Dear friends,
Yesterday marked the arrival of spring, and with it, for most subscribers, the arrival of the April issue of Our State, one of our favorites of the year, heralding the return of color to our landscape, a season of joy.
When we assigned and photographed this issue a year ago, and prepared it for print many months ago, none of us could have foreseen where we’d be today.
As all of us at Our State monitor the near-hourly news of the shuttering of businesses, attractions, and restaurants, and the cancellation of nearly all events — a necessity right now, but heartbreaking for North Carolina nonetheless — we are also holding tight to a promise: This magazine has always been a source of inspiration, of beauty, of celebration, of comfort, and of connection. And we don’t intend to turn away from that, especially not now, not when we need those things most.
This magazine was started in 1933, during the height of the Great Depression, and it survived. We’ve withstood World War II, a polio epidemic, and catastrophic hurricanes, never missing an issue being printed and mailed to subscribers. We will do everything we can to ensure that legacy holds true.
We are currently wrapping up our May issue, to be printed in a few days so that you’ll receive your magazine as scheduled in mid-April. We have so many great stories planned for the coming months — our May issue is devoted to the joys of hiking in North Carolina, from Hot Springs to Nags Head. It’s beautiful and uplifting, and while we know this is not the best time to encourage travel, our roads can and will open up again. When that happens, we’ll be ready.
In the meantime, we’re watching as Main Street Books in Davidson hosts a virtual story time; as Third Day Market in Jefferson holds a take-what-you-need community pantry; as countless restaurants and bars create take-out options for delivery and curbside service.
We’ll all get through this. And when we do, we’ll have so much to look forward to.
Stay safe and be well,
Elizabeth Hudson
Editor in Chief
To commemorate our 90th anniversary, we’ve compiled a time line that highlights the stories, contributors, and themes that have shaped this magazine — and your view of the Old North State — using nine decades of our own words.
From its northernmost point in Corolla to its southern terminus on Cedar Island, this scenic byway — bound between sound and sea — links the islands and communities of the Outer Banks.
Us? An icon? Well, after 90 years and more than 2,000 issues celebrating North Carolina from mountains to coast, we hope you’ll agree that we’ve earned the title.
After nearly a century — or just a couple of years — these seafood restaurants have become coastal icons, the places we know, love, and return to again and again.
