Wilson is a classic example of the Old South. Many residents say that it still has a small town feeling even though it has grown to 50,000. The city was a large tobacco market for decades. It later became known as a large center for antique furniture. It was the birthplace of Branch Banking and Trust Corporation, now Truist Financial. The city hosts numerous small and medium manufacturing operations.

Wilson is the home of the Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park. Over a period of many years, Simpson created numerous kinetic sculptures from salvaged metal. His work also has been exhibited in several major Folk Art Museums. Several of his creations have been restored and moved to the park.

Pittsboro was named a town in 1785 and County Seat of Chatham County a couple of years later. It remained a small village during the remainder of the 18th and most of the 19th Century. During the 19th and early 20th Century the town suffered a lot of racial violence, including some lynchings. It is located close to Chapel Hill, Raleigh, and Lake Jordan.

Fayetteville has a long history reaching back to the late 18th Century with the merger of Cross Creek and Campbellton as the Scots settled the upper reaches of the Cape Fear River. It is the county seat of Cumberland County and has a population greater than 200,000, with more than 300,000 in the metropolitan area.