Wilmington gets state's 1st urban scenic byway

WILMINGTON (AP) -- Wilmington has the state's newest state-designated scenic byway, but it's a little different from the other 49 routes.

Instead of going through a rural area, the Cape Fear Historic Byway winds through downtown Wilmington. That makes it the first urban byway in North Carolina.

State transportation officials named the route last week, in time for this year's North Carolina Azalea Festival. The festival begins Wednesday and continues through Sunday.

The designation means local transportation officials can apply for grants for upgrades such as benches and public restrooms.

The approximately 7-mile stretch of byway goes by historic homes and churches, as well as the future site of the 1898 memorial to recognize what historians have called the only recorded coup d'etat in U-S history. The race riot left up to 60 people dead and helped usher in the Jim Crow South.

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)