owned_by virginia state route 32
North Carolina is a state in the southeastern region of the United States . The state borders South Carolina and ___MASK100___ to the south , Tennessee to the west , ___MASK97___ to the north , and the Atlantic Ocean to the east . North Carolina is the 28th most extensive and the 9th most populous of the U . S . states . The state is divided into 100 counties . The capital is Raleigh . The most populous municipality is Charlotte , and it is the second largest banking center in the United States after New York City . The ___MASK49___ of New York , often called New York ___MASK49___ or simply New York , is the most populous ___MASK49___ in the United States . With an estimated 2015 population of 8 , 550 , 405 distributed over a land area of just , New York ___MASK49___ is also the most densely populated major ___MASK49___ in the United States . Located at the southern tip of the state of New York , the ___MASK49___ is the center of the New York metropolitan area , one of the most populous urban agglomerations in the world . A global power ___MASK49___ , New York ___MASK49___ exerts a significant impact upon commerce , finance , media , art , fashion , research , technology , education , and entertainment , its fast pace defining the term " New York minute ". Home to the headquarters of the United Nations , New York is an important center for international diplomacy and has been described as the cultural and financial capital of the world . State Route 32 ( SR 32 ) is a primary state highway in the U . S . state of ___MASK97___ . The state highway runs 38 . 89 miles ( 62 . 59 km ) from the North Carolina state line in Suffolk north to U . S . Route 17 , US 258 , and SR 143 in ___MASK95___ News . The southernmost part of SR 32 connects Suffolk with the Albemarle Region of North Carolina via North Carolina Highway 32 ( NC 32 ) . The remainder of SR 32 runs concurrently with at least one other state or U . S . Highway between Suffolk and ___MASK95___ News , including US 13 , SR 10 , US 258 , and US 17 . The last two highways run together with SR 32 on the James River Bridge . The ___MASK42___ ( VDOT ) is the agency of state government responsible for transportation in the state of Virginia in the United States . Headquartered at the Virginia Department of Highways Building in Downtown Richmond , VDOT is responsible for building , maintaining , and operating the roads , bridges and tunnels in the commonwealth . It is overseen by the Commonwealth Transportation Board , which has the power to fund airports , seaports , rail and public transportation . ___MASK97___ (, officially the Commonwealth of ___MASK97___ ) is a state located in the Mid - Atlantic region of the United States , as well as in the historic Southeast . ___MASK97___ is nicknamed the " Old Dominion " due to its status as the first colonial possession established in mainland British America , and " Mother of Presidents " because eight U . S . presidents were born there , more than any other state . The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are shaped by the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Chesapeake Bay , which provide habitat for much of its flora and fauna . The capital of the Commonwealth is Richmond ; ___MASK97___ Beach is the most populous city , and Fairfax County is the most populous political subdivision . The Commonwealth ' s estimated population is over 8 . 3 million , which is slightly less than New York City . The James River Bridge is a four - lane divided highway lift bridge across the James River in the Commonwealth of ___MASK97___ . Owned and operated by the ___MASK42___ , it carries U . S . Route 17 ( US 17 ), US 258 , and State Route 32 across the river near its mouth at Hampton Roads . The bridge connects Newport News on the ___MASK97___ Peninsula with Isle of Wight County in the South Hampton Roads region , and is the easternmost such crossing without a tunnel component . The Blue Ridge Mountains are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains range . This province consists of northern and southern physiographic regions , which divide near the Roanoke River gap . The mountain range is located in the eastern United States , starting at its southernmost portion in ___MASK100___ , then ending northward in Pennsylvania . To the west of the Blue Ridge , between it and the bulk of the Appalachians , lies the Great Appalachian Valley , bordered on the west by the Ridge and Valley province of the Appalachian range . The Inner Banks is a neologism without historical precedent used by developers and tourism promoters to describe the inland coastal region of eastern North Carolina . The term " Inner Banks " is a recent construct on the part of developers and the tourism industry to rebrand the mostly agrarian coastal plain as a more attractive region for visitors and retirees . The term is rarely used colloquially . Many long - time residents are resisting the adoption of the term to describe the area since it is perceived as a marketing tool with a scant history behind it . Its construction plays on the historical area known as the Outer Banks , a string of barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina that are a popular tourist attraction . The demand for waterfront property in eastern North