![Research-triangle-north-carolina](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/94/Research-triangle-north-carolina.png)
The Research Triangle, or simply The Triangle, are both common nicknames for a metropolitan area in the
Piedmont
it, Piemontese
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region of
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
in the United States, anchored by the cities of
Raleigh
Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...
and
Durham Durham most commonly refers to:
*Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham
*County Durham, an English county
* Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States
*Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...
and the town of
Chapel Hill Chapel Hill or Chapelhill may refer to:
Places Antarctica
* Chapel Hill (Antarctica) Australia
*Chapel Hill, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane
*Chapel Hill, South Australia, in the Mount Barker council area
Canada
* Chapel Hill, Ottawa, a neighbo ...
, home to three major research universities:
North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The universit ...
,
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist James ...
, and
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...
, respectively. The nine-county region, officially named the Raleigh–Durham–Cary
combined statistical area
Combined statistical area (CSA) is a United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) term for a combination of adjacent metropolitan (MSA) and micropolitan statistical areas (µSA) across the 50 US states and the territory of Puerto Ric ...
(CSA), comprises the
Raleigh–Cary and
Durham–Chapel Hill Metropolitan Statistical Areas and the Henderson
Micropolitan Statistical Area. The "Triangle" name originated in the 1950s with the creation of
Research Triangle Park
Research Triangle Park (RTP) is the largest research park in the United States, occupying in North Carolina and hosting more than 300 companies and 65,000 workers.
The facility is named for its location relative to the three surrounding cities ...
, located between the three anchor cities and home to numerous
high tech
High technology (high tech), also known as advanced technology (advanced tech) or exotechnology, is technology that is at the cutting edge: the highest form of technology available. It can be defined as either the most complex or the newest te ...
companies.
A 2019 Census estimate put the population at 2,079,687, making it the second largest combined statistical area in the state of North Carolina behind
Charlotte CSA. The Raleigh–Durham television market includes a broader 24-county area which includes
Fayetteville, North Carolina
Fayetteville () is a city in and the county seat of Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States. It is best known as the home of Fort Bragg, a major U.S. Army installation northwest of the city.
Fayetteville has received the All-America C ...
, and has a population of 2,726,000 persons.
Most of the Triangle is part of North Carolina's
first
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...
,
second
The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds ...
,
fourth,
ninth
In music, a ninth is a compound interval consisting of an octave plus a second.
Like the second, the interval of a ninth is classified as a dissonance in common practice tonality. Since a ninth is an octave larger than a second, its ...
, and
thirteenth
In music or music theory, a thirteenth is the note thirteen scale degrees from the root of a chord and also the interval between the root and the thirteenth. The interval can be also described as a compound sixth, spanning an octa ...
congressional districts.
The region is sometimes confused with
The Triad, which is a North Carolina region adjacent to and directly west of the Triangle comprising
Greensboro
Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte, North Car ...
,
Winston-Salem
Winston-Salem is a city and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. In the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the second-largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region, the 5th most populous city in N ...
, and
High Point, among other cities.
Counties
Depending on which definition of the Research Triangle region is used, as few as three or as many as 16 counties are included as part of the region. All of these counties when included hold a population of over 2,167,000 people.
The three core counties of Wake, Durham and Orange are the homes of the three research universities for which the area is named.
The 2020 members of the Research Triangle Regional Partnership are:
*
Chatham
Chatham may refer to:
Places and jurisdictions Canada
* Chatham Islands (British Columbia)
* Chatham Sound, British Columbia
* Chatham, New Brunswick, a former town, now a neighbourhood of Miramichi
* Chatham (electoral district), New Brunswic ...
*
Durham Durham most commonly refers to:
*Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham
*County Durham, an English county
* Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States
*Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...
*
Franklin
Franklin may refer to:
People
* Franklin (given name)
* Franklin (surname)
* Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class
Places Australia
* Franklin, Tasmania, a township
* Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...
*
Granville
*
Johnston
*
Lee
*
Person
A person ( : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of property, ...
*
Wake
*
Vance
NC Regional Councils of Governments Definition
All counties in the State of North Carolina are in one of 16 regional councils which provide programs and services to local governments. The Triangle J Council of Governments includes Chatham, Durham, Johnston, Lee, Moore, Orange, and Wake Counties. The northern Triangle counties of Person, Granville, Franklin, Vance and Warren are part of the Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments.
Office of Management and Budget Definition
![Raleigh-durham-cary-csa-sept-2018](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3c/Raleigh-durham-cary-csa-sept-2018.png)
As of September 14, 2018, the US Office of Management and Budget (OMB) delineated the Raleigh-Durham-Cary Combined Statistical Area as consisting of two metropolitan and one micropolitan statistical areas. Those three statistical areas in turn are defined as consisting of a total of nine counties. The MSAs and their constituent counties are:
* Durham-Chapel Hill Metropolitan SA
** Chatham County
** Durham County
** Granville County
** Orange County
** Person County
* Henderson Micropolitan SA
** Vance County
* Raleigh-Cary Metropolitan SA
** Franklin County
** Johnston County
** Wake County
Prior to September 2018, the OMB had used the name Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill Combined Statistical Area and it included several additional counties. The Dunn Micropolitan Statistical Area (Harnett County) and Sanford Micropolitan Statistical Area (Lee County) were moved to the Fayetteville-Sanford-Lumberton Combined Statistical Area, while the Oxford Micropolitan Statistical Area (Granville County) was folded into the Durham-Chapel Hill Metropolitan Statistical Area. The Raleigh Metropolitan Statistical Area was also renamed the Raleigh-Cary Metropolitan Statistical Area.
The table below outlines the populations of the constituent counties of the Raleigh–Durham-Cary Combined Statistical Area as of the 2020 Census.
Cities
![Downtown Durham](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b3/Downtown_Durham.jpg)
The Triangle region, as defined for statistical purposes as the Raleigh–Durham–Cary CSA, comprises nine counties, although the
U.S. Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
divided the region into two metropolitan statistical areas and one micropolitan area in 2003. The Raleigh-Cary metropolitan area comprises Wake, Franklin, and Johnston Counties; the Durham-Chapel Hill metropolitan area comprises Durham, Orange, Chatham, Granville, and Person Counties; and the Henderson micropolitan area comprises Vance County.
Some area television stations define the region as Raleigh–Durham–Fayetteville. Fayetteville is more than from Raleigh, but is part of the Triangle
television market
A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area (DMA), television market area, or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same (or similar) television and radio station offerings, and may also incl ...
.
15 largest municipalities
Education
Public secondary education in the Triangle is similar to that of the majority of the state of North Carolina, in which there are county-wide school systems (the exception is
Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools within Orange County but apart from Orange County Schools). Based in Cary, the
Wake County Public School System
The Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) is a public school district located in Wake County, North Carolina. With 157,673 students in average daily membership and 194 schools as of the 2021–2022 school year, it is the largest public sc ...
, which includes the cities of Raleigh and Cary, is the largest school system in the state of North Carolina and the 15th-largest in the United States, with average daily enrollment of 159,949 as of the second month of the 2016–17 school year. Other larger systems in the region include Durham Public Schools (about 33,000 students) and rapidly growing Johnston County Schools (about 31,000 students).
