Another here to represent our fine state....
How can any state with superb mountains to explore, and the Outer Banks, be anything but sublime???
About the politics....well, we're all working on it!
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north raleigh too 
but the Asian Grill rocks!:
Shanghai comes to Raleigh with four-star results
http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/12/17/864331/shanghai-comes-to-raleigh-with.html
Makes up for god-awful Captain Stanley's. Mostly.
I have many friends and family from the military. I always asked why so many Special Forces, UN, and other operations always seem to be happening here. When they are practicing their bombing maneuvers, it always makes me jump a mile high when I first hear them starting.
It was explained to me in detail once. Basically, NC has mountains, foothills, the Piedmont, which is almost like a desert in some areas, the coastal plains, then the beaches. We have all of the terrains needed for those maneuvers they are always doing. The only thing we really don't have much of is snow, except in the mountains. So, in a way, we have that covered too.
I agree about what you said. It is a great state, but we do still need to work on the politics here.
One thing that is irritating to me: If we could get the Republicans to stop redistricting the state to their advantage every time we turn around (and always tying it all up with lawsuits in our courts), we might could get somewhere. I see this constant redistricting maneuver the Republicans are doing in NC as a real problem. That is a clear tactic they are using in NC to constantly destabilize any real advancement the Democratic Party makes here...and we ARE making some advancements in bringing more people to our side here in NC. I swear the Republicans are harping on redistricting to their advantage EVERY SINGLE CHANCE THEY GET just to keep us from getting anywhere.
In a way, though, that could be a good sign. It could mean that they are struggling to keep control of the state and failing at it with every other method. At least we aren't making it easy for them any more. 
