Around North Carolina, leave strange area unlike its surroundings (7)
I believe the answer is:
enclave
'area unlike its surroundings' is the definition.
(area surrounded by another territory)
'around north carolina leave strange' is the wordplay.
'around' is an insertion indicator.
'north carolina' becomes 'NC' (abbreviation).
'strange' is an anagram indicator.
'leave' with letters rearranged gives 'elave'.
'nc' going inside 'elave' is 'ENCLAVE'.
(Other definitions for enclave that I've seen before include "Group ethnically different from those around it" , "ghetto" , "Minority culture living within larger group" , "Surrounded area of a different ethnicity" , "Region wholly within another" .)