Institutions of higher education
*
Campbell University
Campbell University is a private Baptist university in Buies Creek, North Carolina. It is affiliated with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (Southern Baptist Convention). Southern Baptist ConventionColleges and Universities sbc.net ...
*
Central Carolina Community College
*
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist James ...
*
Durham Technical Community College
*
Louisburg College
Louisburg College is a private Methodist-affiliated two-year college in Louisburg, North Carolina.
History
Louisburg College has its roots in two schools: Franklin Male Academy, which was chartered in 1787, re-chartered in 1802 but held its fir ...
*
Meredith College
Meredith College is a private women's liberal arts college and coeducational graduate school in Raleigh, North Carolina. As of 2021 Meredith enrolls approximately 1,500 women in its undergraduate programs and 300 men and women in its graduate pr ...
*
North Carolina Central University
North Carolina Central University (NCCU or NC Central) is a public historically black university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by James E. Shepard in affiliation with the Chautauqua movement in 1909, it was supported by private funds from ...
*
North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The universit ...
*
Piedmont Community College
Piedmont Community College is a public community college in Roxboro, North Carolina. It is one of 58 colleges in the North Carolina Community College System. Its service area includes two North Carolina counties: Person County, where its main ...
*
Shaw University
*
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS) is a Baptist theological institute in Wake Forest, North Carolina. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. in Wake Forest, North Carolina. It was created in 1950 to meet a need in ...
and
The College at Southeastern
The College at Southeastern (or Southeastern College) is a Baptist Christian college located in Wake Forest, North Carolina, United States. It is affiliated with the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary ( Southern Baptist Convention).
The ...
*
St. Augustine's College
*
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...
*
Vance-Granville Community College
*
Wake Technical Community College
Wake Technical Community College (Wake Tech) is a public community college in Raleigh, North Carolina. Its first location, Southern Wake Campus, opened in 1963. Wake Tech now operates multiple campuses throughout Wake County. The largest communit ...
*
William Peace University
William Peace University is a private college in Raleigh, North Carolina. Formerly affiliated with the Presbyterian Church, it offers undergraduate degrees in more than 30 majors and the School of Professional Studies (SPS) offers accelerated ba ...
Sports
College sports
With the significant number of universities and colleges in the area and the relative absence of major league professional sports,
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
sports are very popular, particularly those sports in which the
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate athletic conference located in the eastern United States. Headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC's fifteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Associa ...
participates, most notably basketball.
The
Duke Blue Devils
The Duke Blue Devils are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Duke University, located in Durham, North Carolina. Duke's athletics department features 27 varsity teams that all compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Associatio ...
(representing
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist James ...
in Durham),
NC State Wolfpack (representing
North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The universit ...
in Raleigh), and
North Carolina Tar Heels
The North Carolina Tar Heels are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The name Tar Heel is a nickname used to refer to individuals from the state of North Carolina, the ''Tar Heel ...
(representing the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...
) are all members of the
ACC
ACC most often refers to:
* Atlantic Coast Conference, an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic conference located in the US
*American College of Cardiology, A US-based nonprofit medical association that bestows credentials upon cardiovascular spec ...
. Rivalries among these schools are very strong, fueled by proximity to each other, with annual competitions in every sport. Adding to the rivalries is the large number of graduates the high schools in the region send to each of the local universities. It is very common for students at one university to know many students attending the other local universities, which increases the opportunities for "bragging" among the schools. The four ACC schools in the state, Duke, North Carolina, North Carolina State, and
Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University is a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded in 1834, the university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina. The Reynolda Campus, the un ...
(the last of which was originally located in the town of Wake Forest before moving to Winston-Salem in 1956), are referred to as
Tobacco Road by sportscasters, particularly in basketball. All four teams consistently produce high-caliber teams . Each of the Triangle-based universities listed has won at least two NCAA Basketball national championships.
Three
historically black colleges
Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of primarily serving the African-American community. Mo ...
, including recent Division I arrival
North Carolina Central University
North Carolina Central University (NCCU or NC Central) is a public historically black university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by James E. Shepard in affiliation with the Chautauqua movement in 1909, it was supported by private funds from ...
and Division II members
St. Augustine College and
Shaw University also boost the popularity of college sports in the region.
Other colleges in the Triangle that field intercollegiate teams include
Campbell University
Campbell University is a private Baptist university in Buies Creek, North Carolina. It is affiliated with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (Southern Baptist Convention). Southern Baptist ConventionColleges and Universities sbc.net ...
,
Meredith College
Meredith College is a private women's liberal arts college and coeducational graduate school in Raleigh, North Carolina. As of 2021 Meredith enrolls approximately 1,500 women in its undergraduate programs and 300 men and women in its graduate pr ...
, and
William Peace University
William Peace University is a private college in Raleigh, North Carolina. Formerly affiliated with the Presbyterian Church, it offers undergraduate degrees in more than 30 majors and the School of Professional Studies (SPS) offers accelerated ba ...
.
Professional sports
![RBC Center Stanley Cup Championship](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/RBC_Center_Stanley_Cup_Championship.jpg)
The region has only one professional team of the
four major sports, the
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, ...
of the
NHL
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
, based in Raleigh. Since moving to the Research Triangle region from
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...
, they have enjoyed great success, including winning a
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...
. With only one top-level professional sports option, minor league sports are quite popular in the region. The
Durham Bulls
The Durham Bulls are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are located in Durham, North Carolina, and play their home games at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, which opened in ...
in downtown Durham are a AAA Minor League baseball affiliate of the
Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. Since its inception ...
, and the
Carolina Mudcats
The Carolina Mudcats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Zebulon, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh, North Carolina, Raleigh, and play their home games a ...
, based in Zebulon, 10 miles east of Raleigh, are the Advanced-A affiliate of the
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...
. In Cary,
North Carolina FC
North Carolina FC is an American professional soccer team in Cary, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh. Founded in 2006, the team plays in USL League One, the third tier of the American league system.
The team has played its home games a ...
plays in the second-level
United Soccer League
United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a Association football, soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues curren ...
, and the
North Carolina Courage
The North Carolina Courage is a professional women's soccer team based in Cary, North Carolina. It was founded on January 9, 2017, after Stephen Malik acquired National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) franchise rights from the Western New York F ...
began play in the
National Women's Soccer League
The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is a professional women's soccer league at the top of the United States league system. It is owned by the teams and, until 2020, was under a management contract with the United States Soccer Federatio ...
in 2017 after the owner of North Carolina FC bought the NWSL franchise rights of the
Western New York Flash
The Western New York Flash (WNY Flash) was an American soccer club based in Elma, New York that competed in the United Women's Soccer league. They have won league championships in four different leagues: the USL W-League in 2010, Women's Pro ...
and relocated the NWSL franchise to the Triangle.
The area also had a team in the fledgling
World League of American Football
NFL Europe League (simply called NFL Europe and known in its final season as NFL Europa League) was a professional American football league that functioned as the developmental minor league of the National Football League (NFL). Originally f ...
– however, the
Raleigh–Durham Skyhawks
The Raleigh–Durham Skyhawks were an American football team headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina that played for one season in 1991 in the World League of American Football (WLAF). The name was inspired by the Wright brothers' flights on t ...
