NORTH CAROLINA OPEN THREAD for Sunday, February 17, 2019
196th Weekly Edition
This is a weekly feature of North Carolina Blue. We hope this regular platform gives readers interested in North Carolina politics a place to share their knowledge, insight and inspiration as we work on taking back our state from some of the most extreme Republicans in the nation. Please join us every week as we try to Connect, Unite, Act with our North Carolina Daily Kos community. You can also join the discussion in four other weekly State Open Threads.
Colorado: Mondays, 7:00 PM Mountain
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North Carolina: Sundays, 1:00 PM Eastern
Missouri: Wednesday Evenings
Kansas: Monday Evenings
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Raleigh was established as the capital of North Carolina near the geographical center of the state in 1792. A State Convention in 1788 sought a central location for an "unalterable seat of government." One thousand acres of land was purchased from Joel Lane, an early settler of the region. Lane and his two brothers had come to the area in 1741, and 30 years later Wake County was established with the construction of a courthouse and jail on the hillside in front of Lane's residence. His home became such a popular stop with travelers through the region that Lane built a tavern and helped erect a log church, the Asbury Meetinghouse. This small settlement, known as Wake Courthouse or Bloomsbury, was the predecessor of the town of Raleigh.
Raleigh was surveyed and planned by William Christmas in April 1792, with Union (now Capitol) Square reserved for the statehouse in the center, from which the principal streets radiate. Streets were named for the eight state districts--each identified by the name of its principal city--for the commissioners and for other prominent citizens. The plan included four parks--named for the first three Governors (Nash, Caswell and Burke) and for Attorney General Alfred Moore. A brick statehouse was constructed according to the instructions of the commission of legislators. When it was completed in 1794, Raleigh was said to be a "city of streets without houses." By 1800 the population numbered 669, and during that year, Methodist Bishop Francis Asbury held a "big meeting" in the statehouse, which at the time was used for religious gatherings, balls and public meetings.
Destructive fires occurred in 1818, 1821 and 1831. In the last fire, the brick statehouse was destroyed. In 1840 a three-day celebration, with parades, orations and balls marked the completion of the new State Capitol. Raleigh's commercial expansion remained slow until the 1850s by which time two railroad lines were connected to the city--the Raleigh and Gaston Railroad and the North Carolina Railroad. In 1857, the city limits were extended approximately three blocks on all sides from the original one square-mile boundary.
- Founded in 1792, Raleigh was officially named after the English explorer, Sir Walter Raleigh.
- Raleigh was called the City of Oaks by its founding fathers because of the vast number of oak trees.
- This capital city contains more than 40 free historic attractions and museums.
- Raleigh, along with Chapel Hill and Durham, are known for incredible educational opportunities, including Living Arts College, Meredith College, Shaw University, and North Caroline State University.
- Raleigh has a diverse performing arts and music scene, consisting of theaters, operas, and symphonies.
- Raleigh is considered a national historic landmark.
- One of the world’s greatest technological research parks is in Raleigh, where companies like Lenovo, Sony Ericsson, IBM, Nortel Networks, and Cisco maintain headquarters.
- Shaw University, the first historically black university, is in Raleigh.
- The state vegetable is the sweet potato.
- There are numerous major industries in Raleigh, including vegetable crops, paper, furniture, textile products, tobacco, chemicals, brick, metalworking, corn, hay, peanuts, corn, lithium, mica, and trucking.
- Former vice president of the United States, Andrew Johnson, was born and raised in Raleigh, where he original worked as a tailor.
- The Capitol building was original designed as a tomb for the wife of Governor Montfort Stokes. After finding the building to be the wrong scale, officials made it a meeting place for the state legislature.
- North Raleigh and Raleigh are different cities.
- In 1618, Sir Walter Raleigh, for whom the city was named, was beheaded. The preserved head was later presented to Lady Raleigh, his wife until finally being laid to rest in the same place as his tomb, St. Margaret’s, Westminster.
- The first and last architectural project conceived and executed at the Governor Morehead School was Dort Narena.
- Initially, the Beltline was to be built as a wall,but after lobbying by the Cities with Borders group, it was changed to a roadway.
- The laser on the late 19th-century water tower was purchased by Greg Hatem, along with the tower itself. In 1940, NCSU Engineering School Death Laser reimagined the laser to help repel U-Boats from Germany, but its ability fell short expectations.
- Before even being built, Raleigh was intended as a capital.
- The first state art museum in the country is in Raleigh.
- Raleigh is home to mixed conifer and hardwood forests that are home to all types of wildlife, including wild turkeys, Canadian geese, wood ducks, and white-tailed deer.