Inner Banks

The Inner Banks are the inland coastal region of eastern North Carolina. Without historical precedent, the term "Inner Banks" is an early 21st-century construct that is part of an attempt to rebrand the mostly agrarian Coastal Plains east of I-95 as a more attractive region for visitors and retirees.

The current Inner Banks region was historically grouped with the Sandhills as the Carolinas and Georgia's Piney Woods. Around the time of the Civil War, people from the area were known as "Goobers".^[1][2] The regional name and demonym fell from use over time as the area was deforested.

The present term suggests relation to the historical area known as the Outer Banks, a string of barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina that have long been a popular tourist attraction. The demand for waterfront property in eastern North Carolina as a site for second homes for the relatively wealthy has resulted in a tremendous disparity of prices in such locales. Frequently otherwise equivalent lots on opposite sides of a road will have broadly divergent tax and appraisal values. For example, on Rock Creek Road in Jones County, riverfront lots on the Trent River had a tax value of $201,286 per acre; lots immediately across the road had a tax value of $33,634 per acre, according to the Jones County GIS maps.

The developers and tourism promoters have broadly defined the Inner Banks as an area on the East Coast of North Carolina that is 22,227 square miles (57,568 km²).^[3] The so-called Inner Banks comprises over 3,000 miles of inland coastline and is home to over 2.5 million residents. Marketing people include the Crystal Coast and Albemarle regions of the state in the Inner Banks. Having a moderate climate, the area is becoming a popular destination for retirees and small business entrepreneurs.^[4] "Inner Banks" is sometimes abbreviated with the acronym IBX, another attempt at trendiness.^[3]

The general definition states that the Inner Banks is a region between Interstate 95 to the west, the Outer Banks to the east, and extend from the Virginia border to the South Carolina border. Consisting of 41 counties, the region is three times the size of the state of New Jersey. Many areas farther from the sounds and tidal rivers have not embraced the Inner Banks brand and are seldom included in the definition. Traditionally dependent on agriculture and the textile industry, eastern North Carolina has worked to redefine the region's strengths to transition into the new global economy.

Six small towns in the Inner Banks have joined in what they call the Creative Communities Initiative.^[5] They are working to foster an environment attractive to knowledge workers, artists, and other people working in the creative economy. These six towns are: Ayden, Edenton, Hertford, Murfreesboro, Plymouth, and Tarboro.

Northeastern North Carolina (or the Albemarle Region) consists of 14 counties in northeast North Carolina that surround Albemarle Sound and its tributaries, such as the Chowan and the Roanoke rivers. It has numerous attractions in terms of its undeveloped beaches, rivers, and small towns. Historic sites within the Albemarle Region are identified along the Historic Albemarle Tour.

تتألف منطقة الساحل الأوسط أو منطقة بامليكو من خمس مقاطعات في شرق ولاية كارولاينا الشمالية ، تطل على خليج بامليكو وروافده، مثل نهري نيوس وبونغو . وتشمل هذه المنطقة أيضاً الجزء الجنوبي من جزر أوتر بانكس ومعظم ساحل كريستال في مقاطعة كارترت .

تتألف منطقة جنوب شرق ولاية كارولاينا الشمالية (أو منطقة كيب فير ) من عشر مقاطعات تقع في جنوب شرق ولاية كارولاينا الشمالية ، وتحدها نهر كيب فير وروافده، مثل نهري بلاك وساوث . وتتكون المنطقة في المقام الأول من أراضٍ زراعية ريفية ومجتمعات ساحلية.

• منتزه ديسمال سواب الحكومي
• منتزه غوس كريك الحكومي
• منتزه ميرشانتس ميلبوند الحكومي
• منتزه بيتيغرو الحكومي

• محمية نهر التمساح الوطنية للحياة البرية
• محمية سيدار آيلاند الوطنية للحياة البرية
• محمية غريت ديسمال سواب الوطنية للحياة البرية
• محمية ماتاموسكيت الوطنية للحياة البرية
• محمية بوكوسين ليكس الوطنية للحياة البرية
• محمية نهر روانوك الوطنية للحياة البرية
• محمية سوانكوارتر الوطنية للحياة البرية

• السهل الساحلي الأطلسي
• كريستال كوست
• داون إيست
• الممر المائي الساحلي
• أوتر بانكس
• جنوب شرق ولاية كارولاينا الشمالية
• منطقة المد والجزر