, coached by
Roman Gabriel
Roman Ildonzo Gabriel Jr. (born August 5, 1940) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL). He was the second overall pick in the 1962 NFL Draft and played for the Los Angeles Rams for eleven seaso ...
, did not exactly cover themselves in glory; they lost all 10 games of their inaugural (and only) season in 1991. The team folded after that, being replaced in the league by the
Ohio Glory
The Ohio Glory were a professional American football team in NFL Europe. They played one season (1992) in the World League of American Football, which later became NFL Europe.
Columbus, Ohio was awarded the WLAF franchise after the Raleigh-Dur ...
, which fared little better at 1–9, ultimately suffering the same fate – along with the other six teams based in North America – when the league took a two-year hiatus, returning as a six-team all-European league in 1995.
Commerce
![IBM Research Triangle Park Raleigh North Carolina panorama](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/IBM_Research_Triangle_Park_Raleigh_North_Carolina_panorama.jpg)
The region's growing high-technology community includes such companies as
IBM,
Lenovo
Lenovo Group Limited, often shortened to Lenovo ( , ), is a Chinese Multinational corporation, multinational technology company specializing in designing, manufacturing, and marketing consumer electronics, Personal computer, personal computers, ...
,
SAS Institute
SAS Institute (or SAS, pronounced "sass") is an American multinational developer of analytics software based in Cary, North Carolina. SAS develops and markets a suite of analytics software ( also called SAS), which helps access, manage, ana ...
,
Cisco Systems
Cisco Systems, Inc., commonly known as Cisco, is an American-based multinational corporation, multinational digital communications technology conglomerate (company), conglomerate corporation headquartered in San Jose, California. Cisco develo ...
,
NetApp
NetApp, Inc. is an American hybrid cloud data services and data management company headquartered in San Jose, California. It has ranked in the Fortune 500 from 2012–2021. Founded in 1992 with an IPO in 1995, NetApp offers cloud data services ...
,
Red Hat
Red Hat, Inc. is an American software company that provides open source software products to enterprises. Founded in 1993, Red Hat has its corporate headquarters in Raleigh, North Carolina, with other offices worldwide.
Red Hat has become ass ...
,
EMC Corporation
Dell EMC (EMC Corporation until 2016) is an American multinational corporation headquartered in Hopkinton, Massachusetts and Round Rock, Texas, United States. Dell EMC sells data storage, information security, virtualization, analytics, cloud ...
, and
Credit Suisse First Boston
Credit Suisse First Boston (also known as CSFB and CS First Boston) is the investment banking affiliate of Credit Suisse headquartered in New York.
The company was created by the merger of First Boston Corporation and Credit Suisse Group in 1988 ...
. In addition to high-tech, the region is consistently ranked in the top three in the U.S. with concentration in life science companies. Some of these companies include
GlaxoSmithKline
GSK plc, formerly GlaxoSmithKline plc, is a British multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company with global headquarters in London, England. Established in 2000 by a merger of Glaxo Wellcome and SmithKline Beecham. GSK is the ten ...
,
Biogen Idec
Biogen Inc. is an American multinational biotechnology company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, specializing in the discovery, development, and delivery of therapies for the treatment of neurological diseases to patients worldwide.
History
...
,
BASF
BASF Societas Europaea, SE () is a German multinational corporation, multinational chemical company and the List of largest chemical producers, largest chemical producer in the world. Its headquarters is located in Ludwigshafen, Germany.
The ...
,
Merck & Co.,
Novo Nordisk
Novo Nordisk A/S is a Danish multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in Bagsværd, Denmark, with production facilities in nine countries, and affiliates or offices in five countries. Novo Nordisk is controlled by majority shareholder ...
,
Novozymes
Novozymes A/S is a global biotechnology company headquartered in Bagsværd outside of Copenhagen, Denmark. The company's focus is the research, development and production of industrial enzymes, microorganisms, and biopharmaceutical ingredients.
...
, and
Pfizer
Pfizer Inc. ( ) is an American multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation headquartered on 42nd Street in Manhattan, New York City. The company was established in 1849 in New York by two German entrepreneurs, Charles Pfizer ...
.
Research Triangle Park
Research Triangle Park (RTP) is the largest research park in the United States, occupying in North Carolina and hosting more than 300 companies and 65,000 workers.
The facility is named for its location relative to the three surrounding cities ...
and
North Carolina State University's Centennial Campus in Raleigh support innovation through R&D and technology transfer among the region's companies and research universities (including Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill).
The area fared relatively well during the
late-2000s recession
The Great Recession was a period of marked general decline, i.e. a recession, observed in national economies globally that occurred from late 2007 into 2009. The scale and timing of the recession varied from country to country (see map). At t ...
, ranked as the strongest region in North Carolina by the
Brookings Institution
The Brookings Institution, often stylized as simply Brookings, is an American research group founded in 1916. Located on Think Tank Row in Washington, D.C., the organization conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in ec ...
and among the top 40 in the country. The change in unemployment during 2008 to 2009 was 4.6% and home prices was 2%. The
Greensboro
Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte, North Car ...
metropolitan area was listed among the second-weakest and the
Charlotte
Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...
area among the middle in the country.
Major employers
Major hospitals, medical centers and medical schools
![2008-07-15 Durham VA Medical Center](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/2008-07-15_Durham_VA_Medical_Center.jpg)
The Research Triangle region is served by these hospitals and medical centers:
* Hospitals of the
Duke University Health System
The Duke University Health System combines the Duke University School of Medicine, the Duke University School of Nursing, the Duke Clinic, and the member hospitals into a system of research, clinical care, and education.
Member hospitals
Duke ...
** Duke Ambulatory Surgery Center (Durham)
** Duke Children's Hospital and Health Center (Durham)
** Duke Raleigh Hospital (formerly Raleigh Community Hospital)
** Duke University Medical Center (Durham)
** Duke Regional Hospital (formerly Durham Regional Hospital)
** Person Memorial Hospital (Roxboro)
* Hospitals of the
UNC Health Care
UNC Health is a not-for-profit medical system owned by the State of North Carolina and based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It provides services throughout the Research Triangle and North Carolin ...
system
** Chatham Hospital (Siler City)
** North Carolina Cancer Hospital (Chapel Hill)
** North Carolina Children's Hospital (Chapel Hill)
** North Carolina Memorial Hospital (Chapel Hill)
** North Carolina Neurosciences Hospital (Chapel Hill)
** North Carolina Women's Hospital (Chapel Hill)
**
Rex Hospital
UNC Rex Hospital is a general hospital located in Raleigh, North Carolina. It is the capital city's oldest hospital, founded by a bequest from John T. Rex (1771-1839), a local tanner. Originally located on what is now Dorothea Dix campus, and ...
