thermal belts

Here is a curious post from North Carolina Miscellany about isothermal belts in the Tarheel state. I can attest to the thermal belt that lies in Polk County. My in-laws, who live near Columbus, have a mature oleander shrub in their backyard and view of Hogback mountain from near their front drive. When in bloom, it's almost as if a little taste of the coastal plain is less than an hour from the Blue Ridge Parkway.