NC News

Study: 43% of Flooded Homes Outside Zones

A peer-reviewed UNC-Chapel Hill study of 78 flood events revealed that 43% of North Carolina buildings that flooded between 1996 and 2020 were located outside FEMA’s designated 100-year floodplain. During that time, more than 90,000 buildings flooded at least once, and over 20,000 flooded repeatedly—double the number recorded in federal insurance data.

Researchers trained machine-learning models to recreate the 78 flood events in North Carolina based on National Flood Insurance Program claims and high-resolution geospatial data to create the first address-level archive of the state’s flood footprints.

“Places that have flooded before will flood again. It’s just a matter of time, and those are risky places,” said Antonia Sebastian, a UNC hydrologist who advised the project.

FEMA is currently redesigning its flood mapping system and provides monthly updates on the department’s progress to Congress.

Raleigh-Cary No. 1 in New Home Building

A 2025 Construction Coverage study based on U.S. Census Bureau and Zillow data ranked the Raleigh-Cary area as No. 1 in large metro area new home construction, with 28.8 new units authorized per 1,000 existing homes.

Austin, Texas, and Dallas-Fort Worth took the No. 2 and No. 3 spots, respectively, with 28.6 and 22.2 units per 1,000 existing homes.

In the midsize metro category, Wilmington ranked No. 1 with 35.6 units per 1,000 existing homes, and Asheville ranked No. 10 with 25.5 units. Burlington took the No. 5 spot in the small metro rankings with 30.5 units.

At the state level, North Carolina ranked No. 2 overall, behind only Idaho. South Carolina took the No. 3 spot, Utah was No. 4, and Arizona was No. 5.

NC Campsites Named Among Country’s Best

Hipcamp, a website and app designed to help campers find and book campsites, released its list of the best places to camp in America last week, with several Western North Carolina sites among those recognized.

The Oasis at Harmon Creek Farms in Yadkinville was chosen as North Carolina’s best farm stay. Meanwhile, Barnhill Mountain in Fletcher was named one of the country’s best tent sites, and Asheville Area Luxury Solo RV’ing—also in Fletcher—made the list of best RV and van spots.

If cabin camping is more your style, The Dancing Pig on Abbotts Creek in Lexington was selected as one of the country’s best cabin experiences, and Waterfall in Bessemer City received a Hipcamp Legacy award, indicating it has received consistently high Hipcamp ratings for more than five years.