North Carolina has the ninth-largest population of any state in the U.S., with about 10.5 million residents. From the shores of the Outer Banks through the farms and cities of the central Piedmont, to the western Appalachian Mountains, here are a few glimpses of the landscape of North Carolina and some of the wildlife and people calling it home.
This photo story is part of Fifty, a collection of images from each of the United States.
Fog burns off in the valley below Linn Cove Viaduct in western North Carolina during an autumn morning. #
Biltmore Estate, the largest privately owned home in America, built by George Vanderbilt from 1889 to 1895, is a major tourist draw in Asheville, North Carolina. This photograph was taken October 20, 2016. #
A wild horse stands in the tidal marsh at sunset on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. #
Little Cataloochee Baptist Church and its graveyard, photographed on the Little Cataloochee Trail, near Waynesville, North Carolina, on June 17, 2019 #
A member of the Long Haul Bombers is photographed during a softball home-run exhibition prior to the Sonic Automotive AAA Baseball All Star Game Home Run Derby at BB&T Ballpark in Charlotte on July 11, 2016. #
A snow-covered panther statue stands at the home stadium of the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, on January 22, 2016. #
A view of the Duke University Chapel following a winter storm on the campus of Duke University in Durham, on February 26, 2015 #
Duke students take a selfie in K-Ville, named after the Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski, as they prepare for the big game on February 18, 2015, in Durham. #
A view of Pilot Mountain in Mount Airy, North Carolina #
A view down Main Street, toward the Jackson County Historic Courthouse, in the town of Sylva, photographed on October 10, 2019 #
The Norfolk and Western Class J No. 611 steam locomotive crosses a bridge over the Yadkin River after leaving the North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer, North Carolina, on May 30, 2015. The train, which had undergone a yearlong restoration, was returning to the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke, Virginia. #
Timothy Day backs up his tractor as he cuts a design into a corn field in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina, on August 24, 2013. Day travels the country for Maize Quest, using GPS equipment to cut out elaborate mazes for the fall tourist season. #
Railroad tracks run along Main Street in the city of Rocky Mount in northeast North Carolina. #
Wait Chapel and part of the campus of Wake Forest University are seen in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, with Pilot Mountain visible in the distance, on April 18, 2019. #
A restored shell-shaped Shell service station stands in Waughtown, Winston-Salem, on September 2, 2019. #
A great egret perches on a branch of an autumn-colored longleaf pine in Greenfield Lake Park and Gardens in Wilmington, North Carolina. #
A young member of the city of Brevard’s population of white squirrels. A local story says that a carnival truck brought a pair of white squirrels to the town in 1949, and they escaped into the wild and have since multiplied. The city established a sanctuary for the squirrels and holds an annual street festival in their name. #
A view down Valley River Avenue, toward the First United Methodist Church, in Murphy, North Carolina, photographed on January 8, 2019 #
A view toward Lake Lure, overlooking Chimney Rock, in Chimney Rock State Park #
The skyline of the city of Raleigh, North Carolina #
A view of the rustic water mill at Historic Yates Mill County Park, during Christmastime in Raleigh #
An aerial view of Emerald Isle stretching along North Carolina’s Crystal Coast #
Marines prepare for the exercise Amphibious Bold Alligator, organized by the Navy and the Marine Corps at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, on October 19, 2017. #
A burrowing crayfish puts on a display while being photographed on Hatteras Island after a large rainstorm, on Cape Hatteras National Seashore on May 4, 2020. #
An aerial view of the city of Wilmington, with the Basilica Shrine of Saint Mary at bottom center, and the World War II–era battleship North Carolina, now a floating museum, visible at upper left #
An aerial view of a suburban development in Wilmington #
A flock of purple sandpipers fly above the surface of the water in Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge. #
A view of Union Square in downtown Hickory, photographed on June 9, 2018 #
A distant view of downtown Asheville, North Carolina, and surrounding mountains #
A colorful mural adorns a building in the West Asheville neighborhood in Asheville, photographed on October 22, 2016. #
Part of a rainbow is visible above Looking Glass Rock, in the Appalachian Mountains in western North Carolina. #
Joe Welliver prepares to throw in the weight-throw event of the Scottish athletic events during the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games at Grandfather Mountain in Linville, North Carolina, on July 12, 2008. #
Cape Hatteras Light at dusk, seen on Hatteras Island on the Outer Banks of North Carolina #
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