Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state 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 ...
and the
seat of
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 ...
in the United States. It is the
second-most populous city in North Carolina, after
Charlotte
Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...
. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the
Southeast
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 sepa ...
,
the 41st-most populous city in the U.S., and the largest city of the
Research Triangle
The Research Triangle, or simply The Triangle, are both common nicknames for a metropolitan area in the Piedmont region of North Carolina in the United States, anchored by the cities of Raleigh and Durham and the town of Chapel Hill, home to ...
metro area. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many
oak tree
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...
s, which line the streets in the heart of the city. The city covers a land area of . 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 ...
counted the city's population as 474,069 in the
2020 census.
It is one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States.
The city of Raleigh is named after Sir
Walter Raleigh
Sir Walter Raleigh (; – 29 October 1618) was an English statesman, soldier, writer and explorer. One of the most notable figures of the Elizabethan era, he played a leading part in English colonisation of North America, suppressed rebelli ...
, who established the lost
Roanoke Colony in present-day
Dare County.
Raleigh is home to
North Carolina State University (NC State) and is part of the
Research Triangle
The Research Triangle, or simply The Triangle, are both common nicknames for a metropolitan area in the Piedmont region of North Carolina in the United States, anchored by the cities of Raleigh and Durham and the town of Chapel Hill, home to ...
together with
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 ...
(home of
Duke University and
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
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 of 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 ...
). The name of the Research Triangle (often shortened to the "Triangle") originated after the 1959 creation of
Research Triangle Park (RTP), located in Durham and Wake counties, among the three cities and universities. The Triangle encompasses the U.S. Census Bureau's 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), which had an estimated population of 2,037,430 in 2013. The Raleigh
Metropolitan Statistical Area
In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally incorporated as a city or tow ...
had an estimated population of 1,390,785 in 2019.
Most of Raleigh is located within
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 ...
, with a small portion extending into
Durham County.
The towns of
Cary
Cary may refer to:
Places
;United States
* Cary, Illinois, part of the Chicago metropolitan area
* Cary, Indiana, part of the Indianapolis metropolitan area
* Cary, Miami County, Indiana
* Cary, Maine
* Cary, Mississippi
* Cary, North Carolina ...
,
Morrisville,
Garner
Garner may refer to:
Places United States
* Garner, Arkansas
* Garner, Iowa
* Garner, Missouri
* Garner, North Carolina
Other uses
* Garner (surname), a surname
* Granary, a grain store
* ''Tennessee v. Garner'', a United States Supreme Court cas ...
,
Clayton,
Wake Forest,
Apex
The apex is the highest point of something. The word may also refer to:
Arts and media Fictional entities
* Apex (comics), a teenaged super villainess in the Marvel Universe
* Ape-X, a super-intelligent ape in the Squadron Supreme universe
*Apex, ...
,
Holly Springs,
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 ...
,
Knightdale,
Wendell,
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 ...
, and
Rolesville
Rolesville is a town in northeastern Wake County, North Carolina, United States, a suburb of the capital city of Raleigh. It is the second oldest town in Wake County and has been one of the fastest-growing towns in the state of North Carolina for t ...
are some of Raleigh's primary nearby
suburbs and
satellite town
Satellite cities or satellite towns are smaller municipalities that are adjacent to a principal city which is the core of a metropolitan area. They differ from mere suburbs, subdivisions and especially bedroom communities in that they have m ...
s.
Raleigh is an early example in the United States of a
planned city
A planned community, planned city, planned town, or planned settlement is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed on previously undeveloped land. This contrasts with settlements that evolve ...
. Following the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
when the U.S. gained independence, the area was chosen as the site of the state capital in 1788 and incorporated in 1792 as such. The city was originally laid out in a grid pattern with the
North Carolina State Capitol
The North Carolina State Capitol is the former seat of the legislature of the U.S. state of North Carolina which housed all of the state's government until 1888. The Supreme Court and State Library moved into a separate building in 1888, and the ...
at the center, in Union Square. During the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
, the city was spared from any significant battle. It fell to the Union in the closing days of the war and struggled with the economic hardships in the postwar period, related to the reconstitution of labor markets, over-reliance on agriculture and the social unrest of the
Reconstruction Era. The establishment of the
Research Triangle Park (RTP) in 1959 helped create tens of thousands of jobs in the fields of science and technology. By the early 21st century, Raleigh had become one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States.
