North Carolina has been a wonderful place to visit throughout the years. South Carolina and North Carolina have great schools, attractions, and museums. And our region, more than other places, is a great place for a young person to come up, thrive, and be happy. And North Carolina is a great place to visit from out of town. And since I live in South Carolina, I have enjoyed visiting the Tar Heel State every year since I was a child with my family, and also I have enjoyed visiting places in Charlotte such as Carowinds, the South Park Mall, and downtown Charlotte, and also visiting the City of Hendersonville and the Asheville area and Biltmore Estate there myself personally with friends since college and going into my 20s and later in life. The sense of community here in the Carolinas is like a religion. And people in Charleston and the Lowcountry should visit the State of North Carolina once in their lives.
One thing I appreciate about North Carolina is that it has two phenomenal parent and child duos in the history of its state government. One parent and child duo in North Carolina government is former US Congresswoman and Mayor of Charlotte Sue Myrick and former Lieutenant Governor Dan Forest. I agree with the politics of this wonderful North Carolina dynasty, and I think it's wonderful they are members of the Republican party. Myrick served as mayor of Charlotte from 1987 to 1991, and Mrs. Myrick served as a US congresswoman from 1995 to 2013.
And Congresswoman Sue Myrick's son Dan Forest served as North Carolina lieutenant governor from 2013 to 2021. I really appreciate that this mother and son duo keep the Republican party alive and kicking in North Carolina. They truly have served their state well.
Another parent-child duo and dynasty in North Carolina government is former governor Jim Hunt and his daughter, the current Lieutenant Governor Rachel Hunt. Rachel Hunt was recently elected North Carolina lieutenant governor in this last election year of 2024. And her father, former Governor Jim Hunt, served as governor two times, from 1977 to 1985 and again from 1993 to 2021. And former Governor Jim Hunt is the longest-serving governor of North Carolina in state history.
Growing up a child of the Carolinas, I have enjoyed living in my city of Greenville and visiting, through the years, the many places around North Carolina. The standards of service in North Carolina are higher than in many other places. The Carolinas is a place where children and young people could very much thrive, grow up, and be very happy. And being an older person now, I have also appreciated that the region is a place that encourages hard work and thrift and playing by the rules so you can reap the benefits of that hard work. And living in my state and visiting many times the Tar Heel State is a peak of privilege and wonderful honor. A place that stands up and lives behind great high standards and a good quality of life.
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Steven Hawkins is a freelance writer from Greenville, SC. Since 2014 Hawkins has published editorial letters, guest columns, and blogs in some of the largest newspapers in South Carolina, North Carolina, and around the country. In 2019 Hawkins published a collection of his letters with AuthorHouse publications entitled "Letters from South Carolina."