(Raleigh)
** Johnston Medical Center (Smithfield)
* Hospitals of the
WakeMed
WakeMed Health and Hospitals is a 919-bed healthcare system with multiple facilities placed around the metropolitan Raleigh, North Carolina area. WakeMed's main campus is located on New Bern Avenue in Raleigh, North Carolina. WakeMed serves mul ...
system
** WakeMed Raleigh Campus (formerly Wake Memorial Hospital and Wake Medical Center)
** WakeMed Cary Hospital (formerly Western Wake Medical Center)
* Other hospitals and medical centers
** Central Regional Hospital,(Butner)
** Durham
VA Medical Center (Durham)
** Franklin Regional Medical Center (Louisburg)
* Harnett Health System (Dunn)
** Betsy Johnson Regional Hospital
** Angier Medical Services
** Good Hope Hospital
** Betsy Johnson Cancer Research Clinic
** Central Harnett Hospital
* Medical Schools
**
Duke University School of Medicine
**
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine
The University of North Carolina School of Medicine is a professional school within the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It offers a Doctor of Medicine degree along with combined Doctor of Medicine / Doctor of Philosophy or Doctor of M ...
**
Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine
The Campbell University Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine (CUSOM) is a private medical school in Lillington, North Carolina. It is one of seven schools at Campbell University.
CUSOM is accredited by the American Osteopathic Associa ...
Transportation
Freeways and primary designated routes
![2008-07-23 Morning Durham from Fayetteville St over NC 147](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/92/2008-07-23_Morning_Durham_from_Fayetteville_St_over_NC_147.jpg)
The Triangle proper is served by three major
interstate highway
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. Th ...
s:
I-40
Interstate 40 (I-40) is a major east–west Interstate Highway running through the south-central portion of the United States. At a length of , it is the third-longest Interstate Highway in the country, after I-90 and I-80. From west to ea ...
,
I-85
Interstate 85 (I-85) is a major Interstate Highway in the Southeastern United States. Its southern terminus is at an interchange with Interstate 65, I-65 in Montgomery, Alabama; its northern terminus is an interchange with Interstate 95, I ...
, and
I-87
Interstate 87 may refer to either of two unconnected Interstate Highways in the United States:
* Interstate 87 (New York), a highway running from New York City north to the Canadian border in Champlain, New York.
* Interstate 87 (North Carolina) ...
along with their
spurs:
I-440 and
I-540, and seven
U.S. Routes
The United States Numbered Highway System (often called U.S. Routes or U.S. Highways) is an integrated network of roads and highways numbered within a nationwide grid in the contiguous United States. As the designation and numbering of these h ...
:
1,
15,
64,
70,
264,
401, and
501
__NOTOC__
Year 501 ( DI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Avienus and Pompeius (or, less frequently, year 1254 '' Ab u ...
. US Highways 15 and 501 are multiplexed through much of the region as
US 15-501.
I-95
Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the Canadia ...
passes 30 miles east of Raleigh through Johnston County, with I-87 connecting I-95 at
Rocky Mount, NC
Rocky Mount is a city in Edgecombe and Nash counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The city's population was 54,341 as of the 2020 census, making it the 20th-most populous city in North Carolina at the time. The city is 45 mi (72 ...
to Raleigh via the
US 64–264 Bypass.
The two interstates diverge from one another in Orange County, with I-85 heading northeast through northern Durham County toward
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
, while
I-40
Interstate 40 (I-40) is a major east–west Interstate Highway running through the south-central portion of the United States. At a length of , it is the third-longest Interstate Highway in the country, after I-90 and I-80. From west to ea ...
travels southeast through southern Durham, through the center of the region, and serves as the primary freeway through Raleigh. The related loop freeways I-440 and I-540 are primarily located in Wake County around Raleigh. I-440 begins at the interchange of US 1 and I-40 southwest of downtown Raleigh and arcs as a multiplex with US 1 northward around downtown with the formal designation as the Cliff Benson/Raleigh Beltline (cosigned with US 1 on three-fourths of its northern route) and ends at its junction with I-40 in southeast Raleigh. I-540, sometimes known as the Raleigh Outer Loop, extends from the
US 64–264 Bypass to I-40 just inside Durham County, where it continues across the interstate as a
state route
A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...
(NC 540), prior to its becoming a
toll road
A toll road, also known as a turnpike or tollway, is a public or private road (almost always a controlled-access highway in the present day) for which a fee (or ''toll'') is assessed for passage. It is a form of road pricing typically implemented ...
from the NC 54 interchange to the current terminus at NC Highway 55 near Holly Springs. I-95 serves the extreme eastern edge of the region, crossing north–south through suburban Johnston County.
U.S. Routes 1, 15, and 64 primarily serve the region as limited-access freeways or multilane highways with
access roads. US 1 enters the region from the southwest as the Claude E. Pope Memorial Highway and travels through suburban Apex where it merges with US 64 and continues northeast through Cary. The two highways are codesignated for about until US 1 joins I-440 and US 64 with I-40 along the Raleigh–Cary border. Capital Boulevard, which is designated US 1 for half of its route and US 401 the other is not a limited-access freeway, although it is a major thoroughfare through northeast Raleigh and into the northern downtown area.
North Carolina Highway 147
North Carolina Highway 147 (NC 147) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The highway is an freeway through Durham running roughly southeast to northwest; the entire route lies within the city limits. To th ...
is a limited-access freeway that connects I-85 with Toll Route NC 540 in northwestern Wake County. The older, toll-free portion of the four-lane route—known as the Durham Freeway or the I.L. "Buck" Dean Expressway—traverses downtown Durham and extends through Research Triangle Park to I-40. The Durham Freeway is often used as a detour or alternate route for I-40 through southwestern Durham the Chapel Hill area in cases of traffic accident, congestion or road construction delays. The tolled portion of NC 147, called the Triangle Expressway—North Carolina's first modern toll road when it opened to traffic in late 2011—continues past I-40 to Toll NC 540. Both Toll NC 147 and Toll NC 540 are modern facilities which collect tolls using transponders and license plate photo-capture technology.
Public transit
![2008-07-11 Chapel Hill bus passing South Building](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/06/2008-07-11_Chapel_Hill_bus_passing_South_Building.jpg)
A partnering system of multiple public transportation agencies currently serves the Triangle region under the joint
GoTransit branding. Raleigh is served by
GoRaleigh (formerly Capital Area Transit) municipal transit system, while Durham has
GoDurham (formerly the Durham Area Transit Authority). Chapel Hill is served by
Chapel Hill Transit
Chapel Hill Transit operates public bus and van transportation services within the contiguous municipalities of Chapel Hill and Carrboro and the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the southeast corner of Orange County in ...
, and Cary is served by
GoCary (formerly C-Tran) public transit systems. However,
GoTriangle
The Research Triangle Regional Public Transportation Authority, known as GoTriangle (previously Triangle Transit and Triangle Transit Authority or TTA), provides regional bus service to the Research Triangle region of North Carolina in Wake, Durha ...
, formerly called Triangle Transit, works in cooperation with all area transit systems by offering transfers between its own routes and those of the other systems. Triangle Transit also coordinates an extensive
vanpool
Vanpools or Vanpooling is an element of the transit system that allow groups of people to share the ride similar to a carpool, but on a larger scale with concurrent savings in fuel and vehicle operating costs and thus usually a lower cost to the ...
and
rideshare program that serves the region's larger employers and commute destinations.
