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What are surprising things that amazes you'll (espeacially to the long time residents of North Carolina and newcomer residents) about the difference in one region of the state compared to another region of the state, as in lifestyles, mountains or coastal living, foods, entertainment, recreation, and other things of that nature? To those that have experience this.
I don't think I'd call it surprising or amazing, but I've always thought it was interesting that the accent varies across the state. I can usually tell if someone is from eastern NC when I hear them talking.
I know this might not have much to do with your question, but IMO eastern NC has to many pine trees. They are not your typical pine trees either. They are tall and skinny like tooth picks. Basically, they are very ugly. The central and western part of the state is not like this at all. Hardwoods and evergreens such as cedars all over the place. Hilly and green, much like eastern PA.
Eastern NC is flat, to many pine trees, great bbq. The people along the coast talk different than the people inland. I think it is called "high tider" or something like that...please correct me. Inland folks in eastern NC talk like our gov. Easly. Or Nascar drivers ward Burton and the saddlers. (if you have heard of them)...from southern Va.
Eastern NC is mostly farm land, flat, lots of trailers. I think these areas are very gloomy. I am talking about the areas about 30 miles east of I-95 to about 15 miles west of hwy 17. Although I grew up in this area, it's not pretty at all. But NC as a whole is one of the prettiest states I have been to. Nothing beats the piedmont,coast and mountains! It's just that small sliver in eastern NC, where weyerhaeuser has destroyed all the hardwoods, and replaced them with pine trees.
IMO eastern NC has to many pine trees. They are not your typical pine trees either. They are tall and skinny like tooth picks. Basically, they are very ugly.
These types of pine trees have a very shallow root structure and constantly fall over in ice storms, wind storms, etc.
Long leaf pines, I think they're called. They're NC's state tree.
"Here's to the land of the long leaf pine.
The summer land where the sun doth shine.
Where the weak grow strong and the strong grow great.
Here's to down home, the Old North State."
I love the pines in the eastern part of the state.
Love that 'hoi toider' leftover Elizabethan english accent, Beffrey. I could sit and listen to them talk all day. I agree w/ the accent posts. They are all so different. Southern Virginia has the most pronounced Southern accent. It's not orange up there - it's 'oing' (they don't pronounce the R's). And they pronounce house as hose (like in 'most'). My DH was friends with the Burton brothers when they went to the military academy up there.
Those "ugly" longleaf and loblolly pines of Eastern NC are adapted well to the soil and environment of eastern NC. Many hardwoods could not establish themselves as well there....especially in the sandy soils. The tall pines are very adaptable to fires, for example, and reforest an area that's been burned very easy. Then they create shade for the sapplings of other deciduous trees & shrubs to come up under them without being scorched by the sun.
That's not the only differences between the east and the west. If you ever see a stream, for example, you'll see major differences....the streams in the east tend to flow very slowly, and usually pretty flat. Water tends to be murky too. Streams in the mountains practically gush over rocky surfaces and so forth, and be very crystal clear water. I know most people probably don't think about those things, but I'm an environmental scientist so I guess I have my "geeky" times.
But those pines are not natural. Whatever was there before them was cut down. By weyerhaeuser! There are plenty of oaks in eastern NC, they strive very well.
The original pine trees in eastern NC, were the long needle pines. Those trees are pretty. The ones there now have been planted in rows, they are very very skinny, and down right ugly! Loblolly, whatever they are called.
I lived in New Bern for 16 years. I saw forest after forest get cleared. These forest consisited of hardwoods! Replaced with pines, or houses.
My problem with the whole thing is weyerhaeuser, they are clearing the hardwood forests, then replacing them with pine trees. I do realize that some small areas east of 17 were long needle pine forests, but thats my point, they are not now! Maybe the croatan has some long needles left. I hope!
I love eastern NC though, I am from there! My entire life.
^ Yeah, you're right about the loblolly...they're a poor substitute for Longleaf, which was the type of Pines I mostly had in mind in my post. Longleaf stands are very natural (the withstanding natural fires that I mentioned relate mostly to them), and nice to look at. It's the loss of longleaf pines in the east that has caused the Red-cockaded Woodpecker to be listed on the endangered species list.
And if you think loblolly's are ugly, you should see this stand of Virginia Pines I saw once outside of Winston-Salem...ICK! http://tinyurl.com/y8tt58 (broken link)
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Pine trees..
