Light rail in Charlotte created a construction boom as businesses cropped up along the rail route. Light rail may be the answer for North Carolinas bustling cities as it becomes more expensive to buy gas and park in town.
Marine industries in North Carolina and Virginia have suffered since 1995 as a result of competition from imports, increasing regulations, and coastal development. The author discusses how various businesses strive to keep afloat.
Demand for ethanol, distilled from corn, is soaring as a fuel to reduce dependency on foreign oil. The author discusses how farmers are capitalizing on the rising need for corn.
The author discusses the difficulty with balancing development and preservation in North Carolina's mountain counties, such as Jackson County, Swain County, and Henderson County.
Amidst skyrocketing land values and a building boom, many fear that the tourism industry in the western highlands could suffer. Places like the Blue Ridge Parkway and Tweetsie Railroad have seen a decline in tourism the past couple of years.
Corky Powers owns and operates multiple fairs in North Carolina and discusses his experiences in the carnival business. Powers will attempt to run the NC State Fair, voted the largest and best fair in North Carolina.
Illegal immigration is suppressing wages in North Carolina, but it is also creating new undercuts, which help businesses flourish. Without Hispanics, the state economy would come to a standstill because people would pay more for foreign goods rather than make them in the United States.
The world's largest furniture marketplace happens twice a year in High Point. The furniture shows take place in High Point because that was once where the industry was centered. Now, the High Point market's future is in jeopardy and Las Vegas thinks it has the answer: building a new home for the market and leveraging its advantages in entertainment accommodations, restaurants, and glamour.
Wade Smith is North Carolina's top criminal lawyer, successfully garnering not guilty verdicts and reducing and dropping charges. The author discusses Smith's methods for winning cases.
North Carolina may be poised to lose more of its forest over the next several decades than any other state as ownership of forest land shifts and development increases.
UNCC Chancellor Jim Woodward turned the commuter school into a research university. He has served the longest tenure of any chancellor (15 years) and plans to retire soon. The article discusses how he became chancellor and the improvements he made to the school over the years.
Marc Basnight is the Senate's pro tempore for the last ten years and has successfully gotten the Senate and House to work together on a number of bills and important issues. Locals wonder if he will seek an office as governor.
John McNairy and Felix Harvey run the oldest business in the North Carolina 100. Harvey Enterprises Inc. in Lenoir County owns four cotton gins and buys, stores, and sells cotton. This article discusses the history of the company and the family who started it.
There are only eight drive-ins left in North Carolina even though this entertainment niche was once more popular. This article discusses various drive-ins in North Carolina and why the numbers have decreased over the years.