Other North Carolina cities ranked in the top twenty nationwide including Charlotte, Winston-Salem, Asheville, Wilmington, and Durham. That’s six (6) North Carolina cities in the nation’s top twenty!

Two years ago a CNBC study ranked North Carolina as having the #1 workforce in the USA. High technology, health sciences, and banking & finance are leading industries here in North Carolina.

Raleigh is the state capitol and the second largest city. North Carolina is now the 10th most populated state with around 9.2 million people. The economic climate varies across the state as some areas have been hit a little harder due to the exporting of textiles and furniture manufacturing.

However, newer industries are moving in to take the place of those that were ultimately oursourced to cheap labor. Dell, FedEx, IBM, Cisco, and Honda Jet are among a few of the newer additions having established a major presence. Bank of America is headquartered out of Charlotte.

I’m glad to be a resident of North Carolina. The state has always offered a wide variety of attractions –> beaches, mountains, quality academic institutions, sports dynasties, moderate cost of living, and great people.

Incidentally, Raleigh received this honor each of the previous two years making this year’s recognition an exceptional, enduring achievement.