties
Tourism is a major industry
Christmas tree is a new and growing industry; Fraser firs most popular

25. Section 5: North Carolina’s Weather and Climate
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
What are characteristics of North Carolina’s climate?
What words do I need to know?
weather
climate
westerlies
humidity
precipitation
tornado
hurricane

26. Section 5: North Carolina’s Weather and Climate
weather: short-term atmospheric conditions
climate: long-term atmospheric conditions
temperate climate: general climate zone for NC; known for few extremes of temperature or precipitation during the year
-34°F: record cold at Mt. Mitchell (1985)
Humidity (moisture in the air) can make temperatures feel uncomfortably warm