In the U.S. state of North Carolina, Interstate 85 (I-85) scales the state for 234.6 miles (377.6 km) from the South Carolina border to the Virginia border. As the second-longest interstate in the state, it links the three largest metropolitan areas in North Carolina: Metrolina, the Piedmont Triad, and the Research Triangle. Nine of the twenty largest municipalities in the state lie along I-85, and it connects those cities to Richmond, Virginia to the north, and Upstate South Carolina and Atlanta, Georgia to the south.