Has Scotland moved to North Carolina USA?

Did you know that there are more people living in North Carolina USA who boast Scottish descent than there are Scots living in Scotland?

That is hardly surprising as huge numbers of Scots left Scotland at the time of the Highland Clearances and in the following years to seek their fortune in the New World of USA as well as Canada, Australia and the Far East. Our Laird of Jura website looking at the history and culture of the Isle of Jura tells of nearly 2,000 people who left the island and the surrounding area and ended up in North Carolina.

This area still has close connections with the home country of Scotland and many would say that the town of Laurinburg, North Carolina for example is as Scottish as any town on the Scottish Mainland. Did you know that :

Lets look at Laurinberg which is in the county of “Scotland”.

Laurinberg’s High School is actually called “Scotland High School”. And what better school song could they have than “Scotland the Brave” the national anthem of Scotland itself.

The school has a marching band who all wear the Royal Stewart Tartan. And of course they have a prize winning bagpipe band wearing the full kilt.

The school Football, Baseball and the Basketball teams are called the “Fighting Scots”. (Did you know that the game of Basketball was invented by a Scottish American who was charged with finding some sports activity for youths to play indoors during bad weather? Its true!)

Visit St Andrews Presbyterian College (named after the patron saint of Scotland) and you will be challenged by a large Scottish Highlander with his Claymore Sword defending the college or at least a bronze statue of a highland warrior.

The College is also home to the Scottish Heritage Centre.

The main local fast food company called Scottish Foods has a Highland Piper as its logo.

What about shopping? Simple answer. Just go to the large Scotland Crossing Shopping Center which has a Rampant Lion as it’s main centrepiece feature. This is the same red lion on a yellow background officially used only by the Scottish Monarch. It’s a good job our legal officers have generally turned a blind eye to this breach of the royal protocol.

As we might expect there are a large number of local streets named after places such as Argyllshire, Kintyre and Skye where the first Scottish settlers lived before coming to North Carolina.

Do you know any other place which is more Scottish than this town in North Carolina?

Did you know you could increase your Scottish ness by becoming a landowner on the isle of Jura and become a Scottish Royal? It makes an idea unique gift idea for anyone with or without an existing Scottish connection.