A decade of exciting changes for North Carolina — and this magazine — opens with a reaffirmation of our reputation as “the Good Roads State.” Wilmington, freshly minted as the eastern terminus of Interstate 40, sends a delegation to its western counterpart in Barstow, California, carrying a letter from Gov. James G. Martin, a license plate, and “other Tar Heel memorabilia.” Reporting on the visit, we write, “Who says friendships can’t be forged over 2,000 miles?” Meanwhile, our February 1990 issue recognizes a milestone on the western end of the state: The Blue Ridge Parkway welcomes its 500-millionth visitor.
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.
