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List of North Carolina state symbols

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Location of the state of North Carolina in the United States of America

The state of North Carolina has 42 official state emblems, as well as other designated places and events. The majority is determined by acts of the North Carolina General Assembly and record in Chapters 144, 145, and 149 of the North Carolina General Statutes.[1] The state's nicknames – "The Old North State" and "The Tar Heel State" – are both traditional, but have never been passed into law by the General Assembly.

The first symbol was the Seal of North Carolina, which was made official in 1871. The original seal also contained the future state motto. It served as the state's only emblem for 14 years until the adoption of the state flag in 1885. Enacted by law in 2013, the newest symbols of North Carolina are the state art medium, clay; the state fossil, the megalodon teeth; the state frog, the Pine Barrens tree frog; the state marsupial, the Virginia opossum; and the state salamander, the marbled salamander.

Insignia

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Further information: List of U.S. state, district, and territorial insignia
Type Symbol Year Image Source
Flag "That the flag of North Carolina shall consist of a blue union, containing in the center thereof a white star with the letter N in gilt on the left and the letter C in gilt on the right of said star, the circle containing the same to be one-third the width of the union. The fly of the flag shall consist of two equally proportioned bars; the upper bar to be red, the lower bar to be white; that the length of the bars horizontally shall be equal to the perpendicular length of the union, and the total length of the flag shall be one-third more than its width. That above the star in the center of the union there shall be a gilt scroll in semi-circular form, containing in black letters this inscription 'May 20, 1775,' and that below the star there shall be a similar scroll containing in black letters the inscription: 'April 12, 1776.'" 1885 North Carolina flag [2]
Motto Esse quam videri
("To be, rather than to seem") 		1893 [3]
Nicknames Old North State
Tar Heel State 		Traditional [4]
Seal The Seal of North Carolina 1871

(Revised in 1983)

North Carolina state seal [4]

Flora

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Type Symbol Year Image Source
Carnivorous plant Venus flytrap
Dionaea muscipula 		2005 Venus flytrap [5]
Christmas tree Fraser fir
Abies fraseri 		2005 Fraser fir [6]
Flower Flowering dogwood
Cornus florida 		1941 American dogwood [7]
Tree Pine
Genus Pinus 		1963 Pine [8]
Wildflower Carolina lily
Lilium michauxii 		2003 Carolina lily [9]

Fauna

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Type Symbol Year Image Source
Bird Cardinal 1943 [10]
Butterfly Eastern tiger swallowtail 2012 Eastern tiger swallowtail [11]
Dog Plott Hound 1989 Plott Hound [12]
Fossil Megalodon teeth 2013 [13]
Freshwater trout Southern Appalachian brook trout 2005 brook trout [14]
Frog Pine Barrens tree frog
Hyla andersonii 		2013 Pine Barrens tree frog [15]
Horse Colonial Spanish Mustang 2010 [16]
Insect Western honey bee

(Apis mellifera)

1973 Western honey bee [17]
Mammal Eastern gray squirrel
Sciurus carolinensis 		1969 Eastern gray squirrel [18]
Marsupial Virginia opossum
Didelphis virginiana 		2013 Virginia opossum [19]
Reptile Eastern box turtle 1979 Eastern box turtle [20]
Salamander Marbled salamander
Ambystoma opacum 		2013 Marbled salamander [21]
Saltwater fish Channel bass 1971 [22]
Shell Scotch bonnet 1965 Scotch bonnet [23]

Geology

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Type Symbol Year Image Source
Mineral Gold
Aurum 		2011 [24]
Rock Granite 1979 [25]
Stone Emerald 1973 [26]

Culture

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Type Symbol Year Image Source
Art medium Clay 2013 [27]
Beverage Milk 1987 [28]
Birthplace of traditional pottery Seagrove Area 2005 [29]
Blue berry Blueberry
Vaccinium genus 		2001 [30]
Colors The red and blue of the North Carolina and United States flags 1945 [31]
Folk dance Clogging 2005 [32]
Fruit Scuppernong grape
Vitis genus 		2001 [30]
Historical boat Shad boat 1987 [33]
Language English language 1987 [34]
Popular dance Shagging 2005 [32]
Red berry Strawberry
Fragaria genus 		2001 [30]
Song "The Old North State" 1927 [35]
Theatre Flat Rock Playhouse 1961 [36]
Sport Stock car racing 2011 [37]
Toast The Tar Heel Toast 1957 [35]
Tartan Carolina tartan 1991 [38]
Vegetable Sweet potato 1995 [39]


See also

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References

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General
  • "North Carolina State Symbols". North Carolina Secretary of State. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
  • "NC State Symbols". North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
  • "State Symbols". NCpedia. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
  • "Chapter 145 - State Symbols and Other Official Adoptions". North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
Specific
  1. ^ "Chapter 145 - State Symbols and Other Official Adoptions". North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
  2. ^ "State flag". North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  3. ^ "State motto". North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  4. ^ a b "North Carolina State Symbols". North Carolina Secretary of State. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  5. ^ "State carnivorous plant". North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  6. ^ "State Christmas tree". North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  7. ^ "State flower". North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  8. ^ "State tree". North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  9. ^ "State wildflower". North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  10. ^ "State bird". North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  11. ^ "State butterfly". North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  12. ^ "State dog". North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  13. ^ "State fossil". North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  14. ^ "State freshwater trout". North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  15. ^ "State frog". North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  16. ^ "State horse". North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  17. ^ "State insect". North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  18. ^ "State mammal". North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  19. ^ "State marsupial". North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  20. ^ "State reptile". North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  21. ^ "State salamander". North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  22. ^ "State saltwater fish". North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  23. ^ "State shell". North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  24. ^ "State mineral". North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  25. ^ "State rock". North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  26. ^ "State stone". North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  27. ^ "State art medium". North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  28. ^ "State beverage". North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  29. ^ "State birthplace of traditional pottery". North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  30. ^ a b c "State fruit and State berries". North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  31. ^ "State colors". North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  32. ^ a b "Official State dances". North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  33. ^ "State historical boat". North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  34. ^ "State language". North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  35. ^ a b "State Song and Toast". North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  36. ^ "flat rock playhouse, state theatre of north carolina". Welcome To Hendersonville, NC. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  37. ^ "State sport". North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  38. ^ "State tartan". North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  39. ^ "State vegetable". North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
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