North Carolina Cities

North Carolina cities are quite varied and all have special things to offer to visitors.

So, it doesn't matter if you are heading to the mountains or the beaches,
You will love your time in beautiful, friendly, North Carolina!

Largest Cities

The regional nickname of "The Triangle" originated after the 1959 creation of the Research Triangle Park, primarily located in Durham County, four miles from Downtown Durham and encompassed on three sides by the City of Durham and roughly midway between the cities of Raleigh and Chapel Hill and the three major research universities of NC State University, Duke University, and UNC-Chapel Hill.

3.Greensboro North Carolina - 294,761

Greensboro is situated among the gently rolling hills of North Carolina's Piedmont and is situated midway between the state's Blue Ridge and Great Smoky mountains to the west and the Atlantic beaches and Outer Banks to the east.

The view of the city from its highest building—the Lincoln Financial tower (commonly known as the Jefferson-Pilot Building)—reveals that the town is populated with large numbers of green trees, lending perhaps another dimension of significance to its name. The city is at the nexus of several major freeways, with Interstates 40, 85, and the planned I-73 passing through its borders.

Thunderstorms are common during the spring and summer months, some being severe in nature. Strong tornadoes have struck the Greensboro area since then, notably Stoneville, North Carolina on March 20, 1998, Clemmons, North Carolina and Winston-Salem, North Carolina on May 5, 1989 and Clemmons, North Carolina and Greensboro on May 7, 2008.

4.Winston-Salem North Carolina- 229,828

Winston-Salem is home to the tallest office buildings in the region, such as 100 North Main Street. It is called the "Twin City" for its dual heritage, or "Camel City", a reference to Camel cigarettes and the city's prominent tobacco industry; many locals use "Winston" in informal speech. Other city nicknames include "The Dash," which is the name of the city's minor league baseball team and refers to the hyphen between "Winston" and "Salem".

Winston-Salem is home to three universities and one college: Wake Forest University, a nationally distinguished private university, Winston-Salem State University, a historically-black university founded in 1892, the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, and Salem College, a four-year liberal arts college for women.

5.Durham North Carolina- 229,174

Durham is the fifth largest of the North Carolina cities and its growth began to rekindle during the 1970s and 1980s, with the construction of multiple housing developments in the southern part of the city, nearest Research Triangle Park, and the beginnings of downtown revitalization.

Along with the notable Colleges and universities, such as North Carolina Central University and Duke University, Durham also has a very popular Sports and entertainment industry. Durham's most famous professional sports team is the Durham Bulls International League baseball team. A movie involving the franchise, Bull Durham, was produced in 1988. And of course, the Bulls play in the Durham Bulls Athletic Park with fans filling the stadium for every game!

6.Fayetteville North Carolina- 198,061

Fayetteville is located near the Sandhills in the western part of the Coastal Plain region, on the Cape Fear River. Fayetteville has attempted to reverse the image of its downtown area through various downtown revitalization projects, with mixed results. New additions, such as the Airborne & Special Operations Museum, The Fayetteville Area Transportation Museum, Fayetteville Linear Park, and Fayetteville Festival Park, which opened in late 2006, have all contributed somewhat to the changing downtown area. The city still has a very high crime rate.

In 2008, BestLife Magazine, ranked Fayetteville as the 3rd worst city in America to raise a family. Recently, because of the many activities available, Where To Retire magazine named Fayetteville one of the best places to retire.

7.Cary North Carolina- 136,600

Cary is a thriving community in the heart of the Triangle area of North Carolina, between Raleigh and renowned Research Triangle Park. The Triangle area repeatedly has ranked among the top regions in the country to live or work, to find a home or start a business, to raise a family or retire.

Money Magazine, In the January 2004 issue, named Cary, N.C. the hottest town in the East and one of six Hottest Towns in America. In August 2006, Cary was again recognized by Money Magazine as one of the Best Small Cities in America, ranking fifth on the magazine's 2006 list of Best Places to Live.

8.High Point North Carolina- 103,396

High Point is located in the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina and is the eighth-largest municipality. High Point is known for its furniture, textiles, and bus manufacturing. JK regards the city as the "Furniture Capital of the World" and it is called "North Carolina's International City" due to the semi-annual High Point Market that attracts 100,000 exhibitors and buyers from around the world.

There are many attractions in the area from Angela Peterson Doll And Miniature Museum, to the parks, community theatres, festivals and art galleries that make it a popular destination for visitors.

9.Wilmington North Carolina- 101,350

Wilmington was settled on the Cape Fear River. It offers an historic downtown with a one-mile-long Riverwalk as a main tourist attraction. It is minutes away from nearby beaches. The National Trust for Historic Preservation named Wilmington, North Carolina one of its 2008 Dozen Distinctive Destinations.

City residents have the advantage of living between the river and the ocean, with Wrightsville Beach a short 20-minute drive from downtown.

Wilmington offers a wide variety of Performing arts including film and music festivals and Museums and Historic Areas where you can visit and study the history of the area.

