1. The Lay of the Land Chapter 1

2. Focus/Review The Coastal Plain region has the richest soil in North Carolina. – What advantages do you think this rich soil brings to the region?

3. Objective TLW identify and describe the geographic regions of North Carolina – The Coastal Plains

4. Section 2: The Coastal Plain Region

5. Coastal Plains Stretches from Virginia to South Carolina and about 100 miles wide Covers about 1/3 of the state Two Central characteristics: – Flat land – Rich soil make the area good for farming Crossroads hamlets: serve rural areas, usually a one or two stores, church, school, etc.

6. Photographs & Illustrations Look at the photographs on page 13 in your North Carolina textbook. What can you tell about life in the Coastal Plain region, based on the pictures on this page?

7. Tobacco Towns Have been apart of the Coastal Plain since it was first settled in colonial days Rocky Mount, Greenville, Wilson, and Goldsboro provided marketing outlets for the largest tobacco-growing region in the world Everyone from bankers to farm equipment dealers scheduled their business around the tobacco harvest

8. Tobacco Towns Continued Every year fewer and fewer Coastal Plain residents grow tobacco Two factors are the cause of that decline: – Health risks associated with smoking – The cutoff of government payments that guaranteed farmers they would eventually be able to sell their leaf at a profit

9. Photographs & Illustrations Look at the pictures on page 14 in your North Carolina textbook. Why do you think the railroad was so important to the tobacco towns that the tracks might run down the middle of the Main Street?

10. Sandhills Have by far the poorest soil in the state Two good uses were completed in the twentieth century: – Golf courses in places like Pinehurst – where the World Golf Hall of Fame is located – Fort Bragg – the huge military installation near Fayetteville, originally designed to be a training ground for artillery

11. Coastal Plains Fort Bragg is home to one of the most important units in the United States Army, the 82 nd Airborne Division Coastal Plains attracts people of different ethnic backgrounds – White residents – colonial settlers from Virginia and South Carolina – African American – slaves work in the tobacco fields – Mexicans and other Latin American – work the land – Lumbee of Robeson County – Most distinctive people and the largest Native American population in North Carolina

12. Discussion Think about the ways that North Carolinians have used a region’s possible disadvantages (e.g. poor soil in the Sandhills) into advantages (e.g. using that land for golf courses and military training). Now think about some similar ways of thinking in relation to your school, neighborhood, or town.

13. Ticket out the Door Students will take turns listing things they learned from this section, using “Coastal Plain” downward on a piece of computer paper. (Decorate for extra credit)