From its colonial beginnings, North Carolina was populated largely by English settlers, but later arrivals, particularly Highland and Ulster Scots (the latter often called "Scotch-Irish"), added diversity. Even after heavy in-migration following World War II, North Carolina retained its British traditions. It leads the nation in the proportion of native-born residents.
Components of the Population.
North Carolina's Native American population of Iroquoian, Siouan, and Algonkian stock, was decimated as whites inexorably pushed inland Only in the mountains did the Iroquoian Cherokee successfully maintain tribal identity; descendants of the other groups emigrated, intermarried, or passed as black or white until they began reclaiming their identities in the last century. The most numerous of the latter group, the Lumbee, inhabit Robeson and surrounding counties.
Slavery was practiced by early settlers, and by 1790, slaves and free blacks made up more than one fourth of the population; but the Civil War this proportion had risen to one third. Most freedmen remained in the state after emancipation and joined the ranks of sharecroppers. Their plight was little improved until well into the 20th century. Despite some migration to northern cities, blacks still number a little under one fourth of North Carolinians.
The Albemarle Sound and Cape Fear River areas were first settled by English from Virginia and South Carolina, respectively. Small groups of French, Swiss, and Welsh settlers took up lands along other rivers. Greater ethnic and religious diversity was introduced in the 18th century by influxes of Highlanders from Scotland to the upper Cape Fear and by Ulster Scots and Germans from Pennsylvania to the Piedmont. These new residents, imbued with the Protestant work ethic, brought vigor to a lethargic colony. By the time of the Revolution, the established Anglican Church had been surpassed in membership by other Protestant churches, particularly Presbyterian. After the Great Awakening, Baptists and Methodists became the most numerous. Among other groups that brought unique cultures to North Carolina were the Moravians in the Wachovia tract in the 1750's; the Waldensians in Burke County in the 1890's; the Dutch in the flower-growing region of the Coastal Plain early in the 20th century; and since the Vietnam War, refugees from Southeast Asia. Many Hispanics have also taken up residence in the state.
Way of Life.
For two centuries the vast majority of North Carolinians eked out a living from the soil. Subsistence farming and rural isolation promoted a spirity of modesty and independence that historically characterized the population. Absence of pretentiousness is suggested by the state's motto, Esse Quam Videri, "To Be, Rather Than to Seem." Tar Heels wear as a badge of honor the description "vale of humility between two mountains of conceit."
But increased mobility, rapid industrialization, instantaneous communication, and growth of research and educational institutions have wrought profound changes in modern North Carolina. Sectionalism is on the wane, and North Carolinians are ver more attuned to and influenced by the world beyond their borders. Their network television, limited-access highways, and suburban shopping malls are not unlike those in the remainder of the country; and unfamiliar accents, transiency, and vociferous special-interest groups no longer evoke surprise. Even now, though, the urban population only slightly exceeds that of rural areas; many still prefer to live in the country and drive to work in town; and political candidates successfully appeal to traditional values.
Centers of Population.
Once concentrated in the Coastal Plain, the state's population has grown more rapidly in the Piedmont, the site of most early industry. The Piedmont Crescent, an arc extending from Raleigh to Gastonia, features a succession of towns and cities. Despite rapid urbanization, however, North Carolina remains a state of small cities and countryside. The only large city is Charlotte, a wholesale trade center. Greensboro, Raleigh, and Winston-Salem are about half the size of Charlotte. Asheville is the economic and cultural center in the mountains, and the river cities of Fayetteville and Wilmington are the largest in the southeast.
The Piedmont Triad of Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and High Point is famous for textiles, tobacco products, furniture, and electrical and electronic equipment. The Research Triangle Park, an industrial park connecting Chapel Hill, Durham, and Raleigh, provides headquarters for research activities of many corporations and gives the community the distinction of having a larger proportion of residents with university doctorates than any other in the country. Raleigh, the capital, is a center of politics and government.
