Doctor density varies by specialty and location. North Carolina has 740 practicing orthopedic surgeons. Broken out by city, orthopedic surgery doctor density in Aberdeen is 1, in Ahoskie is 1, in Albemarle is 6, in Asheboro is 4, in Asheville is 31, in Benson is 1, in Boone is 7, in Brevard is 3, in Burgaw is 2, in Burlington is 7, in Carolina Beach is 2, in Cary is 26, in Chapel Hill is 37, in Charlotte is 116, in Clayton is 1, in Clinton is 3, in Clyde is 2, in Columbus is 1, in Concord is 16, in Creedmoor is 5, in Dunn is 1, in Durham is 100, in Eden is 5, in Edenton is 1, in Elizabeth City is 3, in Elizabethtown is 7, in Elkin is 4, in Fayetteville is 19, in Fletcher is 2, in Franklin is 3, in Garner is 17, in Gastonia is 16, in Goldsboro is 7, in Greensboro is 38, in Greenville is 16, in Hamlet is 1, in Havelock is 2, in Henderson is 8, in Hendersonville is 19, in Hickory is 20, in High Point is 18, in Hudson is 4, in Huntersville is 15, in Jacksonville is 14, in Kernersville is 6, in Kill Devil Hills is 2, in King is 3, in Kings Mountain is 2, in Kinston is 7, in Kitty Hawk is 3, in Laurinburg is 4, in Leland is 2, in Lenoir is 5, in Lexington is 3, in Lincolnton is 8, in Louisburg is 3, in Lumberton is 4, in Madison is 1, in Marion is 1, in Matthews is 7, in Mocksville is 4, in Monroe is 9, in Mooresville is 13, in Morganton is 17, in Mount Airy is 5, in New Bern is 6, in Newton is 11, in North Wilkesboro is 1, in Oxford is 12, in Raleigh is 53, in Reidsville is 2, in Roanoke Rapids is 3, in Rockingham is 4, in Rocky Mount is 16, in Roxboro is 5, in Rutherfordton is 4, in Salisbury is 12, in Sanford is 6, in Shelby is 6, in Smithfield is 5, in Southern Pines is 1, in Southport is 6, in Spruce Pine is 2, in Statesville is 15, in Sunset Beach is 1, in Sylva is 6, in Tarboro is 4, in Taylorsville is 8, in Thomasville is 14, in Troy is 2, in Valdese is 1, in Wake Forest is 4, in Wallace is 1, in Washington is 3, in Waynesville is 1, in Whiteville is 4, in Williamston is 1, in Wilmington is 23, in Wilson is 6, and in Zebulon is 3.

North Carolina was one of the thirteen original colonies, and achieved statehood in 1789. The population of North Carolina is 8,683,242, and the capital city is Raleigh, named after Sir Walter Raleigh, who established the first English colony in the New World. The Appalachian Mountain range covers the western part of the state, and the mountains receive significant snowfall in winter. Visitors can tour a plantation near Wilmington, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, one of the museums or historic sites in Raleigh or Charlotte, or the aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores on the Atlantic Coast.

According to 2005 Census estimates, North Carolina has a population of 8,683,242. Of this population, 2,098,194 are under the age of 18 and 1,049,995 are at or above the age of 65.