1923: TOURISM BOOM

By the end of World War I, NC had sent 86,457 conscripted soldiers to fight on European soil. New technologies, including the airplane, had changed the dynamics of warfare, accounting for unprecedented losses and unparalleled brutality. Despite its brief involvement in the war, NC yielded over 6,000 casualties and 4,000 deserters. Simultaneously, and unnervingly, the Blue Death (a unique strain of the flu) took 13,000 North Carolinians on the homefront.

Unexpectedly, the demands of war improved a number of local NC economies: Wilmington shipyards rumbled with activity, furniture makers in High Point fabricated scores of propellers, Raleigh produced millions of artillery shells, Durham rolled out boatloads of cigarettes, and cotton mills, of which there were many, wove yards of blankets, tents and socks for the war effort. All this exertion produced sizable profits, enriching the pockets of the wealthy and trickling down some extra cash for laborers. Of course, most of this applied only to the urban population. Approximately 75 percent of Carolinians still lived in agricultural territory—a dominion occupied by struggling farmers who found small-time agricultural pursuits less and less profitable.

The end of the war also brought new connections to NC, as cars and telephones, radios and music, national reforms and educational movements swept the country, chipping away at the isolationist theology of the Tar Heel State. From this melting pot of warring industry, expanding wallets, catastrophic disease, floundering farms and social/technological advancements, NC emerged, astonishingly, as an esteemed place to relax and have fun.

The Roaring Twenties, as they were rapturously christened, were not so roaring in NC, but the uncluttered coastline and the cool mountain air offered travelers an alluring place of respite. As money and leisure pursuits increased nationally, NC retreats popped up en mass. With the Good Roads Movement in full swing, a marketing machine in place (newspapers) and a swelling travel bug, NC was on the cusp of becoming prime tourist territory. Asheville, and its surrounding mountain beauty, was billed as the hiking, camping, golfing Land of the Sky, and the Outer Banks boasted historic pristine beaches, prime real estate and top-notch game fishing. Everything in between offered agreeable weather, barbecue, a retreat center and a local craft shop. The boom was on.

Today, North Carolina’s tourism industry contributes over $19 billion each year to its economy, provides $5 billion to the state’s coffers and employs over 200,000 people.