10.Greenville North Carolina- 81,747

As the tenth largest city in North Carolina, Greenville was named one of the nation’s “100 Best Communities for Young People” in 2008 and was ranked in the top ten of the nation's "Best Places For Business And Careers" by Forbes Magazine.

The city is also known as a hub for BMX riders, as it is home for many top professionals in the field.

With so much to do, visiting Greenville, NC is a blast. Shopping and sports top the list with Greenville Mall featuring over 60 shops and restaurants.

11.Asheville North Carolina- 78,636

Asheville North Carolina is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and continues to grow. Asheville is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains at the confluence of the Swannanoa River and the French Broad River.

Voted as The 50 Most Alive Places To Be and America's Top 25 Arts Destinations, as well as the Happiest City for Women, and Best Places to Reinvent Your Life, Asheville is a special place that offers a lifestyle you won't find anywhere else. Between the recreational opportunities and the arts, and the beauty of the area, it should be on your list of places to see.

12.Jacksonville North Carolina- 74,525

Jacksonville is the youngest city in the United States with an average age of 23 years old. The low age can be attributed to the large military presence in the area.

Jacksonville and Onslow County continued to rely on naval stores, lumber, and tobacco crops for industry.

Consists of 30 miles of breathtaking beaches which have been acclaimed as some of the best. Full of rich heritage and quaint maritime towns and villages, Jacksonville invites you to share in the many festivals and cultural happenings that everyone in the family will enjoy. Coastal activities also offer much in the way of unique shopping and family entertainment.

13.Gastonia North Carolina- 72,934

Gastonia and surrounding areas are home to several notable cultural centers such as the Schiele Museum of Natural History, the Gaston-Lincoln Regional Library System's main library, the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden, and the Southpark Mall in Charlotte as well as the Northlake Mall, also in Charlotte North Carolina.

Gastonia and Gaston County have a varied topography, with the maximum elevations of 1,690 feet (King's Pinnacle) and 1,625 (Crowder's Mountain) both in the Crowders Mountain State Park. Part of this park is in the city limits of Gastonia, several miles west of downtown. The park and the peaks are popular destinations for outdoor enthusiasts and are the highest elevations in the Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill Metropolitan Statistical Area. A few smaller mountains are located at the periphery of the city.

14.Concord North Carolina- 67,251

Concord, North Carolina, located in the rapidly growing northeast quadrant of the Charlotte metro area, was first settled in 1750. The name “Concord” means harmony.

Concord is the current home to Charlotte Motor Speedway, a NASCAR Research and Development Office, and several professional race teams, including Hendrick Motorsports, Roush Fenway Racing, Richard Petty Motorsports, and Earnhardt Ganassi Racing.

The speedway was opened in 1959 by owner Bruton Smith, who grew up in Oakboro, NC. In addition to Charlotte Motor Speedway, Bruton Smith opened a dragstrip and dirt track adjacent to the speedway.

Concord also takes pride in a comprehensive collection of late nineteenth and early twentieth century historic districts along the streets of North Union, South Union and Edgewood. Residents of these three Historic Districts take great pride in maintaining the historical and architectural greatness of their homes.

15.Rocky Mount North Carolina- 59,576

Rocky Mount has a growing arts community. The city operates an Arts Center, a Children's Museum & Science Center, and a Community Theater at the Imperial Centre for Arts & Sciences.

Rocky Mount was named an All-America City. The little town built upon a rock had become the progressive city on the Great Falls of the Tar. The 70's also brought a new post office building, completion of Nash General Hospital, a new campus for Nash Community College, recreational use of the reservoir on the Tar River, a new water plant, the Rocky Mount-Wilson airport and new highways.

The 80's brought in a new regional shopping mall located on Wesleyan Boulevard and an athletic center on Hardee's Boulevard. Today, the city continues to grow and prosper.

16.Chapel Hill North Carolina- 53,546

Chapel Hill is one of my favorite North Carolina cities and it is a city, but I consider it a very nice town due to it's cozy feel. It is located in Orange County, North Carolina, and is the home of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Go Tar Heels!

This is the North Carolina city was named after an Anglican chapel on a hill, now known as Chapel of the Cross.

The town also shares with Carrboro a vibrant music scene with the notable musical acts such as Archers of Loaf, Squirrel Nut Zippers, James Taylor, George Hamilton IV, Southern Culture on the Skids, Superchunk, Polvo and Ben Folds Five are among the artists whose careers began in Chapel Hill.

17.Burlington North Carolina- 51,577

Burlington is one of the North Carolina cities that prides itself in its important events in history, namely, the plan of a railroad line across the state. When visiting, you will want to see some points of interest such as Royals baseball, the historic district, you will want to canoe on Lake Mackintosh and ride the carousel and the train.

These are just the largest of the North Carolina cities but there are plenty of beautiful smaller North Carolina cities weaved within this amazing state, and I will be writing about them as well, so come back often to see what new information I have about more North Carolina cities.

More North Carolina Cities

Goldsboro North Carolina

Mooresville North Carolina

Cherokee North carolina

Salisbury North Carolina

Blowing Rock North Carolina

North Carolina Newspapers

Return from North Carolina Cities to North Carolina Travel Guide