The Culture of North Carolina is a subculture in the United States. As one of the original Thirteen Colonies, North Carolina culture has been greatly influenced by early settlers of English, Scotch-Irish, Scotch, German, and Swiss descent. Likewise, African Americans have had great cultural influence in North Carolina, first coming as enslaved people during colonial times. From slavery to freedom, they have helped shape things such as literary traditions, religious practices, cuisine, music, and popular culture. In recent years, North Carolina has seen an influx of people from areas such as New York, Florida, Virginia, South Carolina, and California; as well as an increase in Hispanic, East Asian and Indian immigrants. Many of these U.S. migrants and immigrants from abroad, usually aggregate in one of several urban centers across the Piedmont region. In rural North Carolina, agriculture, small businesses, local venues, and annual festivals help play a major component of the economy. As a whole, the state has formed varied cultures of music, arts, and cuisine among others. Urban culture Due to the presence of several dense urban centers in North Carolina, many cities and metropolitan areas have very distinctive cultures, with most having a melting pot of cultures and diluting the native Southern culture in many urban areas. The Research Triangle Park, also known as The Triangle, is chiefly composed of Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill. It also includes several other neighboring towns such as Cary, Carrboro, Morrisville and Apex. The Triangle serves as an anchor for many large businesses in the area, which has the effect of attracting many secondary and supporting businesses. This, along with the many colleges in the Triangle, has created a high concentration of educated and affluent homes in and around the area. A growing population has also created a demand for independent, unique, high quality restaurants and night life, as well as a high demand for craft breweries. North Carolina urban centers have many similar amenities found in cities across the United States, although the options and variability can be limited in comparison to larger scale U.S. cities. Due to this, there is a high unmet demand for urban amenities and entertainment to match the state's growing metropolitan population. This unmet demand has led to nearly constant construction and development in areas such as The Triangle and Charlotte metro for several decades. These construction projects include planned subdivisions, restaurants, strip malls, highway expansions,