Plans have been made to merge all of the area's municipal systems into Triangle Transit, and Triangle Transit also has proposed a regional rail system to connect downtown Durham, downtown Cary and downtown Raleigh with multiple suburban stops, as well as stops in the Research Triangle Park area. The agency's initial proposal was effectively cancelled in 2006, however, when the agency could not procure adequate federal funding. A committee of local business, transportation and government leaders currently are working with Triangle Transit to develop a new transit blueprint for the region, with various modes of rail transit, as well as
bus rapid transit
Bus rapid transit (BRT), also called a busway or transitway, is a bus-based public transport system designed to have much more capacity, reliability and other quality features than a conventional bus system. Typically, a BRT system includes ...
, open as options for consideration.
Air
Raleigh–Durham International Airport (RDU)
![2008-07-30 Southwest Boeing 737 RDU 23R Final](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8c/2008-07-30_Southwest_Boeing_737_RDU_23R_Final.jpg)
Raleigh–Durham International Airport (RDU) has nonstop passenger service to 68 destinations with over 450 average daily departures, including nonstop international service to Canada, Europe, and Mexico. It is located near the geographic center of The Triangle, northeast of the town of
Morrisville in
Wake County
Wake County is located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. In the 2020 census, its population was 1,129,410, making it North Carolina's most-populous county. From July 2005 to July 2006, Wake County was the 9th-fastest growing county in the U ...
. The airport covers 5,000 acres (2,023 ha) and has three
runway
According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and takeoff of aircraft". Runways may be a man-made surface (often asphalt concrete, as ...
s.
[, effective February 1, 2018.]
In 1939 the General Assembly of North Carolina chartered the Raleigh–Durham Aeronautical Authority, which was changed in 1945 to the Raleigh–Durham Airport Authority. The first new terminal opened in 1955. Terminal A (now Terminal 1) opened in 1981.
American Airlines
American Airlines is a major airlines of the United States, major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the world when measured ...
began service to RDU in 1985.
RDU opened the runway, 5L-23R, in 1986. American Airlines opened its north–south hub operation at RDU in the new Terminal C in June 1987, greatly increasing the size of RDU's operations with a new terminal including a new apron and runway. American brought RDU its first international flights to
Bermuda
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,
Cancun,
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
and
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
.
In 1996, American Airlines ceased its hub operations at RDU due to
Pan Am
Pan American World Airways, originally founded as Pan American Airways and commonly known as Pan Am, was an American airline that was the principal and largest international air carrier and unofficial overseas flag carrier of the United States ...
and
Eastern Airlines
Eastern Air Lines, also colloquially known as Eastern, was a major United States airline from 1926 to 1991. Before its dissolution, it was headquartered at Miami International Airport in an unincorporated area of Miami-Dade County, Florida.
Ea ...
. Pan Am and Eastern were
Miami's main tenants until 1991, when both carriers went bankrupt. Their hubs at MIA were taken over by
United Airlines
United Airlines, Inc. (commonly referred to as United), is a major American airline headquartered at the Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois. and American Airlines. This created a difficulty in competing with
US Airways
US Airways (formerly USAir) was a major United States airline that operated from 1937 until its merger with American Airlines in 2015. It was originally founded in History of aviation in Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh as a mail delivery airline called ...
' hub in
Charlotte
Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...
and
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines, Inc., typically referred to as Delta, is one of the major airlines of the United States and a legacy carrier. One of the List of airlines by foundation date, world's oldest airlines in operation, Delta is headquartered in Atla ...
' hub in Atlanta, Georgia for passengers traveling between smaller cities in the North and South.
Midway Airlines entered the market, starting service in 1995 with the then somewhat novel concept of 50-seat
Canadair Regional Jet
The Bombardier CRJ or CRJ Series (for Canadair Regional Jet) is a family of regional jets introduced in 1991 by Bombardier Aerospace. The CRJ was formerly manufactured by Bombardier Aerospace with the manufacturing of the first CRJ generation, ...
s providing service from its RDU hub primarily along the East Coast. Midway, originally incorporated in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, had some success after moving its operations to the midpoint of the eastern United States at RDU and its headquarters to Morrisville, NC. The carrier ultimately could not overcome three weighty challenges: the arrival of
Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines Co., typically referred to as Southwest, is one of the major airlines of the United States and the world's largest low-cost carrier. It is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and has scheduled service to 121 destinations in the U ...
, the refusal of American Airlines to renew the frequent flyer affiliation it had with Midway (thus dispatching numerous higher fare-paying businesspeople to airlines with better reward destinations), and the significant blow of September 11, 2001. Midway Airlines filed
Chapter 11 bankruptcy
Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code (Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, whe ...
on August 13, 2001, and ceased operations entirely on October 30, 2003.
In February 2000, RDU was ranked as the nation's second fastest-growing major airport in the United States, by Airports Council International, based on 1999 statistics. Passenger growth hit 24% over the previous year, ranking RDU second only to
Washington Dulles International Airport
Washington Dulles International Airport , typically referred to as Dulles International Airport, Dulles Airport, Washington Dulles, or simply Dulles ( ), is an international airport in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Eastern United States, loc ...
. RDU opened Terminal A south concourse for use by
Northwest
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sep ...
and
Continental Airlines
Continental Airlines, simply known as Continental, was a major United States airline founded in 1934 and eventually headquartered in Houston, Texas. It had ownership interests and brand partnerships with several carriers.
Continental started o ...
in 2001. The addition added and five aircraft gates to the terminal. Terminal A became designated as Terminal 1 on October 26, 2008. In 2003, RDU also dedicated a new general aviation terminal. RDU continues to keep pace with its growth by redeveloping Terminal C into a new state-of-the-art terminal, now known as Terminal 2, which opened in October 2008.
As of June 2022, the airport will have international flights to Cancun, London, Montreal, Paris, Reykjavik and Toronto. Cancun service is provided by American, Frontier and JetBlue, while the Canada flights are provided by Air Canada, Paris by Delta, Reykjavik by new to the market Icelandair, and London by American. Icelandair is the first international carrier outside of Air Canada to service the airport. Delta Air Lines currently considers the airport to be a "focus city", or an airport that is not a hub, but is of importance to the carrier. The COVID-19 pandemic significantly shrunk the operation, but by September 2022, Delta will be serving 21 destinations on aircraft ranging from the CRJ700 to the 767.
Public general-aviation airports
In addition to RDU, several smaller publicly owned
general-aviation airports also operate in the metropolitan region:
*
Triangle North Executive Airport
Triangle North Executive Airport is a county-owned, public-use airport in Franklin County, North Carolina, United States. It is located five nautical miles (9 km) southwest of the central business district of Louisburg, North Carolina.
It ...
,
Louisburg
*
Raleigh Exec ,
Sanford
* Johnston County Airport ,
Smithfield
*
Horace Williams Airport
Horace Williams Airport was a public use airport located north of the central business district of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Chapel Hill, a city in Orange County, North Carolina, United States. It is owned by the University of North Carolina ...
,
Chapel Hill Chapel Hill or Chapelhill may refer to:
Places Antarctica
* Chapel Hill (Antarctica) Australia
*Chapel Hill, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane
*Chapel Hill, South Australia, in the Mount Barker council area
Canada
* Chapel Hill, Ottawa, a neighbo ...
