North Carolina's recipe for growth: regional profile

Black Enterprise, June, 1996 by Bridgette A. Lacy, Majorie Whigham-Desir

The warm climate and reasonable cost of living can make up for having to juggle two jobs to make ends meet. A Carolina morning really can be awesome: whether you wake up on the western side of the state to the vistas of the Great Smoky and Blue Ridge Mountains, or start your day to the sounds of the lapping Atlantic Ocean on the eastern coastal shore. Wherever you live, just take a drive and get to either of these regions in a few hours. Meanwhile, the centrally located Triangle area is only a five-hour drive from Washington, D.C. and a seven-hour drive from Atlanta.

The black colleges and universities scattered throughout the state offer a host of cultural events, ranging from musicals to art shows. These institutions include: Saint Augustine's College in Raleigh; Shaw University in Raleigh; North Carolina A & T and Bennett College in Greensboro; Winston-Salem State University in Winston-Salem; Elizabeth City State University in Elizabeth City; North Carolina Central University in Durham; Fayetteville State University in Fayetteville; Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte; Barber-Scotia College in Concord; and Livingstone College in Salisbury.

Major events of interest for African Americans include the National Black Theater Festival held every two years in Winston-Salem and the annual Bull Durham Blues Festival in Durham. The city is also home to the African American Dance Ensemble.

Sports is big time in Piedmont country, whether you're talking about the Division II Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, or CIAA basketball tournament, held in Winston-Salem, or Division I powerhouse teams like UNC, North Carolina State and Duke. North Carolinians take their athletics seriously, and with it all the money and prestige that follows. State fans now have two pro start-up teams to root for--the more established NBA Charlotte Hornets and the novice NFL Carolina Panthers, whose permanent stadium is being custom built for the team.

Supported by corporate enthusiasm and dollars, the presence of professional sports franchises are a signal to the rest of the world of what many North Carolinians have known for a long time: North Carolina has arrived in the big time.

"People tend to move here and not want to leave," says NCM's Maceo Sloan. "I've known people who work at RTP who have turned down promotions because the quality of life outweighs the potential to make money."