Oh my.....reading this is like stepping back in time! I was born and raised in Charlotte....East Mecklenburg HS '64...yes, I'm old! Went to college my freshman year at UNC-Greensboro, the very first year it was co-ed, then transferred to Univ of FL. My father was born in Mebane, maternal grandfather in Wilmington. My in-laws later lived in Wilmington and my sister-in-law now lives in Southern Pines. We currently live in SW Florida after 26 years of Air Force life but love going back to NC to visit. Still one of my favorite places in the U.S.!
Oh, and we had a house on the Shallotte River when I was growing up so we would travel down 74 through Rockingham, Hamlet, Lumberton, etc. on the way to/from the coast. Always stopped for gas on the way, I think in Rockingham, and bought a bottled Coke from the big red refrigerated case outside the station. Oh, memories!!