North Carolina is a southern coastal state that extends well to the west, giving it a variety of geographical formations.  Off its coast there is a barrier of sandy reefs known as the Outer Banks that provide some protection to the state's coastline.  The islands of the Outer Banks have been heavily developed as summer coastal retreats.  Just inland from the coast the tidewater area is flat and swampy in some areas, but served as some of the early agricultural land when North Carolina was a royal colony.

West of the tidewater the Piedmont area rises with topography of low rolling hills and crossed by a number of rivers.  The hydroelectric development in the Piedmont caused most of the state's industrial areas–and population–to be clustered there.  West of the Piedmont the mountains of North Carolina rise in the form of the Blue Ridge range, which dips further west into a series of basins and then rises again to the Great Smoky Mountain Range at the state's western perimeter.

North Carolina's piedmont is the number one producer of tobacco in the country. Its forests in the western mountain ranges feed a large furniture industrial component.  The state has been known for its textile manufacturing for decades.

Recent economic development has been plentiful, spurred by the Research Triangle in the Raleigh-Durham and Chapel Hill area.  Raleigh is the state's capitol while nearby Chapel Hill is home to the University of North Carolina.  Duke University is in Durham, North Carolina State is in Raleigh and the three cities are collectively known as the Golden Triangle. 

That area of North Carolina, with its unique combination of academic and research facilities, the government center and plentiful land in the outlying districts, has become the most vibrant area of new economic development in the Southeast.   High tech manufacturing has flourished there along with the ancillary research and start-ups that invariably follow when establishments of the information industry take root in new areas. 

North Carolina's largest metropolitan area surrounds the old port city of Charlotte, which has become a major financial center in the Southeast.  The aggressive southern bank that acquired Bank of America has kept the headquarters for the merged institutions in Charlotte.  Most recently, the Bank of America acquired Fleet Bank of Boston, a major regional bank in the Northeast.  They have led the financial resurgence of Charlotte and turned it into an important urban center.

Along with the financial and professional growth have come national sports franchises, the fine arts and theater as well as a tourist industry, drawn by Charlotte's antebellum architectural gems and the beauty of its ocean side setting.  Charlotte is one of America's regional urban centers that has truly leveraged itself into the big leagues.

So there are two areas of North Carolina that are rife with economic activity and promise for an individual seeking a career.  If Charlotte attracts you, an MBA under your belt would be of great value.  You can obtain one at great expense if you spend several years in the Raleigh-Durham area.  Or, you can look to the online options for a quicker and more efficient solution.