(Closed)
* Harnett Regional Jetport ,
Erwin Erwin may refer to:
People Given name
* Erwin Chargaff (1905–2002), Austrian biochemist
* Erwin Dold (1919–2012), German concentration camp commandant in World War 2
* Erwin Hauer (1926–2017), Austrian-born American sculptor
* Egon Erwin Kisc ...
*
Person County Airport ,
Roxboro
* Siler City Municipal Airport ,
Siler City
Private airfields
Several licensed private
general-aviation and agricultural airfields are located in the region's suburban areas and nearby rural communities:
![2008-08-24 Lake Ridge Aero Park Airport Rwy 14](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/2008-08-24_Lake_Ridge_Aero_Park_Airport_Rwy_14.jpg)
* Bagwell Airport , Garner
* Ball Airport ,
Louisburg
* Barclaysville Field Airport ,
Angier
* Brooks Field Airport , Siler City
* CAG Farms Airport , Angier
* Charles Field Airport , Dunn
* Cox Airport , Apex
* Crooked Creek Airport , Bunn
* Dead Dog Airport ,
Pittsboro
* Deck Airpark Airport , Apex
* Dutchy Airport , Chapel Hill
* Eagle's Landing Airport , Pittsboro
* Field of Dreams Airport ,
Zebulon
Zebulun (; also ''Zebulon'', ''Zabulon'', or ''Zaboules'') was, according to the Books of Book of Genesis, Genesis and Book of Numbers, Numbers,Genesis 46:14 the last of the six sons of Jacob and Leah (Jacob's tenth son), and the founder of the ...
* Fuquay/Angier Field Airport ,
Fuquay-Varina
Fuquay-Varina ( ) is a town in southern Wake County, North Carolina, United States, lying south of Holly Springs and southwest of Garner, and north of the Harnett County town of Angier and west of the unincorporated community of Willow Sp ...
* Hinton Field Airport ,
Princeton
Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ni ...
* Kenly Airport ,
Kenly
* Lake Ridge Aero Park Airport , Durham
* Miles Airport , Chapel Hill
* North Raleigh Airport , Louisburg
* Peacock Stolport Airport , Garner
* Raleigh East Airport ,
Knightdale
* Riley Field Airport , Bunn
* Ron's Field Ultralight Airport , Pittsboro
* Triple W Airport , Raleigh
* Womble Field Airport , Chapel Hill
Heliports
These licensed
heliport
A heliport is a small airport suitable for use by helicopters and some other vertical lift aircraft. Designated heliports typically contain one or more touchdown and liftoff areas and may also have limited facilities such as fuel or hangars. I ...
s serve the Research Triangle region:
![2004-02-02 Duke Life Flight helicopter N109DU](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8d/2004-02-02_Duke_Life_Flight_helicopter_N109DU.jpg)
* Betsy Johnson Memorial Hospital Heliport , Dunn—publicly owned; medical service
* Duke University North Heliport , Durham—privately owned; public medical service
* Garner Road Heliport , Raleigh—publicly owned; state government service
* Holly Green Heliport , Durham—private
* Sky-5 Heliport , Raleigh—private, owned by Sky-5 Inc. (
WRAL-TV
WRAL-TV (channel 5) is a television station licensed to Raleigh, North Carolina, United States, serving as the NBC affiliate for the Research Triangle area. It is the flagship station of the locally based Capitol Broadcasting Company, which h ...
)
* Sprint MidAtlantic Telecom Heliport ,
Youngsville—private; corporate service
* Wake Medical Center Heliport , Raleigh—publicly owned; medical service
* Western Wake Medical Center Heliport , Cary—publicly owned; medical service
A number of
helipad
A helipad is a landing area or platform for helicopters and powered lift aircraft.
While helicopters and powered lift aircraft are able to operate on a variety of relatively flat surfaces, a fabricated helipad provides a clearly marked hard s ...
s (i.e. marked landing sites not classified under the
FAA
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...
LID
A lid, also known as a cover, is part of a container, and serves as the closure or seal, usually one that completely closes the object. Lids can be placed on small containers such as tubs as well as larger lids for open-head pails and drums. S ...
system) also serve a variety of additional medical facilities (such as UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill), as well as private, corporate and governmental interests, throughout the region.
Rail
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
serves the region with the Silver Meteor, Silver Star, Palmetto, Carolinian, and Piedmont routes.
Shopping
''Notable shopping centers and malls:''
Super-regional enclosed malls
*
Triangle Town Center
Triangle Town Center is a shopping mall in Raleigh, North Carolina. It is located in North Raleigh off U.S. Highway 1 (Capital Boulevard) and Interstate 540. The current anchors at the mall are Belk, Dillard's, Macy's, and Saks Fifth Avenue. A ...
and Commons (Raleigh; 1,431,091 ft²) (opened 2002)
*
The Streets at Southpoint
The Streets at Southpoint is a shopping mall in Durham, North Carolina. Located near I-40, on Fayetteville Road, the mall was developed by Urban Retail Properties and is currently owned and managed by Brookfield Properties, a subsidiary of Brook ...
(Durham; 1,336,000 ft²) (opened 2002)
*
Crabtree Valley Mall
Crabtree Valley Mall is a regional shopping mall located in Raleigh, North Carolina. At , it is the largest enclosed mall in the Research Triangle area. Crabtree Valley contains over 200 stores and is anchored by Belk and Macy's.
History
Cr ...
(Raleigh; 1,326,000 ft²) (opened 1972)
*
Cary Towne Center
Cary Towne Center was an indoor shopping mall in Cary, North Carolina. It was anchored by Belk, Dillard's, Macy's, JCPenney, and Sears.
History
Cary Village Mall
Originally planned in 1972, the mall was first proposed as the adjacent Cary Villa ...
(Cary; 914,252 ft²) (opened 1979, closed 2021)
*
Northgate Mall (Durham; 857,099 ft²) (opened 1960, enclosed 1972, closed 2020)
Major shopping centers
*
Crossroads Plaza (Cary; 1,300,000 ft²)
*
Village District
Village District (formerly Cameron Village), was the first planned community to be developed in Raleigh, North Carolina. Development was started in 1947 when J.W. York and R.A Bryan bought of undeveloped land two miles west of downtown Raleigh, ...
(Raleigh; 656,000 ft²)
* Carolina Premium Outlets (Smithfield; 440,000 ft²)
*
University Place (Chapel Hill; 366,000 ft²)
*
Carr Mill Mall (
Carrboro
Carrboro is a town in Orange County in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The population was 21,295 at the 2020 census. ; 86,000 ft²)
*
Tanger Outlet Center (
Mebane
Mebane is a city located mostly in Alamance County, North Carolina, United States, and partly in Orange County, North Carolina, Orange County. The town was named for Alexander Mebane, an American Revolutionary War general and member of the Unite ...
; 317,000 ft²)
*
North Hills Mall & Plaza (Raleigh)
Entertainment
Film festivals and events:
*
Full Frame Documentary Film Festival – Durham
*
North Carolina Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
The North Carolina Gay & Lesbian Festival is an annual LGBT film festival produced by the Carolina Theater in Durham, North Carolina, typically held in mid-August. The festival has been credited in previous years as the second largest LGBT fi ...
