Tar Heel State vs North Carolina

Tar Heel State and North Carolina both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
Tar Heel State	Yes	No	No	No
North Carolina	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, Tar Heel State and North Carolina are synonyms defined as:

Tar Heel State and North Carolina: a state in southeastern United States; one of the original 13 colonies

Other synonyms of Tar Heel State include N.C., NC, Old North State.

Tar Heel State (noun)	North Carolina (noun)
a state in southeastern United States; one of the original 13 colonies	a state in southeastern United States; one of the original 13 colonies
	one of the British colonies that formed the United States, with capital Bath, Edenton, Brunswick Town, or New Bern