The largest cities in North Carolina are Charlotte (2003 population, 584,658), Raleigh (316,802), Greensboro (229,110), Durham (198,376), and Winston-Salem (190,299). All are located in the industrial Piedmont region. Charlotte is the chief distribution center for the area. Raleigh, the state capital, has a modern legislative building designed by Edward Durell Stone. Greensboro is the site of much textile and tobacco manufacturing, and many insurance companies also have their home offices there. Tobaccoville, near Winston-Salem, has the world�s largest plant for manufacturing cigarettes.

The early settlers who came to North Carolina brought various forms of Protestantism. Nearly one-half of church members are Baptist, and the second largest group is Methodist. Roman Catholics form the third largest religious group. Others in the state are the United Church of Christ, Episcopalians, Lutherans, Disciples of Christ, Quakers, Moravians, Jews, and small numbers of other religious groups, including some non-Christian world religions such as Islam and Buddhism.