– Durham
Notable performing arts and music venues:
*
Coastal Credit Union Music Park – Raleigh
*
Red Hat Amphitheater
The Red Hat Amphitheater (formerly the Raleigh Amphitheater) is an amphitheatre in Raleigh, North Carolina. It is adjacent to the Raleigh Convention Center.
The Raleigh Amphitheater books acts through an agreement with Live Nation, and is owned an ...
– downtown Raleigh
*
Koka Booth Amphitheatre at Regency Park – Cary
*
Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts
Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts is the main venue for the performing arts in Raleigh, North Carolina.
The naming rights to the center currently are held by Duke Energy (formerly Progress Energy), which purchased them from the city in ...
– downtown Raleigh
*
PNC Arena
PNC Arena (originally Raleigh Entertainment & Sports Arena and formerly the RBC Center) is an indoor arena located in Raleigh, North Carolina. The arena seats 18,680 for ice hockey and 19,722 for basketball, including 61 suites, 13 loge boxes an ...
– Raleigh
*
Durham Performing Arts Center
The Durham Performing Arts Center (often called the DPAC) opened November 30, 2008 as the largest performing arts center in the Carolinas at a cost of $48 million. The DPAC hosts over 200 performances a year including touring Broadway production ...
– Durham
*
Carolina Theatre – Durham
Theatre and dance events:
*
American Dance Festival
The American Dance Festival (ADF) under the direction of Executive Director Jodee Nimerichter hosts its main summer dance courses including Summer Dance Intensive, Pre-Professional Dance Intensive, and the Dance Professional Workshops. It also ho ...
– Durham
Music festivals:
* Dreamville Festival – Raleigh
*
Hopscotch Music Festival
Hopscotch Music Festival is an annual three-day music festival in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. With more than 120 bands, Hopscotch is known for adventurous lineups, memorable performances, and a fan-friendly atmosphere. From ...
– Raleigh
*
Moogfest
Moogfest is a music and technology festival held annually or bi-annually in Durham, North Carolina that honors engineer Robert Moog and his musical inventions.
This multi-day, multi-venue event hosts artists and audiences from throughout the w ...
– Durham
* ProgDay – Chapel Hill
Movie theatres:
* Alamo Drafthouse Cinema
Museums
Media
The area is part of the Raleigh–Durham–Fayetteville television media market, designated media area and is the 25th-largest in the country with 1,135,920 households (2014) included in that area and the second largest television market in North Carolina. It is part of the Raleigh–Durham Nielsen Audio radio market (code 115) and is the 42nd-largest in the country with a population of 1,365,900.
The Raleigh–Durham–Fayetteville market is defined by Nielsen as including Chatham, Cumberland, Dunn, Durham, Granville, Halifax, Harnett, Hoke, Johnston, Lee, Moore, Northampton, Orange, Robeson, Vance, Wake, Warren, Wayne County, North Carolina, Wayne, and Wilson Counties, along with parts of Franklin County.
Print
Numerous newspapers and periodicals serve the Triangle market.
Paid and subscription
* ''The News & Observer'', the major daily Raleigh newspaper and the region's largest, with a significant regional and statewide readership (especially to the east of the Triangle)
* ''The Herald-Sun (Durham, North Carolina), The Herald-Sun'', the major daily Durham newspaper
* ''Garner News'', the weekly community newspaper for suburban Garner in southern Wake County
* ''The Apex Herald'', the weekly community newspaper for suburban Apex in western Wake County
* ''Holly Springs Sun'', the weekly community newspaper for suburban Holly Springs in southwestern Wake County
* ''Butner-Creedmoor News'' The Weekly community newspaper for southern Granville County and surrounding areas
* ''Cleveland Post'', the weekly community newspaper for suburban Cleveland and nearby northwestern Johnston and southern Wake Counties
* ''Fuquay-Varina Independent'', the weekly community newspaper for suburban Fuquay-Varina in southwestern Wake County
* ''The Wake Weekly'', a weekly community newspaper serving suburban Wake Forest, northern Wake County and southern Franklin County
* The ''Chatham Journal'', the weekly community newspaper for suburban
Pittsboro and surrounding Chatham County
* ''The Clayton News-Star'', a weekly community newspaper for suburban Clayton and western Johnston County
* ''Daily Record (Dunn), The Daily Record'', the daily community newspaper for suburban Dunn and surrounding Harnett County
* ''The Courier-Times'', the semiweekly community newspaper for suburban Roxboro and Person County
* ''The Triangle Business Journal'', a weekly regional economic journal
* ''Cary Magazine'', a bi-monthly magazine for Cary and western Wake County
* ''Chapel Hill Magazine'', a bi-monthly magazine that serves 12,500 households and 1,600 businesses of Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Hillsborough and northern Chatham County
Free
* The ''Independent Weekly'', a free weekly regional independent journal published in Durham
* The ''Carolina Journal'', a monthly free regional newspaper published in Raleigh
* The ''Raleigh Downtowner'', a free monthly magazine for downtown Raleigh and environs
* The ''Raleigh Hatchet'', a free monthly magazine
* ''The Daily Tar Heel'', the free weekday (during the regular academic year) student newspaper at UNC-Chapel Hill
* ''Technician (newspaper), Technician'', the free weekday (during the regular academic year) student newspaper at NC State University in Raleigh
* ''The Chronicle (Duke University), The Chronicle'', a free daily newspaper for (but independent of) Duke University and its surrounding community in Durham
* ''The Blotter'', a free monthly regional literary journal
* ''Fifteen-501'', a free magazine for the Durham–Chapel Hill area (named for nearby U.S. Route 15-501 in North Carolina, U.S. Route 15-501)
* ''Acento Latino'', a free Spanish-language weekly regional newspaper published in Raleigh
Online only
* The ''Cary Citizen'', a free daily news source for the greater Cary and western Wake County area
* The ''Raleigh Telegram'', a free daily news source for the greater Raleigh area
* The ''Wake Forest Gazette'', a free weekly news site for items of local Wake Forest interest
Television
Broadcast
The Triangle is part of the Raleigh–Durham–Fayetteville, North Carolina, Fayetteville Designated Market Area for broadcast television. –16, the area was the 25th-largest in the country. This area includes these television stations:
* UNC-TV, WUNC-TV (4, Chapel Hill), PBS member station and flagship station of the PBS North Carolina television network, owned by the University of North Carolina system
*
WRAL-TV
WRAL-TV (channel 5) is a television station licensed to Raleigh, North Carolina, United States, serving as the NBC affiliate for the Research Triangle area. It is the flagship station of the locally based Capitol Broadcasting Company, which h ...
