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The Carolinas is a term used in the United States to refer collectively to the states of North and South Carolina. The Carolinas were known as the Province of Carolina during America's colonial period, from 1663–1710. Prior to that, the land was considered part of the Colony and Dominion of Virginia, from 1609–63.

The province, named "Carolina" to honor King Charles I of England, was divided into South Carolina and North Carolina in 1729, although the actual date is the subject of debate.^[1] A common, unofficial nickname for the two states is "Cackalacky," which is generally viewed as a synonym of Carolina. It is often preceded by North or South in referring to the states individually. While the cognomen has gained widespread use, lexicographers have yet to identify its exact origin, although it is suspected to have originated outside of the states.^[2]

The Carolinas are very much part of The South, though Carolina culture and Southern culture have some differences. Although the national news media and many non-residents refer to the two states as simply the Carolinas, and to its residents as "Carolinians," many people in both states are offended by the single "Carolina" moniker, and insist on seeing themselves as distinct North or South Carolinians. Indeed, many fans of the sports teams of the University of South Carolina strongly resent the frequent national media identification of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as the Carolina. In fact, historically there are a number of strong differences in the settlement patterns, political development, and economic growth of the two states. For example, during the American Civil War South Carolina was the first Southern state to secede from the Union, while North Carolina was the last state to secede. During the war South Carolina was generally one of the strongest supporters of the Confederacy. Although North Carolina provided more soldiers to the Confederate armies than any other state, many North Carolinians (especially in the western part of the state) refused to support the Confederacy at all; they either remained neutral or covertly supported the Union during the war. North Carolina's Civil War Governor, Zebulon Vance, was an outspoken critic of Confederate President Jefferson Davis and frequently refused to obey Davis's orders for reinforcements and supplies; Vance insisted the soldiers and supplies were needed in North Carolina.

During most of the twentieth century South Carolina was a bastion of the "Solid Democratic South" with almost no Republican officeholders, and the state frequently elected politicians who were outspoken supporters of racial segregation. North Carolina, while mostly Democratic, did contain a large Republican minority (the state voted Republican in the presidential election of 1928 and elected several Republican Congressmen, Governors, and Senators from 1868-1928), and North Carolina was widely known as one of the more progressive Southern states on the issue of segregation and civil rights. In 1947 the famous journalist John Gunther, in his bestselling classic Inside USA, wrote "that North Carolina is by a good deal the most progressive Southern state will, I imagine, be agreed to by almost everybody." (Gunther, 719) On the other hand, he described South Carolina as "one of the poorest American states, and probably one of the balkiest." (Gunther, 723) In describing the differences between the two states, Gunther noted that, in 1947, divorce in North Carolina "may be granted simply on the ground of absence of cohabitation; South Carolina is the one American state in which divorce is not possible." (Gunther, 719) North Carolina's nickname for many years was "a vale of humility between two mountains of conceit," the "mountains" were Virginia and South Carolina (Gunther, 719). However, Gunther's observations can be compared to recent developments which reveal South Carolina progressivism contrasted with North Carolina's conservatism, such as the continuing existence of dry counties in North Carolina and South Carolina's creation of a state lottery years before North Carolina followed suit.

As professional sports teams have moved into the Carolinas, their owners have tried to lure more fans to their teams by using the singular "Carolina" as a team name. The two most prominent examples of this are the NFL's Carolina Panthers and the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes. This has been done even though all of the major pro sports teams in the Carolinas are located in North Carolina.

A nationally-famous staple of Carolina cuisine is pork barbecue. However, even here there are strong regional differences and rivalries over the sauces and method of preparation used in making the barbecue. Eastern North Carolina pork barbecue uses a vinegar-based sauce, Western North Carolina pork barbecue uses a ketchup-based sauce, and South Carolina pork barbecue often uses a mustard-based sauce. Several nationally-famous food and drink products originated in the Carolinas. Among them are Pepsi-Cola, which was created in New Bern, North Carolina in 1890. Cheerwine, another popular soft drink, was also started in North Carolina. Krispy Kreme, a popular chain of doughnut stores, was started in Winston-Salem and is still headquarted there. Two popular fast-food chains, Hardees and Bojangles', were created in the Carolinas.

• Southern American English
• Southern literature
• The Dakotas
• Carowinds
• Cackalacky Classic Condiment

1. ^ http://www.carolana.com/Carolina/thesplit.html
2. ^ http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/internetworkers/2003-August/010708.html

3. John Gunther. Inside USA, Harper & Brothers, 1947.

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