At one time Gaston, Buffalo City, Williamsboro, Waynesboro, Brunswick, Sneedsboro, Parkewood, and Tuckertown were thriving and prosperous communities. Then along came business and transportation changes, with the result that these towns and others had to fold up.
One of North Carolina's little known spots, Crusoe's Island in the Green Swamp in southeastern North Carolina was originally settled by refugees from Haiti, and has been mostly isolated since the early 19th-century.