North Carolina's Piedmont region is a broad, upland plateau lying between the coast and the Appalachians far to the west. It is usually considered to start at the fall line—the point at which the numerous rivers drop suddenly in waterfalls or rapids from the plateau to the coastal plain. Because this once represented the limit of waterborne traffic upstream—and because of the opportunities for exploiting the rivers for power at this point—the fall line developed into a densely settled region of prosperous towns and cities. It's no accident that the state's capital, Raleigh, is located in this region.

The Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area—also known as the Research Triangle—is the most densely-settled area in the Piedmont, and the cultural and economic heart of North Carolina. Here, three important universities were established within 25 miles of each other: the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University in Raleigh, and Duke University in Durham. The presence of the universities influenced everything from local culture to jobs to population patterns, and the area remains one of the most popular in the state for new residents.

Farther to the south, Fayetteville is home to the Army's Ft. Bragg, and to Pope Air Force Base. The land around Fayetteville is mostly rolling farmland dotted with small towns, and retains much of the flavor of the old rural South.