U.S. Route 1 (US 1) is a north–south United States highway which runs along the Eastern Coast of the United States between Key West, Florida and the United States–Canada border near Fort Kent, Maine. In North Carolina, US 1 runs for 174.1 miles (280.2 km) across the central region of the state. The highway enters North Carolina from South Carolina, southwest of Rockingham. US 1 runs northeast, passing through or closely bypassing Southern Pines and Sanford in the Sandhills region. It next passes through Cary, the state capital of Raleigh, and Wake Forest. The highway continues north to Henderson, before leaving the state at the Virginia state line, near Wise. The route is mostly a multi-lane divided arterial road, with several freeway segments. It serves as a strategic highway, connecting