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North Carolina

  1. Charlotte

  2. Raleigh

  3. Wilmington

  4. Asheville

  5. Durham

  6. Chapel Hill

  7. Hendersonville

  8. Cary

  9. Greensboro

10. Winston Salem

11. Greenville

12. New Bern

13. Southport

14. Fayetteville

15. Hickory

16. Elizabeth City

17. Apex

18. Beaufort  

19. Outer Banks

20. Boone

21. Wake Forest

22. Waynesville

23. Mooresville

24. Asheboro

25. Carolina Beach

Source: Top-50 "Most Preferred" rankings of Carolina towns from the “Carolina Lifestyle Survey™ administered by www.CarolinaLiving.com.

List reflects responses from the most recent 5,000 families planning vacations to explore primary, second home, job and business opportunities.