RALEIGH, N.C. — Since the events of Sept. 11, the government has given the

Federal Bureau of Investigation

the go-ahead to hire an additional 700 agents. Many of those could be Tar Heel-bred.

North Carolina is a hot spot for FBI recruitment, sending double the normal number of recruits to the FBI Academy.

"North Carolina is a rich recruiting territory for us. It always has been," said FBI recruiter and Special Agent Andrew Thomure.

North Carolina is one of the FBI's top five states for recruiting new agents, even though less than 1 percent of those who apply get in to its elite academy.

"The reason we're able to get so many is the quality of North Carolina is unmatched probably anywhere else in the United States," Thomure said.

The state has much to offer the FBI such as large military bases, quality colleges and lots of industry like in Research Triangle Park.

"You can't name an industry in the U.S. that isn't represented in this state, so we can actually go try and find second-career individuals from industry," Thomure said.

On average, FBI recruits are professionals around the age of 30, which the Triangle happens to provide alot of.

"We're looking for your life experiences. In order to be an effective agent, you have to be able to come here with life experiences to draw upon," Thomure said.

The FBI has some critical openings right now in engineering, languages and ex-military intelligence officers.