Why The United States Has Two Carolinas: North Carolina And South Carolina

North Carolina and South Carolina. Two states that began their life as a single province and colony of England. So how did we end up with two states that share a single connected piece of land? Well, as with the Dakotas, it boils down mostly to politics. Only this time, it's English politics!

[TweetsieRailroader]

I’ve lived in North Carolina all my life, and have visited our neighbors to the south on more than one occasion. The differences between the two are pretty staggering.

[stephenhill]

I’ve lived in NC my entire life, one thing that’s always amazed me (and still does) about these 2 states is how complex they are when compared to other states. That, and NC is a lot bigger than people think it is.

[chrismathis]

My mom was from North Carolina and my Dad from south. Having lived in both, there is a world of difference. SC is more like Alabama and NC like Virginia.

[TheTlewis]

My parents moved from SC to NC when I was a child and we often went back to visit my Grandmother. Even though we only lived about 50 miles apart you would think it was more like 200 miles. The food, the way we dress and speak are different. Even fruit trees that grew there are not found in NC. Certain foods I loved when visiting my Grandmother we can't find here. Different culture.

[martinwilson]

The original colony was very large and the North were culturally very different from the South. North Carolina was settled by small-scale farmers migrating from Virginia. The farmers worked the land and primarily grew tobacco. Slavery was not very important.
South Carolina was a plantation economy settled by an aristocracy that migrated from the West Indies. They grew sugar and cotton and relied on slave labor.

[anthonyhall]

There was a battle in South Carolina between the Upstate and Lowcountry that took place as well and almost made the state of South Carolina even smaller. Still today people from South Carolina can tell the difference between the two, culture, and even speech.

[elainecantrell]

I was a geography teacher for many years, and I always told my students that everything is geography. I smiled to hear you say that geography is everything. In fact, that was the final question on my geography exam one year.

[bobvylan]

My dad always told me the way to tell the difference between us (SC) and people from North Carolina. NC is the life of wine and basketball, very comparative to the state above NC, Virginia. SC is the life of beer and football. Very comparable to the state bordering SC on the south, Georgia.

[JulianJohnston]

North Carolina is a gorgeous state to travel too. We have mountains that you can drive across, and the beautiful ocean is the cherry on top!

[TheDancerMacabre]

They split it into two states so there would be 13 colonies. And since 13 is a prime number, it would make our country indivisible...
(i just wanted to make a math pun, please don't hurt me)

[sharkjack]

As a South carolianian. I can say for both NC and SC citizens. We don’t want to unite

[bhp]

Born and raised in SC and have also lived in NC. There are many differences. But even within the two states are further cultural differences. Eastern NC and Northeast SC are similar to one another. Just as western NC and upstate SC are similar.

[xjjayx]

Having lived in NC for years and now living in SC, this was thoroughly interesting. They both have very distinct cultures that share some similarities depending on where you are.

[revmurrayarchibald-fisher]

Interesting connection between Louisiana, the Carolinas & Alberta! In the late 1800s the Canadian west was opening up for settlers. The Governor General of Canada was the Marquis de Lorne and his wife was Princess Louise Caroline Alberta. A new district was established and the GG wanted it named after his wife. Alas, there were already the States of the Carolinas and Louisiana. The Princess had a third given name “Alberta” and that’s how that western Province received its name!

[robertthomas]

Barry Farber said the difference between NC and SC, is the difference between culture and agriculture.

[jlpack]

North Carolina wouldn't benefit from a unification. Let's keep it the way it is.

[KatMer]

As a South Carolina native and growing up by the Albemarle Sound, I like that we are unique in many ways. I have North Carolina relatives, and like the mountains up there, but nothing else is similar to the South Carolina Lowcountry coastline.

[mike.]

As a South Carolina resident, I appreciate this information that I've never actually known. I was also pleased that I recognized Battery Park (in Charleston) from your aerial shots and knew what city you were showing. There's actually a fairly big difference between the two cultures. South Carolina is a lot more easygoing, whereas North Carolina has much stricter laws about a lot of things. Fireworks and speed limits come to mind immediately.

[DillonRust]

North Carolina is my favorite state in the US. It is the perfect balance politically at 50/50 and is not very biased. You can still find Democrats and Republicans getting along well, and whoever they vote for usually wins the election.

Not to mention, one of the strongest economies in the nation, with the tech giants of the Research Triangle Park around Raleigh and the banking sector in Charlotte creating a strong middle class. Some of the best universities in the nation as well, and you get many environments ranging from Atlantic beaches to the Appalachian mountains. The best people I have found in the US!

[TaffenFelspar]

Some historians have referred to North Carolina as “The valley of humility between two mountains of conceit.” Mostly because Virginia and South Carolina had a strong established plantation system while North Carolina colonialist held much more power in the middle class.