Heritage Park

From its pristine sandy beaches to the plush, tree-lined rolling mountains and rich architecture aligning bustling cityscapes, North Carolina provides a pristine backdrop for nearly every preferred lifestyle.

North Carolina’s most common nickname is the “Tar Heel State.” Historians think it has to do with state’s legacy as a leading producer of tar, pitch, rosin, and turpentine. The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Duke University, and North Carolina State University, make up what's known as the Research Triangle. Home to one of the largest research parks in the world, it boasts companies and institutions such as Cisco, the NIH’s National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Today the state offers a wide variety of attractions, including several historical sites, hiking and biking trails, miles of white-water rapids, museums, military installations and a long coastline of beaches. Fishing, skiing and golfing are also popular in the state.