(5, Raleigh), NBC affiliate owned by Capitol Broadcasting Company
* WTVD (11, Durham), American Broadcasting Company, ABC Owned-and-operated station, O&O owned by ABC Owned Television Stations
* WNCN (17, Goldsboro), CBS affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group
* WLFL (22, Raleigh), The CW, CW affiliate owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group
* WTNC-LD (26, Durham), UniMás O&O owned by TelevisaUnivision
* WRDC (28, Durham), MyNetworkTV affiliate owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group
* WRAY-TV (30, Wilson), Tri-State Christian Television, TCT O&O owned by Tri-State Christian Television
* WUVC-DT (40, Fayetteville), Univision O&O owned by TelevisaUnivision
* WRPX-TV (47, Rocky Mount) and WFPX-TV (62, Fayetteville), both Ion Television O&Os owned by Katz Broadcasting, Scripps Networks
* WRAZ-TV (50, Raleigh), Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox affiliate owned by Capitol Broadcasting Company
Cable
Raleigh is home to the Research Triangle Region bureau of the regional cable TV news channel Spectrum News 1 North Carolina.
Radio
The Triangle is home to North Carolina Public Radio, a public radio station/National Public Radio, NPR provider that brings in listeners around the country. Raleigh and a large part of the Triangle area is Arbitron radio market #43. Stations include:
FM stations:
* 88.1 FM WKNC (North Carolina State University, NCSU) College Radio from N.C. State University
* 88.5 FM WRTP (Radio Training Network, RTN) Christian ("His Radio WRTP")
* 88.7 FM WXDU (Duke University, DU) College Radio from Duke University
* 88.9 FM WRKV (Educational Media Foundation, EMF) Contemporary Christian ("K-LOVE") from Educational Media Foundation
* 89.3 FM WXYC (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, UNC) College Radio from UNC-Chapel Hill
* 89.7 FM WCPE Classical & Opera Music
* 90.5 FM WVRD (Liberty University) Christian
* 90.7 FM WNCU (North Carolina Central University, NCCU) National Public Radio, NPR/Jazz from N.C. Central University
* 91.1 FM W216BN (Radio Training Network, RTN) Christian ("His Radio WRTP") (Broadcast translator, Translator of WRTP)
* 91.5 FM North Carolina Public Radio, WUNC (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, UNC) National Public Radio, NPR affiliate from UNC-Chapel Hill
* 92.5 FM WYFL (Bible Broadcasting Network, BBN) Christian Programs from Bible Broadcasting Network
* 93.3 FM WERO (NM License, LLC) CHR ("Bob 933")
* 93.5 FM WRLY-LP Community Radio ("Oak 93.5")
* 93.9 FM WNCB (iHeartMedia, iHM) Country ("B93.9")
* 94.7 FM WQDR-FM (Curtis Media Group, CMG) Country ("94.7 QDR")
* 95.3 FM W237BZ (iHeartMedia, iHM) Classic Hip-Hop ("95.3 The Beat") (Translator of WDCG-HD2)
* 96.1 FM WBBB (Curtis Media Group, CMG) Adult hits ("96.1 BBB")
* 96.5 FM W243DK (Capitol Broadcasting Company, CBC) Sports ("The Buzz") (Translator of WCMC-FM, WCMC-HD2)
* 96.7 FM WKRX Country ("Kickin' Country")
* 96.9 FM WWPL (Curtis Media Group, CMG) Urban ("The New 96.9 BZJ")
* 97.5 FM WQOK (Radio One (company), R1) Hip Hop ("K-97.5")
* 97.9 FM W250BP, W250B ("97.9 The Hill") (Translator of WCHL (AM), WCHL)
* 98.1 FM WQSM (Cumulus) CHR ("Q-98")
* 98.9 FM W255AM (Radio Training Network, RTN) Christian ("His Radio WRTP") (Translator of WRTP)
* 99.3 FM W257CS (Capitol Broadcasting Company, CBC) Sports ("The Buzz") (Translator of WCMC-FM, WCMC-HD2)
* 99.9 FM WCMC-FM, WCMC (Capitol Broadcasting Company, CBC) Sports ("99.9 The Fan ESPN Radio") (Flagship for
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, ...
)
* 100.7 FM WRDU (iHeartMedia, iHM) Classic Hits ("100.7 WRDU")
* 101.1 FM WYMY (Curtis Media Group, CMG) Spanish ("La Ley 101.1 FM")
* 101.5 FM WRAL-FM, WRAL (Capitol Broadcasting Company, CBC) Adult Contemporary ("Mix 101.5")
* 101.9 FM WKRP-LP Community Radio ("101 Nine WKRP")
* 102.3 FM WKJO (FM), WKJO Country ("Country Superstars")
* 102.5 FM WPLW-FM (Curtis Media Group, CMG) CHR ("Pulse FM")
* 102.9 FM WKIX-FM, WKIX (Curtis Media Group, CMG) Oldies ("Kix 102.9")
* 103.3 FM WAKG (Piedmont Broadcasting, PB) Country ("103.3 WAKG")
* 103.5 FM WCOM-LP Community Radio, Variety
* 103.9 FM WNNL (Radio One (company), R1) Urban Gospel ("The Light 103.9")
* 104.3 FM WFXK (Radio One (company), R1) Urban Adult Contemporary ("Foxy 104")
* 104.7 FM W284CP (Curtis Media Group, CMG) Oldies ("Oldies 104.7") (Translator of WKIX (AM), WKIX)
* 105.1 FM WDCG (iHeartMedia, iHM) CHR ("G-105")
* 106.1 FM WTKK (iHeartMedia, iHM) Talk
* 106.7 FM WKVK (Educational Media Foundation, EMF) Contemporary Christian
* 107.1 FM WFXC (Radio One (company), R1) Urban Adult Contemporary ("Foxy 107")
* 107.7 FM W299AQ (Radio Training Network, RTN) Christian ("His Radio WRTP") (Translator of WRTP)
* 107.9 FM W300AR (Radio Training Network, RTN) Christian ("His Radio WRTP") (Translator of WRTP)
AM stations:
* 540 AM WETC Catholic radio
* 570 AM WQDR (AM), WQDR Classic rock ("Rock 92.9")
* 620 AM WDNC Sports ("620 The Ticket") (Flagship for Duke Football and Basketball)
* 680 AM WPTF News, Talk & Sports ("NewsRadio 680 WPTF")
* 750 AM WAUG (AM), WAUG Urban Programming from St. Augustine's College
* 850 AM WKIX (AM), WKIX Oldies ("Oldies 104.7")
* 1000 AM WRTG Spanish
* 1030 AM WDRU Christian ("The Truth 1030")
* 1130 AM WPYB Country
* 1240 AM WPJL Christian
* 1310 AM WTIK Spanish
* 1360 AM WCHL (AM), WCHL ("97.9 The Hill")
* 1410 AM WRJD Spanish Christian
* 1430 AM WRXO Country ("Simulcast of WKRX-FM")
* 1490 AM WDUR South Asian
* 1530 AM WLLQ Spanish
* 1550 AM WCLY Adult album alternative ("That Station")
* 1590 AM WHPY (AM), WHPY Christian
Map of the Triangle
See also
* Piedmont Atlantic MegaRegion, Piedmont Atlantic
* Piedmont Crescent
* Piedmont Triad
References
External links
Greater Raleigh Chamber of CommerceResearch Triangle Regional Partnership* wikispot:triangle, Triangle Wiki – Local wiki for the Triangle
{{Authority control
Research Triangle,
High-technology business districts in the United States
Life sciences industry
Metropolitan areas of North Carolina, Raleigh