Eastern North Carolina
Cities include Greenville, Jacksonville, Wilmington, Rocky Mount and North Carolina's first capital New Bern.
Shoop, the Commissioner for Washington's EDC stated "In a private setting, they would be able to access different funds for additional economic projects or initiatives in the county.
"[1] Located east of the Piedmont and west of the Atlantic Ocean, Eastern North Carolina contains very few major urban centers.
If defined by geological formations, eastern North Carolina comprises the 44 counties of the Inner and Outer Coastal Plains.
The coast of North Carolina were dominated by Native Americans, primarily the Tuscarora people residing near modern Snow Hill.
Eastern North Carolina is also home to the first attempted English settlement in the New World on Roanoke Island.
During the colonial era of American History, the East was the dominant region of North Carolina in both government and commerce.
Towns of early significance included Bath, Beaufort, Elizabeth City, Edenton, Kinston, New Bern, Tarboro, and Wilmington.
North Carolina's early economy was built upon cash crops, fisheries and turpentine industries.
The different economic clusters, including but not limited to advanced manufacturing (aerospace, automotive and industrial machinery), life sciences (Biopharma and medical device research, development and manufacturing), value-added agriculture (food processing, forest products, etc.)
CSX, Norfolk Southern Railway, and the North Carolina Railroad Company serve the industries within the region.
Amtrak passenger stations are located in Rocky Mount, Wilson, Selma, Fayetteville and throughout North Carolina and the Eastern region.
Wilmington International Airport is in Eastern North Carolina along with RDU within a short driving distance.
Many areas of Eastern North Carolina are experiencing little economic growth; however, areas such as Greenville and Winterville (Pitt County) are growing rapidly due to the location of East Carolina University and its associated medical facilities.
