North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro Named In Top 10 Best In The Country

Congratulations to the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro, which was recently named one of the top 10 best zoos in the entire country! The nomination came from USA Today's 10Best Readers' Choice Awards for 2024.

The list was pieced together by a panel of experts who took a look at a number of factors when determining the best zoos in the country. These factors include the quality of animal care and enrichment, as well as the level of interaction between the animals and human visitors. From there USA Today readers would vote on the picks and rank their personal favorites.

North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro was voted by experts and readers as the 3rd best zoo in the country, which is quite an impressive feat. The full ranking, seen here, is as follows:

The zoo's Director and CEO Patricia Simmons was overjoyed by the nomination, as she expressed in a news release. "It is an incredible honor to be nominated," said Simmons, "and we appreciate the efforts of so many dedicated voters who shared their support of the North Carolina Zoo throughout this process."

The timing of this nomination feels almost serendipitous, as the North Carolina Zoo also celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Acting Deputy Director and CCO Diane Villa released a statement encouraging everyone to schedule a visit and celebrate the zoo's tremendous milestone together. "As we celebrate 50 wild years, we encourage new and familiar faces to pay a visit to our beautiful Zoo to experience the magic with us," Villa said, "Seasonal attractions are already starting to reopen, and nothing is lovelier than springtime at the Zoo!"

Anyone who's visited the North Carolina Zoo shouldn't be all too surprised by the high ranking. The exhibits and animal displays are truly one-of-a-kind, with over 1,700 animals and 52,000 plants being treated with the utmost care and compassion. Visitors at the North Carolina Zoo are always treated to unforgettable spectacles that showcase the majesty of nature in a controlled and safe environment. One of the first dates my girlfriend and I went on was the NC Zoo, and we had an absolute blast.

Click here to buy tickets and schedule your next visit to one of the best zoos in the country: the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro!

It sadly may not come as much of a surprise, but a recent study says that Robeson County and Columbus County in North Carolina, are among the most dangerous in the United States for drivers.

A personal injury attorney firm in Florida, Anijar & Levine, did the study. They looked at the number of deaths caused by car accidents from 2018 to 2021, with data compiled from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Only counties with 50,000 or more people were analyzed for the study, and it came with some sad results.

Most notably, the data showed that Robeson County had the highest number of total car accident deaths during the four-year period. There were 263 people killed in Robeson County during that time period.

"This data shows us the counties with the highest number of deaths caused by car crashes over four years. Arizona has the most number of counties featured in the top 10, with Apache, Gila and Navajo all included. States such as Virginia, Tennessee, and Nevada only have one county featured in the top 50," Anijar & Levine said in a news release. "There are many reasons as to why car crashes happen, whether that be the fault of an individual or weather conditions. Ultimately, this analysis demonstrates that it is essential to take road safety seriously and drive carefully, no matter where there are."

Robeson County came in at third overall in number of car crash fatalities per 10,000 people, while Columbus County came in sixth, with 21.14 per 10,000. Two counties from South Carolina also unfortunately landed in the Top 10, with Orangeburg County at second, and Laurens County at ninth.

Outside of the top 10, Pender County in North Carolina was 18th at 15.61, Sampson County was 33rd at 13.89, Granville County was 38th at 13.44, Lenoir County was 39th at 13.42 and Nash County came in at 50th with 13.06.

Let's take a look at the Top 10 counties in the United States that are the most dangerous for drivers.

Apache County in Northeast Arizona has only 66,024 people, but had 155 people killed in car crashes during the time period. That's 23.48 per 10,000.

The small county south of Columbia has 84,225 people, and saw 194 deaths in the four years. That's 23.03 per 10,000 people.

The county in our region with Lumberton in it has 116,516 people. And had more people killed in car crashes during the time period than anywhere else in the country, and had 22.57 per 10,000 people.

While a small county, with just 53,273 people, the Gila area is near the major Phoenix metro. There were 21.96 deaths per 10,000 people.

The county in central Florida has just 73,327 people, but is a major gateway between major cities. There were 21.14 deaths per 10,000 people.

Just down the road, the county with Whiteville in it is also a pass-through to the beach areas. So while it has a small population of just 50,625 there were 21.14 deaths per 10,000 people.

A small county in western New Mexico, it does happen to border the Arizona county that topped the list. There were 20.85 deaths per 10,000.

Another rural county in Arizona, but it does 106,716 people in it. The county saw 213 deaths, which was 19.96 per 10,000 people.

While not a big county, Laurens County is a passthrough between Greenville and Columbia and saw 18.95 car crash deaths per 10,000 people.

The county between Destin and Panama Beach sees a lot of visiting traffic, and that's probably why it had 17.53 deaths per 10,000 people.