History
Earlier capitals
Bath, the oldest town in North Carolina, was the first nominal capital of the colony from 1705 until 1722, when
Edenton took over the role. The colony had no permanent institutions of government until the new capital,
New Bern
New Bern, formerly called Newbern, is a city in Craven County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 29,524, which had risen to an estimated 29,994 as of 2019. It is the county seat of Craven County and t ...
, was established in 1743.
18th century
In December 1770,
Joel Lane
Joel Lane (1963 – 26 November 2013) was a British novelist, short story writer, poet, critic and anthology editor.Chris Morgan, "Lane, Joel", in David Pringle, ''St. James Guide to Horror, Ghost & Gothic Writers'' (London: St. James Press, 1998 ...
successfully petitioned the
North Carolina General Assembly to create a new county. On January 5, 1771, the bill creating Wake County was passed in the General Assembly. The county was formed from portions of
Cumberland,
Orange
Orange most often refers to:
*Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis''
** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower
*Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum
* ...
, and
Johnston counties, and was named for
Margaret Wake Tryon
Margaret Wake Tryon (c.1732 – 1819) was an English heiress and the wife of William Tryon, who served as the Colonial Governor of North Carolina and the Colonial Governor of New York. The namesake of Wake County in North Carolina, she is one o ...
, the wife of Governor
William Tryon
Lieutenant-General William Tryon (8 June 172927 January 1788) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator who served as governor of North Carolina from 1764 to 1771 and the governor of New York from 1771 to 1777. He also served durin ...
. The first county seat was Bloomsbury.
New Bern
New Bern, formerly called Newbern, is a city in Craven County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 29,524, which had risen to an estimated 29,994 as of 2019. It is the county seat of Craven County and t ...
, a port town on the
Neuse River
The Neuse River ( , Tuscarora: Neyuherú·kęʔkì·nęʔ) is a river rising in the Piedmont of North Carolina and emptying into Pamlico Sound below New Bern. Its total length is approximately , making it the longest river entirely contained in ...
from the Atlantic Ocean, was the largest city and the capital of North Carolina during the
American Revolution
The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...
. When the British Army laid siege to the city, that site could no longer be used as the capital. From 1789 to 1794, when Raleigh was being built, the state capital was
Fayetteville.
Raleigh was chosen as the site of the new capital in 1788, as its central location protected it from attacks from the coast. It was officially established in 1792 as both county seat and state capital. The city was incorporated on December 31, 1792, and a charter granted January 21, 1795. The city was named for
Sir Walter Raleigh, sponsor of
Roanoke, the "lost colony" on Roanoke Island.
No known city or town existed previously on the chosen city site. Raleigh is one of the few cities in the United States that was planned and built specifically to serve as a
state capital
Below is an index of pages containing lists of capital cities.
National capitals
*List of national capitals
* List of national capitals by latitude
*List of national capitals by population
* List of national capitals by area
* List of capital c ...
. Its original boundaries were formed by the downtown streets of North, East, West and South.
The plan, a grid with two main axes meeting at a central square and an additional square in each corner, was based on
Thomas Holme
Thomas Holme (1624–1695) was the first Surveyor General of Pennsylvania. He laid out the first and original plan for the city of Philadelphia.
Holme was one of the Valiant Sixty, a group of early leaders and activists in the Religious Societ ...
's 1682 plan for
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
.
The
North Carolina General Assembly first met in Raleigh in December 1794, and granted the city a
charter, with a board of seven appointed
commissioners and an "
Intendant of Police" (which developed as the office of
Mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...
) to govern it. After 1803, city commissioners were elected. In 1799, the ''N.C. Minerva and Raleigh Advertiser'' was the first newspaper published in Raleigh.
John Haywood was the first Intendant of Police.
19th century
![NC State Treasurer's Office 1890](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/NC_State_Treasurer%27s_Office_1890.jpg)
In 1808,
Andrew Johnson, the United States' future 17th President, was born at Casso's Inn in Raleigh. The city's first
water supply network
A water supply network or water supply system is a system of engineered hydrologic and hydraulic components that provide water supply. A water supply system typically includes the following:
# A drainage basin (see water purification – source ...
was completed in 1818, although due to system failures, the project was abandoned. In 1819 Raleigh's first volunteer
fire company
A firefighter is a first responder and rescuer extensively trained in firefighting, primarily to extinguish hazardous fires that threaten life, property, and the environment as well as to rescue people and in some cases or jurisdictions also ...
was founded, followed in 1821 by a full-time fire company.
