North Carolina’s lush, green landscape of lakes, farms, parks, and campgrounds provides a beautiful setting for relaxing outdoor activities. For those teaching in the rural parts of the state, commuting to school means driving along traffic-free, two-lane highways through one-stop towns, where residents smile and wave to all who pass through.
| Quick Stats |
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| Site Since: 1990 |
| Corps Size: 161 |
| Average yearly temperature: 59.3° |
| Car: Access to car is essential |
Salary: See cost of living  |
East North Carolina’s rural landscape becomes more urban as one enters Durham. Along with Raleigh and Chapel Hill, Durham is part of the “Research Triangle” area of North Carolina, which has grown rapidly in the past decade. No longer an industrial tobacco town, Durham has expanded quickly and is experiencing many of the changes that accompany a diversified job market. As a result, the entire region is undergoing transformative cultural and demographic shifts including significant growth in the overall population, especially within the local Latino/Hispanic community. The best-selling book, The Creative Class, ranked the Triangle as one of the top 10 most attractive places for young, creative professionals to reside.
The nine-county area where Teach For America places corps members runs from the Virginia border to just south of the state capital of Raleigh. It is a vast expanse of land and covers approximately 3,863 square miles. Most corps members teach and live in the region's small rural towns, where they become immersed in community life, from attending high school football games to coaching school sports. Others rent waterfront homes on Lake Gaston, while some reside in larger towns such as Rocky Mount (population 56,000) and Henderson (population 16,000.) A handful of corps members also choose to live in Durham (population 200,000.)
Regardless of where they reside, corps members here enjoy access to the Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill Triangle, where there are numerous opportunities to take advantage of the social, cultural, and academic resources connected to UNC- Chapel Hill, N. C. State, N. C. Central, Duke, and Shaw.
Even though Eastern North Carolina corps members teach throughout a widespread region, the corps remains a close-knit community. Corps members maintain friendships by frequently coming together as a team. At gatherings such as All Corps Conferences and informal small-group dinners, corps members establish relationships that they rely upon when confronting the challenges of teaching. In Eastern North Carolina, corps members also have the unique opportunity to live in an area of the state between the Blue Ridge Mountains and the beautiful coastline, which provides opportunities to travel and explore together. The local Teach For America alumni chapter consists of more than 200 members, and assists new corps members by helping them access resources, running workshops, and hosting barbecues and other social events. Program directors provide individualized support by observing corps members in their classrooms and holding one-on-one meetings several times a year.
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