The 16 counties that comprise North Carolina’s Northeast region stretch from I-95 to North Carolina’s fabled Outer Banks. With serene inland waterways and miles of sandy beaches, the region is known to millions as a vacation, second-home and retirement destination. As home to Roanoke Island, site of the first European outpost in North America, and Kitty Hawk, where the Wright Brothers ushered in the age of human flight, North Carolina’s Northeast is also well-known to American history enthusiasts. Value-added tourism remains central to the region’s economic development vision.

Northeastern North Carolina’s economic landscape is rapidly changing, with highway improvements, a new $50 million natural gas distribution system, voice and data telecommunications upgrades, and a host of new educational and workforce development offerings elevating the region’s competitive posture in the global economy. In recent years, the region’s roster of industrial residents has added names such as Nucor, PCB Piezotronics, Quintiles, Microcell Corporation, DRS Technologies, Inc., and Rose Acre Farms.

The Northeast Region, with its abundant waterways and mild climate, is a longtime hub for leading firms in boatbuilding and marine trades. Albemarle Boats, Fineline Manufacturing, Regulator Marine and Spencer Yachts are among the noted names basing operations there. More recently, the region has begun positioning itself as an automotive industry destination. Work is underway on the North Carolina Center for Automotive Research (NC CAR), a transportation research, development and testing facility set to open in fall 2009. The 630-acre property along I-95, modeled on successful vehicle research complexes in Ohio and Great Britain, will provide test tracks, dynamometer and emissions testing stations, computer-assisted development tools and other facilities. Supporting the region’s aerospace and aviation cluster are unique assets such as the Elizabeth City Aviation Research and Development Commerce Park. Emerging from Northeastern North Carolina’s productive soils are innovations in agricultural-based biotechnology. Impressive R&D assets, such as the 32,000-sq.-ft. Vernon G. James Research and Extension Center in Plymouth, are also facilitating exciting business opportunities for the region’s biotech sector.

The Northeastern North Carolina Regional Economic Development Commission (“North Carolina’s Northeast Commission”) promotes economic development, travel and tourism across the 16-county region. The Northeast Commission and its partners and allies have an impressive track record of enhancing the region’s economic infrastructure and stimulating job growth and business recruitment through creativity, innovation and perseverance. In 1999, Site Selection magazine named the Commission one of the nation’s Top 10 Economic Development Organizations.

North Carolina’s Northeast Commission
119 West Water Street
Edenton, NC  27932
Phone: 888-872-8562
Fax: 252-482-3366

www.ncnortheast.com