NORTH CAROLINA

NORTH CAROLINA, though the most industrialized of the Southern states, remains relatively rural and poor, with just six million people spread over an area larger than England. It suffered heavily during the Civil War, and Reconstruction brought mixed fortunes: although poverty and hostility were still endemic the Democrats, once they regained control in 1870, were effective in stamping out the Ku Klux Klan. Since then there have been parallel traditions of radical black, and white racist, activity. Greensboro, for example, where Jesse Jackson served his political apprenticeship, was the site of the 1960 lunch-counter sit-in by black students, and also of the Greensboro Massacre of 1979, when Klansmen killed five people at a Communist Workers Party demonstration.

Geographically, North Carolina breaks down into three distinct areas – running from east to west, the coast, the Piedmont and the mountains – that help make it one of the more interesting states to tour around. For visitors, the coast is the most promising area, with good beaches, beautiful landscapes and a fascinating history. The inner coast consists largely of the less developed Albemarle Peninsula, with colonial Edenton nearby. The central Piedmont is dominated by manufacturing cities, and by the academic institutions of the prestigious Research Triangle: Raleigh, the state capital, is home to North Carolina State University. Duke University is at Durham, and the University of North Carolina at trendy Chapel Hill. Winston-Salem combines tobacco culture and Moravian heritage, while Charlotte bills itself as the next boom city of the South, though for the moment it's distinguished by little but its downtown skyscrapers. In the mountains, one of the most stunning stretches of Appalachia, the only towns of any size, Boone and Asheville, are linked by the spectacular Blue Ridge Parkway, while Great Smoky Mountains National Park overlaps the border with Tennessee.

North Carolina coast
The North Carolina coast, which ranges through salt marshes, beaches, barrier islands and estuaries, holds most of the state's more interesting historic sites. The continent's earliest English colonists vanished inexplicably from Roanoke Island in 1590; just over three centuries later, the Wright brothers achieved the first powered flight a few miles up the road. The Outer Banks, the long reef of barrier islands that stretches down from Virginia, are in parts tacky and elsewhere beautifully unspoiled.

North Carolina mountains
The best way to see the mountains of North Carolina is from the pristine Blue Ridge Parkway, which runs across the northwest from Virginia to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It's a delight to drive; the vast panoramic expanses of forested hillside, with barely a settlement in sight, may astonish travelers fresh from the crowded centers of the east coast. This predominantly poor region has been a breeding ground for blue-grass music, as played by Doc Watson and Earl Scruggs. The North Carolina High Country Host, 1700 Blowing Rock Rd, in Boone (tel 1-800-438-7500) is a helpful visitor center that services most of the mountain area.

North Carolina Piedmont
North Carolina's PIEDMONT is a fairly industrialized area of textile and tobacco towns, mostly in decline. However, even close to the towns it can still be very rural, little changed since the 1950s. The main area of interest is the Research Triangle trio of neighboring college towns: Raleigh, the state capital; relaxed Durham, with its strong black community; and countercultural Chapel Hill. Winston-Salem, famous for its tobacco industry, boasts the excellent Old Salem village, while Charlotte's international airport is the point of arrival for many European visitors.

Southwestern North Carolina
The area west of Asheville, and south of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, holds a number of dramatic waterfalls. Looking Glass Falls, about twelve miles south of the Parkway on US-276, is in a particularly beautiful section of the Pisgah National Forest. The falls drop 85 feet, with a great (albeit very cold) swimming hole at the bottom. Connestee Falls, a few miles south on US-276 toward Brevard, is a double waterfall and even higher. Unbridled optimists can pay to pan for gemstones, such as rubies, at outwashes of the numerous gem mines near the 250ft Cullasaja Falls, further west on US-64. The far west corner of the state is famous for its superb whitewater, with plenty of companies offering canoeing and rafting on the Nantahala River. Guided raft expeditions cost around $33 for a three-hour trip; one company, Nantahala Outdoor Center (tel 828/488-2175 or 1-800/232-7238). Wildwater Ltd offers a five-hour train and rafting trip along the Nantahala with the Great Smoky Mountain Railway for around $60 (tel 1-800/872-4681). Both companies offer excursions on neighboring rivers (Whitewater Ltd tel 1-800/451-9972). West of the Nantahala, off US-129 almost in Tennessee, Joyce Kilmer National Forest is worth a detour, being one of the last remaining stands of unlogged virgin forest in the southeastern US, including some enormous hardwood trees.

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