New Bern is a city in Craven County, North Carolina with a population of 23,128 as of the 2000 census. The estimated population in 2008 increased to 28,586. It is located at the confluence of the Trent and the Neuse rivers, 87 miles (140 km) northeast of Wilmington. New Bern is the second oldest town in North Carolina and served as the capital of the North Carolina colonial government and then briefly as the state capital. It is the county seat of Craven County and the principal city of the New Bern Micropolitan Statistical Area. Originally a Swiss settlement, the city is named after the capital of Switzerland, Bern and has a similar flag. The Swiss connection (just as the Dutch in New Amsterdam, and German immigrants in Pennsylvania Dutch) with England was established by Marian exiles and marriages of the Royal House of Stuart, important people in the history of the Calvinism. New Bern is commonly known as the birthplace of Pepsi Cola.

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