Tidewater region of North Carolina facts for kids

The Tidewater Region is a narrow strip of land along the coast of North Carolina. It's where you'll find all the beautiful beaches of the state. This area also has "capes," which are pieces of land that stick out into the ocean. Lighthouses are often built on these capes. They help ships avoid crashing into the coast.

Many major streams and rivers from the Piedmont area flow into large bodies of water called sounds or directly into the Atlantic Ocean. The Tidewater has eight important sounds: Back, Pamlico, Albemarle, Currituck, Croatan, Roanoke, Core, and Bogue Sounds.

This region is also home to many wetlands. Wetlands are areas where water covers the land, either all the time or for part of the year. The Great Dismal Swamp is North Carolina's largest wetland. It's a huge area of swamps stretching from Virginia into North Carolina. This swamp covers about 111,000 acres (449 square kilometers), making it one of the biggest swamps in the entire country!

The Tidewater area in North and South Carolina is very special. It's the only place in the world where the amazing Venus flytrap plant grows naturally.

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  The beach next to the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, looking north

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  Currituck Sound as seen from Knotts Island

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  A sunset on Pamlico Sound from The Inn on Buxton

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  Bogue Sound with fog at sunset

Tidewater Research Station

Studying Farming in the Region

The Tidewater Research Station was started in 1943. It is located in Washington County. This station was created to help the large farming areas between North Carolina's coastal plain and the coast. It took the place of an older farm called the Blackland Test Farm, which was near Wenona.

Why Research is Important Here

Farming in the Tidewater region has grown a lot over the last 35 years. From the 1950s to the 1980s, much of the land was cleared and drained. This made more land available for farming. Because of these big changes, there was a greater need for scientific research to help farmers.

What the Station Researches

The Tidewater Research Station mainly focuses on two important areas: growing grain and raising pigs. These are the biggest types of farming in the region. The station covers about 1,558 acres (630 square kilometers). This includes woodlands, fields for crops, pastures for animals, and areas for ponds and buildings.