Carolina as a site for second homes for the relatively wealthy has resulted in a tremendous disparity of prices . Frequently otherwise equivalent lots on opposite sides of a road will have broadly divergent tax and appraisal values . For example , on Rock Creek Road in Jones County , riverfront lots on the Trent River have a tax value of $ 201 , 286 per ___MASK56___ ; lots immediately across the road have a tax value of $ 33 , 634 per ___MASK56___ , according to the Jones County GIS maps . Strictly speaking , only the actual waterfront lots should be considered " Inner Banks ", but designating non - waterfront lots as " Inner Banks " creates an artificial desirability in the eyes of prospective buyers from afar . Hampton Roads is the name of both a body of water in ___MASK97___ and the surrounding metropolitan region in Southeastern ___MASK97___ and Northeastern North Carolina , United States . Comprising the ___MASK97___ Beach  Norfolk  ___MASK95___ News , VA  NC metropolitan area and an extended Combined Statistical Area that includes the Elizabeth City , NC Micropolitan Statistical Area and Kill Devil Hills , NC Micropolitan Statistical Area , Hampton Roads is known for its large military presence , ice - free harbor , shipyards , coal piers , and miles of waterfront property and beaches , all of which contribute to the diversity and stability of the region ' s economy . English America , and later British America , were the English , and later British , territories in North America ( including ___MASK14___ ), Central America , the Caribbean , and Guyana from 1607 to 1783 . Formally , the British colonies in North America were known as " British America and the British West Indies " until 1776 , when the Thirteen British Colonies located along the Atlantic seaboard declared their independence and formed the United States of America . After that , British North America ( or , simply but not inclusively , Canada ) was used to describe the remainder of Britain ' s continental North American possessions . The term " British North America " was first used informally in 1783 , but it was uncommon before the Report on the Affairs of British North America ( 1839 ), called the Durham Report . Dominions were semi - independent polities under the British Crown , constituting the British Empire , beginning with Canadian Confederation in 1867 . They included Canada , Australia , New Zealand , Newfoundland , South Africa , and the Irish Free State , and then from the late 1940s also ___MASK84___ , Pakistan , and Ceylon ( now ___MASK65___ ). The Balfour Declaration of 1926 recognised the Dominions as " autonomous Communities within the British Empire ", and the 1931 Statute of Westminster granted them full legislative independence . The Chesapeake Bay is an estuary lying inland from the Atlantic Ocean , and surrounded by the North American mainland to the west , and the Delmarva Peninsula to the east . It is the largest such body in the contiguous United States . The northern bay is within Maryland , the southern portion within ___MASK97___ , and is a very important feature for the ecology and economy of those two states , as well as others . More than 150 major rivers and streams flow into the bay ' s drainage basin , which covers parts of six states ( New York , Pennsylvania , Delaware , Maryland , ___MASK97___ and West ___MASK97___ ) plus all of the District of Columbia . South Hampton Roads is a region located in the extreme southeastern portion of ___MASK97___ in the United States with a total population of 1 , 191 , 937 . It is part of the ___MASK97___ Beach - Norfolk - ___MASK95___ News , VA - NC MSA ( Metropolitan Statistical Area ), which itself has a population of 1 , 724 , 876 . South Carolina is a state in the southeastern region of the United States . The state is bordered to the north by North Carolina , to the south and west by ___MASK100___ across the ___MASK9___ River , and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean . The ___MASK97___ Peninsula is a peninsula in southeast ___MASK97___ , USA , bounded by the York River , James River , Hampton Roads and Chesapeake Bay . It is sometimes known as the " Lower Peninsula " to distinguish it from two other peninsulas to the north , the Middle Peninsula and the Northern Neck . ___MASK75___ (" Tanasi ") is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States . ___MASK75___ is the 36th largest and the 16th most populous of the 50 United States . ___MASK75___ is bordered by ___MASK11___ and ___MASK97___ to the north , North Carolina to the east , Georgia , Alabama , and Mississippi to the south , and Arkansas and Missouri to the west . The Appalachian Mountains dominate the eastern part of the state , and the Mississippi River forms the state ' s western border . ___MASK75___ ' s capital and second largest city is Nashville , which has a population of 654 , 610 . Memphis is the state ' s largest city , with a population of 655 , 770 . North Carolina Highway 32 ( NC 32 ) is a north  south state highway in eastern North Carolina ; it goes through several counties and small communities in the northeastern Inner Banks part of the state . It is in length , and crosses the Albemarle Sound south of Edenton , along with North Carolina Highway 94 . The highway continues into ___MASK97___ as State Route 32 .