In 1817, the
Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina
The Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina is a diocese of the Episcopal Church within Province IV that encompasses central North Carolina. Founded in 1817, the modern boundaries of the diocese roughly corresponds to the portion of North Carolina ...
was established and headquartered in Raleigh.
In 1831, a fire destroyed the
North Carolina State House
The North Carolina State House was built from 1792 to 1796 as the state capitol for North Carolina. It was located at Union Square in the state capital, Raleigh, in Wake County. The building was extensively renovated in the neoclassical style by ...
. Two years later, reconstruction began with quarried
gneiss
Gneiss ( ) is a common and widely distributed type of metamorphic rock. It is formed by high-temperature and high-pressure metamorphic processes acting on formations composed of igneous or sedimentary rocks. Gneiss forms at higher temperatures a ...
being delivered by the first railroad in the state. Raleigh celebrated the completion of the new
State Capitol and new
Raleigh & Gaston Railroad Company in 1840.
In 1853, the first
State Fair
A state fair is an annual competitive and recreational gathering of a U.S. state's population, usually held in late summer or early fall. It is a larger version of a county fair, often including only exhibits or competitors that have won in th ...
was held near Raleigh. The first institution of higher learning in Raleigh,
Peace College
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 ...
, was established in 1857. Raleigh's
Historic Oakwood
Historic Oakwood is a neighborhood in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, United States, on the National Register of Historic Places, and known for its Historic Oakwood Cemetery, its many Victorian houses and its location close to the Mordecai Pl ...
contains many houses from the 19th century that are still in good condition.
North Carolina seceded from the Union during the
American Civil War. After the war began, Governor
Zebulon Baird Vance
Zebulon Baird Vance (May 13, 1830 – April 14, 1894) was the 37th and 43rd governor of North Carolina, a U.S. Senator from North Carolina, and a Confederate officer during the American Civil War.
A prolific writer and noted public speake ...
ordered the construction of
breastworks
A breastwork is a temporary fortification, often an earthwork thrown up to breast height to provide protection to defenders firing over it from a standing position. A more permanent structure, normally in stone, would be described as a parapet o ...
around the city as protection from
Union
Union commonly refers to:
* Trade union, an organization of workers
* Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets
Union may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Music
* Union (band), an American rock group
** ''Un ...
troops. Near the end of the Civil War, Governor Vance arranged his evacuation to avoid capture as
Union General William Sherman's forces approached the city. Before leaving, Vance met with former governors
Graham
Graham and Graeme may refer to:
People
* Graham (given name), an English-language given name
* Graham (surname), an English-language surname
* Graeme (surname), an English-language surname
* Graham (musician) (born 1979), Burmese singer
* Clan ...
and
Swain to draft a letter of surrender for Raleigh. Their intention was to protect Raleigh from
the destruction inflicted on other cities by Union troops. Graham and Swain departed to meet the advancing Federal forces on the morning of April 12, 1865, and were to return by that evening. The evening struck, but Graham and Swain had not returned due to train delays and their temporary capture by Sherman. Governor Vance left the evening after Graham and Sherman failed to return, leaving behind a letter giving Mayor William H. Harrison the authority to surrender. On the morning of April 13, Mayor Harrison among others went to the southern Wake County area to meet General
Hugh Judson Kilpatrick
Hugh Judson Kilpatrick (January 14, 1836 – December 4, 1881) was an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War, achieving the rank of brevet major general. He was later the United States Minister to Chile and an unsuccessful cand ...
and propose surrender. Kenneth Rayner, a long-time resident of Raleigh, delivered the proposal including a promise of no resistance. Kilpatrick agreed to accept the surrender and protect Raleigh from destruction. Kilpatrick's
cavalry occupied Raleigh and removed the flagpole from the
state capitol, replacing it with a
United States Flag
The national flag of the United States of America, often referred to as the ''American flag'' or the ''U.S. flag'', consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the ca ...
above the dome. Sherman arrived shortly after and established his headquarters in the governor's mansion. The city was spared significant destruction during the war. As
Confederate
Confederacy or confederate may refer to:
States or communities
* Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities
* Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...
cavalry retreated west, Union soldiers followed, leading to the
Battle of Morrisville
The Battle of Morrisville, also known as the Battle at Morrisville Station, was fought April 13–15, 1865, in Morrisville, North Carolina during the Carolinas Campaign of the American Civil War. It was the last official battle of the Civil W ...
nearby.
Due to the economic and social problems of the post-war period and
Reconstruction
Reconstruction may refer to:
Politics, history, and sociology
*Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company
*'' Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Unio ...
