The state of North Carolina is found within the Southeastern United States. This state borders Tennessee to the west, Virginia to the north and South Carolina and Georgia to the south. There are 100 counties within North Carolina. The capital city is Raleigh and the biggest city is Charlotte. North Carolina's economy has experienced some changes within the past 50 years. They have diversified, changing their reliance upon tobacco and furniture to an emphasis on engineering, finance and biotechnology.
In North Carolina, there are several various elevation changes. Mount Mitchell is the highest point within the state and within the Eastern region within the US. The peak of the mountain towers 6684 feet or 2037 m above sea level. The coastal plains in the east are strongly influenced by the Atlantic Ocean. Nearly all of the state lies in a humid subtropical type of weather. The western part of North Carolina is over 300 miles from the coast. This mountainous part has a subtropical highland weather condition.
The state of North Carolina had the 8th fastest growing state population through the the years 2008 and 2009, and was the fastest growing state on the east side of the Mississippi River.
In accordance to the Bureau of Economic Analysis figures, the state of North Carolina gross state product was over four hundred billion dollars in the year 2008. The ranked the state as the 9th best GDP within the United States. The 2007 personal income per capita was $33,735, placing it 36th in the nation.
The agriculture produced within the state of North Carolina includes poultry and eggs, tobacco, cattle, milk, soybeans, sweet potatoes, hogs and nursery stock. Nonetheless, the state has recently been affected by the growth of businesses within China. About 1 in 5 manufacturing jobs has been lost to competition from overseas.
The economic growth of North Carolina's rural and urban areas has been distinctly different. Many of the state's small towns have suffered from loss of jobs and population, while big cities like Greensboro, Charlotte and Raleigh have gone through quick economic and population growth over the last 30 years. Many of the state's small towns historically developed around furniture and textile factories. After these factories closed and moved to low-wage markets in Asia and Latin America, the small towns that depended upon them suffered significantly.