Love letter to North Carolina
I firmly believe that North Carolina is the best state in the nation. I love you, North Carolina.
Inspired by my friend Virginia, I wrote this to remind myself (and hopefully some of you) that North Carolina is truly an amazing place. Don’t give up on it!
—
I was born, raised, went to college, met my spouse, went to graduate school, got engaged, bought my first house, got married, and had my first baby here. I hope my son will be able to say the same thing with the same sense of pride that I have when I say it. I love you, North Carolina.
From the Triangle to the Triad to Charlotte to Boone to Asheville and to the Outer Banks, I have deep ties. My home has always been the Triangle, except for the 5 years I lived in Boone for college. I was born in Cary, grew up in Apex, and settled down in Durham to raise my own family. My Granmom and Granpa lived in Kernersville and I stayed with them so often when I was growing up that I considered it my second home. As a family, we often vacationed in Boone and Wilmington. My husband and I have no greater joy than taking a break from it all in the Outer Banks. He took me to Bryson City in the far reaches of Western NC to propose to me. My parents still live in Apex, in the house I mostly grew up in. My Granmom still lives near Charlotte with her husband, as do my aunt, uncle, and cousin. My other aunt and uncle live in Hendersonville. I love you, North Carolina.
I often think about all the amazing things about North Carolina and I keep coming back to its beauty. No matter where you go, there are amazing ways to enjoy and take in the majestic beauty of the state. In the mountains, there are the Appalachian Trail, the Blue Ridge Parkway, Mount Mitchell, Grandfather Mountain, and hundreds of other seriously magical places. Throughout the state there are beautiful rivers and lakes and forests and fields full of wildflowers. There is the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, all the way from Cherokee to Nags Head. Less than a mile from my home in Durham, the American Tobacco Trail runs 22 miles from downtown all the way to Jordan Lake. The Outer Banks boasts Jockey’s Ridge, the largest natural sand dune on the east coast, and 5 of the state’s 7 historic lighthouses. And I can’t forget to mention all the fantastic state parks. I’ve hiked and biked hundreds of miles in this state. I’ve slept under the stars more places than I can list, but most memorably at Linville Falls and on an island under the ever-watchful beam of the Cape Lookout Lighthouse. I love you, North Carolina.
You’ll never run out of fun things to do in North Carolina. Across the state are tons of fantastic museums. Just in the Triangle, there are the North Carolina Museum of Art, the Nasher Museum of Art, the Museum of Natural Sciences, the Museum of History, and the Museum of Life and Science. A little down the road in Asheboro, the North Carolina Zoo is the largest walk-through natural habitat zoological park in the country. Also in driving distance is a tiger refuge, a lemur center and a handful of other animal sanctuaries. We have 3 aquariums, one where you can even go diving with sharks. I love you, North Carolina.
Historically, North Carolina is fascinating. We have the lost colony and Blackbeard’s ship. We have the first public university in the country. We were first in flight. We invented stock car racing by running moonshine during the prohibition. We invented Pepsi, Cheerwine, Texas Pete, and Krispy Kreme. I love you, North Carolina.
People often joke that there are more pigs than people in North Carolina, and it may very well be true. But have you tasted our barbecue? Most people have as strong a preference for eastern or western style NC barbecue as they have for UNC, Duke, or State. As far as food goes, if you had to choose one place to live to eat local, you can’t do much better than North Carolina. We have at least 6 farmers’ markets within reasonable driving distance of my house. There are apples, peaches, plums, figs, melons, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, grapes, pawpaws, and persimmons. There are tomatoes, potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, garlic, squash, gourds, peppers, beets, ginger, kale, chard, collards, spinach, cabbage, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, soybeans, peas, beans, rice, wheat, and corn. There are pigs, chickens, cows, bison, goats, sheep, and ostriches. There are bass, trout, flounder, oysters, and shrimp. There are all of those things, plus countless more. We also have wineries, breweries, and even some whiskey distilleries. What else do you really need? I love you, North Carolina.
I began writing this with the firm belief that North Carolina is the best place in the country. But in writing this, I’ve convinced myself that it’s the best place in the whole wide world. I love you, North Carolina!
—
Below you will find additional stories about North Carolina written by others who love it so much:
Why my permanent address will always be North Carolina by Anna Adlard [https://medium.com/life-in-general/ae124be400a9]
North Carolina, I wish I knew how to quit you by Ileana Rodriguez [https://medium.com/life-in-general/b4917209da57]
I like calling North Carolina home… by Geoff Gann [https://medium.com/p/1df54b96cf95]
Home at Last by Angela Salamanca [http://apartofthejourney.blogspot.com/2013/07/home-at-last.html]
Please don’t give up on North Carolina by Virginia Ingram [https://medium.com/life-in-general/32244c0cf5a9]
What’s your story? Find out how you can join our conversation. [http://www.virginiaingram.com/thoughts/2013/7/24/please-dont-give-up-on-north-carolina]