, with a state economy still heavily dependent on agriculture, the city grew little over the next several decades.
Shaw University, the South's first African American college, began classes in 1865 and was chartered in 1875. Its
Estey Hall
__NOTOC__
Estey Hall is a historic building on the campus of Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina. It was the first building constructed for the higher education of African-American women in the United States. Built in 1873, Estey Hall is th ...
was the first building constructed for the higher education of Black women, and
Leonard Medical Center was the first four-year medical school in the country for African Americans.
In 1867,
Episcopal clergy founded
St. Augustine's College for the education of
freedmen
A freedman or freedwoman is a formerly enslaved person who has been released from slavery, usually by legal means. Historically, enslaved people were freed by manumission (granted freedom by their captor-owners), emancipation (granted freedom a ...
. The biracial Reconstruction legislature created new welfare institutions: in 1869, it approved the United States' first school for blind and deaf Black people, to be located in Raleigh. In 1874, the federal government constructed the
Federal Building
A federal building is a building housing local offices of various government departments and agencies in countries with a federal system, especially when the central government is referred to as the "federal government".
Federal buildings in ...
in Raleigh, the first
federal government project in the Southern U.S. following the Civil War.
In 1880, the newspapers ''News'' and ''Observer'' combined to form ''
The News & Observer
''The News & Observer'' is an American regional daily newspaper that serves the greater Triangle area based in Raleigh, North Carolina. The paper is the largest in circulation in the state (second is the ''Charlotte Observer''). The paper has bee ...
''. It continues to be Raleigh's primary daily newspaper. The North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, now known as
North Carolina State University, was founded as a
land-grant college
A land-grant university (also called land-grant college or land-grant institution) is an institution of higher education in the United States designated by a state to receive the benefits of the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890.
Signed by Abraha ...
in 1887. The city's
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 ...
opened in 1889 and included the state's first nursing school. The Baptist Women's College, now known as
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 ...
, opened in 1891, and in 1898,
The Academy of Music, a private music conservatory, was established.
In the late nineteenth century, two Black Congressmen were elected from
North Carolina's 2nd district, the last in 1898.
George Henry White
George Henry White (December 18, 1852 – December 28, 1918) was an American attorney and politician, elected as a Republican U.S. Congressman from North Carolina's 2nd congressional district between 1897 and 1901. He later became a banker ...
sought to promote civil rights for Black citizens and to challenge efforts by White Democrats to reduce Black voting by new discriminatory laws. He and his allies were unsuccessful. Based on a White supremacy campaign that returned Democrats to dominance, in 1900 the state legislature passed a new
constitution
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed.
When these princ ...
, with a suffrage amendment that raised barriers to voter registration, resulting in the
disenfranchisement
Disfranchisement, also called disenfranchisement, or voter disqualification is the restriction of suffrage (the right to vote) of a person or group of people, or a practice that has the effect of preventing a person exercising the right to vote. D ...
of most Black citizens and many poor White citizens. Loss of the ability to vote also disqualified Black men (and later women) from sitting on juries and serving in any office—local, state or federal. The rising Black middle-class in Raleigh and other areas was politically silenced and shut out of local governance, and the
Republican Party was no longer competitive in the state.
It was not until after federal
civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life o ...
legislation was passed in the mid-1960s that the majority of Black citizens in North Carolina would again be able to vote, sit on juries and serve in local offices. By that time many African Americans had left the state in the Great Migration to northern industrial cities for more opportunities. No African American was elected to Congress from North Carolina until 1992.
20th century
![Fayetteville Street Raleigh 1910](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/76/Fayetteville_Street_Raleigh_1910.jpg)
In 1912, Bloomsbury Park opened, featuring a popular carousel ride. Relocated to
Pullen Park
Pullen Park is a public park immediately west of downtown Raleigh, North Carolina. It is located on Ashe Avenue and is adjacent to the Main and Centennial campuses of North Carolina State University, covering an area between Western Boulevard and ...
, the
Pullen Park Carousel is still operating.
From 1914 to 1917, an
influenza epidemic killed 288 Raleighites.
In 1922, WLAC signed on as the city's first radio station, but lasted only two years. WFBQ signed on in 1924 and became WPTF in 1927. It is now Raleigh's oldest continuous radio broadcaster.
