For a mythical creature, Bigfoot purportedly gets around.
The Bigfoot whispers started in the Pacific Northwest, but reported sightings of the big hairy beast have now spread across the country. That includes the Tar Heel State, where BetCarolina.com covers North Carolina sports betting.
Why Bigfoot would be in North Carolina, no one knows (or is telling), but that’s not what BetCarolina wanted to know. We wanted to know where you’d be most likely to come across the 8-foot legend.
Using data from The Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization, BetCarolina.com compiled the number of reported sightings of Bigfoot by county. These have been maintained by researchers, archivists, and investigators. We developed odds of a reported Bigfoot sighting and listed the top five counties in the state.
County | Percentage Chance | Odds |
Montgomery | 33.3% | +200 |
Cleveland | 15.4% | +550 |
Onslow | 15.4% | +550 |
Macon | 14.3% | +600 |
Swain | 11.1% | +800 |
Other County | 10.5% | +850 |
Surprisingly, the favorite spot for a Bigfoot sighting is Montgomery County in the central part of the state, and not one of the counties in the far western part where the Smoky Mountains are.
Why would Bigfoot be in Montgomery County? It’s home to Uwharrie National Forest, one of North Carolina’s four national forests. It is also somewhat centrally located between Charlotte, the Piedmont Triad and the Research Triangle. That way, Bigfoot could easily go to see the Carolina Panthers, Carolina Hurricanes, Charlotte Hornets or any number of the state’s college sports teams play whenever he’d want.
The co-second choices on our board are Cleveland County, just west of Charlotte, and Onslow County, just north of Wilmington. Onslow is home to Marine Corps Base Camp Lejune, so maybe Bigfoot is there to work on some top-secret government mission.
Macon and Swain counties are both in the western reaches of the state, near the Tennessee and Georgia borders. Those locations are densely wooded and mountainous, so they probably make Bigfoot feel at home when it’s reportedly in North Carolina.
Bigfoot is probably like a Charlotte Hornets championship, something a lot of people want to see even though it’s not real. Part of the reason why there may be reported sightings of the beast in the Tar Heel State is the growing population of black bears, which are known to reside in western and coastal parts of the state.
According to the Bear-Ology & God’s Creation Wildlife Museum in Plymouth, North Carolina, there were roughly 2,000 black bears in the state 50 years ago. Now, the population has grown by more than tenfold, and there have been sightings of bears in all 100 North Carolina counties.
And a Journal of Zoology study from last year found that as the black bear population increases by 1,000, it leads to a 4% increase in supposed sightings of Bigfoot.
One thing that’s not a myth is that BetCarolina can help you find the right North Carolina sportsbook promos. Check out our reviews of the licensed sports betting operators and then take advantage of the promo offers available.
USA Today Network photo by Maryann Struman, Detroit Free Press
Author
As a writer and analyst for BetCarolina.com, Steve not only covers gaming news and developments in North Carolina but also provides insights into what they mean for bettors, licensed operators and the state. A veteran journalist with 25 years of experience covering sports, politics and business, Steve has reported on the gambling industry intently over the past five years.
Cited by leading media organizations, such as:
