NCRoads.com: N.C. 100 to 104
The Highways of North Carolina N.C. 100 to 104 
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N.C. 100  11 miles
The Road: Starts at U.S. 70 in Gibsonville, Guilford County. 
Ends at N.C. 49/54 in Graham, Alamance County
Towns and Attractions: Guilford Co.: Gibsonville (Burlington Street) 
Alamance Co.: Elon College (that's the full name of the town; there's a college there too); Burlington (Webb Avenue; Maple Avenue)
Multilane Segments: At least four lanes through downtown Burlington, and probably four lanes in other places.
History: Today's 100 was part of the original N.C. 10, which later became U.S. 70. 10/70 originally went through the center of Gibsonville, but in the late 1920s it was rerouted to the south. The original 10/70 first became N.C. 10A, but was renumbered to N.C. 100 by 1931. Route 100 thus got its number because it branched off 10 (see A History of Numbering). 

N.C. 100 remains little changed since the 1930s; many other roads in the Burlington area (87, 54, 49) haven't changed much either.
Comments: There's no real distinction between 2-digit and 3-digit N.C. highways anymore. Originally 2-digit numbers were used for the longer routes, and 3-digit routes were spurs off the 2-digit routes. Traces of this system can still be found, but renumberings and reroutings over the years have blurred things considerably. 

Also, there's nothing special as a group about the N.C. highways that are multiples of 100. Most of them are either short (100, 400, 700) or dead (500, 800). 

 
N.C. 101  21 miles
The Road: Starts at U.S. 70 in Havelock (say HAV-lock, as if the E weren't there), Craven County. 
Ends at U.S. 70 in Beaufort, Carteret County.
Towns and 
Attractions:		 Craven Co.: Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station; intersects N.C. 306 
Carteret Co.: Crosses Harlowe Canal; crosses Adams Canal and ICW
History: 1929 Gousha mapThe original N.C. 101 was routed over today's U.S. 70 from Havelock to Morehead City in the 1920s. Today's 101, on the other hand, was part of N.C. 10/U.S. 70 between Havelock and Beaufort. In 1928, 70 was rerouted over the original 101 (its current alignment), as shown on the 1929 Gousha map at right. In late 1929 or 1930, 10 and 101 were swapped, so that 101 ran to Beaufort as it does today. 

A road named "Old N.C. 101" exists off mainline 101 north of Beaufort.

 
N.C. 102  22 miles
The Road: Starts at N.C. 903 in Pitt County. 
Ends at U.S. 17 in Beaufort County.
Towns and Attractions: Pitt Co.: Ayden (3d Street)
History: As early as 1929, N.C. 102 ran from Newton Grove (U.S. 701) to Snow Hill (U.S. 258); it touched its parent route, N.C. 10, in Goldsboro. By 1930, 102 ran even further west, to U.S. 301 (then N.C. 22/U.S. 217) north of Fayetteville. By 1935, 102 was extended all the way east to its current terminus at U.S. 17, over what had very briefly been designated N.C. 126. The 1940 RMcN map below shows part of the old 102's routing. 

U.S. 13 superseded 102 from Snow Hill to Goldsboro by 1957, and from Goldsboro west to U.S. 301 by 1958. Around 1979, N.C. 903 was extended south and superseded 102 in eastern Greene County. 
 

1940 RMcN map

 
N.C. 103  9 miles
The Road: Starts at Business U.S. 52 in central Mount Airy, Surry County. 
Crosses into Virginia from Surry County; becomes Virginia 103.
History: 1940 RMcN atlas mapThere have been two different N.C. 103s. 

The first N.C. 103 was the original designation of today's N.C. 119 in Caswell and Alamance counties. The 1940 RMcN map at right shows this routing. 

The modern 103 was previously part of the original N.C. 80. 103 got its number in 1940, as part of the Virginia renumbering -- Virginia 103 was there first. Other roads that crossed into Virginia (104, 93, 109) were renumbered at this time as well.
Comments: Mount Airy is regarded as the town after which Mayberry, of Andy Griffith Show fame, was modeled.

 
N.C. 104  6 miles
The Road: Starts at N.C. 103 in Mount Airy, Surry County. 
Crosses into Virginia from Surry County; becomes Virginia secondary road 773.		 1940 RMcN map
History: There have been two different N.C. 104s. 

As early as 1928, the first N.C. 104 was the original designation of today's N.C. 80 from U.S. 70 (N.C. 10 then) to at least as far north as U.S. 19 (N.C. 69 then). By 1930, old 104 was extended north to today's N.C. 226. See the 1940 RMcN map at right. 

Today's 104, on the other hand, started life as N.C. 800. During the 1940 Virginia renumbering, 800 was renumbered to 104, and old 104 became 80. Virginia 104 was so designated before the current N.C. 104 was. 

Virginia 104 was demoted to Secondary Road 773 by 1957.
Comments: 104 and 103 got their current routings at the same time, and for the same reason. Several decades would pass, however, before 104-103 would be the final score of the Greatest College Basketball Game Ever Played.
Last Update: 1 August 1999

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