How do you define Down East?

One way to determine the boundaries of North Carolina's vaguely defined coastal region is to ask small business owners who have picked the name for themselves.

A search of business names on Google Maps shows Down East Hearing Care, Down East Stained Glass and Down East Kennel & Supply, among many others, in the area east of Interstate 95.

Businesses with the words "Down East" in the name range from Rocky Mount down to Wilmington and are located in Kinston, New Bern, Greenville, Manteo and Morehead City.

That meets the newer, broader definition of the term for the coastal plains of North Carolina. 

A number of "Down East" businesses in Carteret County also meet the narrower definition historically used to describe the home of so-called "high tiders."

Previously: A narrow definition of Down East; do Down Easterners have a lock on the governorship?