Racial Makeup and Population Trends
In 2007, the U.S. Census estimated that the racial makeup of North Carolina was as follows: 70% White American, 21.3% African American, 1.2% American Indian, and 6.5% are Hispanic or Latino (of any race). North Carolina has historically been a rural state, with most of the population living on farms or in small towns. However, over the last 30 years the state has undergone rapid urbanization, and today most of North Carolina's residents live in urban and suburban areas, as is the case in most of the United States. In particular, the cities of Charlotte and Raleigh have become major urban centers, with large, diverse, mainly affluent and rapidly growing populations. Most of this growth in diversity has been fueled by immigrants from Latin America, India, and Southeast Asia.
In addition, large numbers of people from the Northeastern United States, Florida and as far away as California have moved to the state in recent years. North Carolina was one of the country's fastest growing states in the 1980s and 1990s. The growth rate subsided in the first decade of the 21st century due to changed economic conditions, but it continued to attract new residents. Some locals have characterized the suburbs of Cary as a miniature "New Jersey" or a haven of Yankee/ West Coast prosperity in a historically rural Southern state. Cary has been said to stand for Concentrated Area of Relocated Yankees.
The center of population of North Carolina is located in Randolph County, in the town of Seagrove.
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Charlotte
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Raleigh
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Greensboro
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Winston-Salem
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High Point
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Wilmington
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Asheville
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Gastonia
| Ancestry | Percentage | Main article: |
|---|---|---|
| African | (21.6%) Of Total) | See African American |
| American | (13.9%) | See United States |
| English | (9.5%) | See English American |
| German | (9.5%) | See German American |
| Irish | (7.4%) | See Irish American |
| Scots-Irish | (3.2%) | See Scots-Irish American |
| Italian | (2.3%) | See Italian American |
| Scottish | (2.2%) | See Scottish American |
| County | Seat | 2010 Projection |
|---|---|---|
| Mecklenburg | Charlotte | 925,084 |
| Wake | Raleigh | 900,072 |
| Guilford | Greensboro | 474,605 |
| Forsyth | Winston-Salem | 350,784 |
| Cumberland | Fayetteville | 311,777 |
| Durham | Durham | 262,256 |
| Buncombe | Asheville | 234,697 |
| Gaston | Gastonia | 205,489 |
| Union | Monroe | 203,527 |
| New Hanover | Wilmington | 200,401 |
Read more about this topic: Demographics Of North Carolina
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