From the Mountains to the Coast

North Carolina is a long state (more than 500 miles from east to west), and geologically diverse (Outer Banks & Tidewater, Inner Coastal Plain, Piedmont, and Appalachian Mountains).

One of the differences between the eastern and western areas of the state is illustrated by a comment in David Cecelski's 2000 book, A Historian's Coast, Adventures into the Tidewater Past.

In discussing storms, hurricanes and nor'easters, Cecelski writes, "Mountains are pushed upward with staggering patience by slow tectonic grinding, an inch or two a year, until they reach the sky. But that has never been our coast's way of doing things. Disaster and upheaval are its lifeblood, just as much as sand and salt water."

Ocracoke Beach before a Storm

This month's Ocracoke Newsletter is about the almost forgotten 1890 "Oyster Wars" that pitted islanders against outside business interests. You can read the article here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news012115.htm.