Year of Statehood: 1789 Population: 8,638,242
State Capital: Raleigh
Largest City: Charlotte
State instrument:
State folk dance: Clogging (2005)
State popular dance: Shag (2005)
Official government site: http://www.ncgov.com

North Carolina is the home of various folk and roots music style. A large part of Western North Carolina used to be Cherokee Indian territory. Despite the forced deportations of Cherokees to Oklahoma, a group of natives known now as the Eastern band of the Cherokees remained. They managed to maintain some of their traditions. Flute playing and making have made a comeback in recent years.

The African American tradition produced Piedmont Blues.

European settlers from Scotland and Ireland brought with them fiddles, flutes and melodies. They were transformed into what is known as bluegrass, music that was born in the mountains of North Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia, Virginia and Kentucky.

Recent immigrants have brought new traditions such as Salsa, norte?o, reggae and more.

The creative class in North Carolina has settled primarily in two areas: Asheville in the west and Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro in the central part of the state. Ashville is known for its large community of potters and painters, while the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro has a large concentration of musicians, designers, high tech programmers and PhDs.

World music resources:

North Carolina radio is a directory of radio stations that program world music

Links:

http://www.visitnc.com Visit NC, The Official Tourism Site for the State of North Carolina.