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The North Atlantic hurricane season begins in June and lasts through November. Between 1851 and 2014, the Hurricane Research Division of the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reports that only 12 hurricanes developed between the months of December and May, and none of them made landfall. On average, nearly two hurricanes make landfall in the U.S. each year. The most likely month of occurrence is September followed by August and October. Since 1851, North…
Tourism has significant economic impacts in North Carolina. Domestic (both in-state and out-of-state tourists) and international travelers directly spent $21 billion in the state in 2013 according to estimates from the North Carolina Department of Commerce. These expenditures generated nearly 207,000 jobs and $4.8 billion in payroll income for North Carolina residents and $3.2 billion in tax revenue for federal, state, and local governments. While tourism is vital to the state, its impacts differ by…
For many North Carolina residents and out of state tourists, summer vacation isn’t complete without a trip to one of North Carolina’s beaches. In 2013, there were nearly 38 million overnight person-trips in North Carolina, the sixth highest number of visits among all states; 19% of these visitors went to the beach during their trip. And although North Carolina has many beautiful beaches—from the Brunswick Islands in the South to Emerald Isle and Atlantic Beach…
In the decennial census, seasonal housing units are those that are classified as vacant for “seasonal, recreational, or occasional use.” These are often referred to as vacation homes. In the 2010 Census, 3.5% of all housing units nationwide were vacation homes dedicated for seasonal use. In North Carolina, 4.4% of all housing units were for seasonal use. North Carolina had nearly 192,000 vacation homes in 2010, the 7th largest number of all the states. The…
The U.S. Women’s National Team advanced to its fourth World Cup final with last night’s 2-0 victory over Germany. On that team were six former players from UNC-Chapel Hill, the highest representation of any U.S. college. Four other universities—Pennsylvania State, Stanford, UCLA, and the University of Virginia—each have two players on the U.S. national team. These former Tar Heels are concentrated in the team’s defensive positions. None of the five forwards attended UNC, but two…
Yesterday’s post examined projected generational changes in North Carolina’s adult population. By 2016, North Carolina is projected to have 7.85 million adults, with the following projected generational breakdown: Greatest ( - 1927): 82,800 Silent (1928-1945): 849,400 Baby Boomers (1946-1964): 2,329,500 Gen X (1965-1981): 2,273,700 Millennial (1982-2004): 2,317,000 Baby Boomers will just barely be the largest adult generation, with Millennials poised to overtake them in population size in 2017. Voting Eligible How do these total population…
“How Millennial Are You?” asked a 2010 quiz from the Pew Research Center. We hear a lot about generations and generational difference, on topics ranging from grocery shopping to television viewing habits to the future of the suburbs. Many of these conversations center on Millennials and Baby Boomers for two reasons. Not only are these the two largest generations alive, they are currently at key points in their lives. The oldest of the Baby Boomers…
In 1978, Congress established the first week of May as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week to coincide with two important historical milestones: the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants to the United States on May 7, 1843, and the contributions of Chinese workers to the building of the transcontinental railroad, completed on May 10, 1869. In 1992, Congress expanded this week observance into a month-long celebration. 252,000 The number of Asian residents in North Carolina on…
Ten cities have passed the million population mark according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2014 municipal population estimates. With San Jose entering these ranks, California now has three cities with a million or more residents (Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Jose), tying Texas (Houston, San Antonio, and Dallas). Among the ten largest cities, population growth trends vary widely. Chicago gained a mere 82 new residents between 2013 and 2014 according to the estimates, while…
A few months ago, I saw someone retweet a map with the title “Who houses more people – colleges or prisons?” In many Southern and Western states, the answer to this question was prisons. Shortly thereafter, the Washington Post published a piece on Wonkblog with the headline, “The U.S. has more jails than colleges. Here’s a map of where those prisoners live.” Taken together, these two headlines suggest that there may be more prisoners in…
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