| A short history of the North Carolina State flag | In 1585, the first English settlement of North Carolina was on Roanoke Island, but was quickly wiped out. In 1653 another settlement occurred until independence was declared in 1776. The state didn't produce a flag until secession from the Union on May 29, 1861. A wide vertical stripe of red, and an upper horizontal bar of blue was the first flag design, and a white star was on the red vertical with the dates of May 20, 1775 and May 20, 1861. The second date is the date of secession, and the first is supposedly that of the original declaration of independence. In March 1885 the flag was revised when the red and blue were transposed and the vertical stripe was made narrower. The date of 1861 was replaced by that on which state representative were authorized to vote for independence, and the white star appeared between the letters NC. |
| A short history of North Carolina (The Tar Heel State * The Old North State) | In North Carolina, the first English permanent settlement occurred in 1653. The colony of North Carolina was created in 1712, and declared its independence in 1776. On November 21, 1789 the state ratified the Constitution then seceded on May 20, 1861. It was re-admitted to the Union in 1868. |
| Area of North Carolina | 52,669 sq. miles |
Capital | Raleigh |
| Major Products | Tobacco, maize, soybeans, textiles, furniture, mica, minerals, timber |
| State Motto | Esse quam videri ("To be rather than to seem") |