UNC-TV ONLINE: State of Change:

Program Description

The new economy—it’s a phrase we’ve often heard during the past few years. But what does it really mean? In State of Change, North Carolina Now correspondent Rebecca Lindstrom attempts to answer that question by looking at where North Carolina’s economy has been and where it may be headed.

North Carolina’s economy is no stranger to change. Up until the late 1870’s, more than 80% of the state’s residents were employed in agriculture. Today, that number is less than 8%, due in part to the emergence of the railroad system and better lines of communication, allowing manufacturing to become the main economic engine. Between furniture, tobacco and textiles, the state became one of the largest manufacturing bases in the country.

Photo: Adult and children picking tobacco