North & South: New Border Configuration a Pain to Some in the Carolinas

Is this the correct border?

After decades of hard work and research, millions of dollars and with the help of some modern technology, the border between the states of North and South Carolina has been returned...to the way it was during Colonial times!

Apparently, the border had shifted over the centuries since it was charted by the King of England during the 1700s, a time when a notch on a loblolly pine in the middle of a malaria infested swamp was the best way to mark where a property line began.

For a majority of the 335-mile long border between the two Southern states, the change doesn't make much of a difference. Most of the area happens to be in virgin forest or unpopulated swamps. For 30 homes and businesses, however, the new border is causing some problems.

Former South Carolina resident Judy Helmes, for one,  isn't very happy with the change. Her home is now in North Carolina, while her back yard is in South Carolina. She now has to change her driver's license to show her new state of residence and pay a higher tax rate.

“This is like living in some kind of comic book serial,” says Mrs. Helms, 64, a retired nurse. “I just feel like I’m being kicked out of South Carolina. I’m being expelled.” She's not alone in her displeasure, as many of the displaced people, often lifelong residents of their states, now must pledge allegiance to another.

Unfortunately, more people might find themselves in the same predicament, as there are still approximately forty more miles of the border to "straighten" out to the way it was originally intended.