In 1923, the Raleigh Fall Festival was formed. The Festival was reorganized as the
North Carolina Debutante Ball
The North Carolina Debutante Ball, also known as the Terpsichorean Society Debutante Ball, is an annual debutante ball held in Raleigh, North Carolina. The ball, hosted by the Terpsichorean Club of Raleigh, is the oldest and most prestigious debu ...
in 1927.
Following immigration by Catholics, on December 12, 1924, the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Raleigh was officially established by
Pope Pius XI. The
Sacred Heart Cathedral became the official seat of the diocese with
William Joseph Hafey as its bishop.
The city's first airport, Curtiss-Wright Flying Field, opened in 1929. That same year, the
stock market crash
A stock market crash is a sudden dramatic decline of stock prices across a major cross-section of a stock market, resulting in a significant loss of paper wealth. Crashes are driven by panic selling and underlying economic factors. They often foll ...
resulted in six Raleigh banks closing.
During the difficult 1930s of the
Great Depression, government at all levels was integral to creating jobs. The city provided recreational and educational programs, and hired people for public works projects. In 1932,
Raleigh Memorial Auditorium
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 ...
was dedicated. The
North Carolina Symphony
The North Carolina Symphony (NCS) is an American orchestra based in Raleigh, North Carolina, with sixty-six full-time musicians. The orchestra performs in Meymandi Concert Hall and performs occasionally with the Carolina Ballet and the Opera Com ...
, founded the same year, performed in its new home. From 1934 to 1937, the federal
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a major part of ...
constructed the area now known as
William B. Umstead State Park
William B. Umstead State Park is a North Carolina state park in Wake County, North Carolina in the United States. It covers nestled between the expanding cities of Raleigh, Cary, and Durham, North Carolina. It offers hiking, bridle, and bike tr ...
. In 1939, the State General Assembly chartered the Raleigh-Durham Aeronautical Authority to build a larger airport between Raleigh and Durham, with the first flight occurring in 1943.
In 1947, Raleigh citizens adopted a
council–manager form of government, which is still the city's current form of government. Council members are elected from
single-member districts. They hire a city manager.
The
Dorton Arena
J. S. Dorton Arena is a 7,610-seat multi-purpose arena located in Raleigh, North Carolina, on the grounds of the North Carolina State Fair. It opened in 1952.
Architect Maciej Nowicki of the North Carolina State University Department of Architec ...
, a 7,610-seat multi-purpose arena designed by
Matthew Nowicki
Matthew Nowicki (in Poland known as Maciej Nowicki) (26 June 1910 – 1 September 1950) was a Polish architect. He was chief architect of the new Indian city of Chandigarh.
Career
Nowicki was born in Chita in Siberia. After the Second Worl ...
, was opened in 1952 on the grounds of the North Carolina State Fair. It was listed in the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
in 1973.
Raleigh experienced significant damage from
Hurricane Hazel
Hurricane Hazel was the deadliest, second costliest, and most intense hurricane of the 1954 Atlantic hurricane season. The storm killed at least 469 people in Haiti before striking the United States near the border between North and Sout ...
in 1954.
In 1953,
WNAO-TV
WNAO-TV, UHF analog channel 28, was a CBS- affiliated television station licensed to Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Owned by the Sir Walter Television Company, it was the first television station in the Raleigh–Durham area and the fir ...
, channel 28, became the city's first television station, though it folded in 1957.
With the opening of the
Research Triangle Park in 1959, Raleigh began to experience a population increase, resulting in a total city population of 100,000 by 1960.
In 1960, the Census Bureau reported Raleigh's population as 76.4% White and 23.4% Black.
Following the passage of the federal
Voting Rights Act of 1965, one of the main achievements of the
Civil Rights Movement
The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement throughout the Unite ...
and the
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...
presidency, political participation and voting by African Americans in Raleigh increased rapidly.
From the early-to-mid 20th century
East Hargett Street was known as Raleigh's "Black Main Street" and hosted numerous Black-owned businesses. The area declined after the city desegregated its establishments.
By the early 1970s people in Raleigh were growing increasingly concerned about growth and
urban sprawl
Urban sprawl (also known as suburban sprawl or urban encroachment) is defined as "the spreading of urban developments (such as houses and shopping centers) on undeveloped land near a city." Urban sprawl has been described as the unrestricted growt ...
. Community organizations felt that municipal offices were being too heavily influenced by business interests when the city's population was rapidly growing and various development projects were being proposed. At their behest, the municipal elections were altered so that the mayor was to be directly elected, instead of being selected by the city council. Most city council seats were then made responsible to districts, instead of being held at-large. The 1973 elections were the first contests affected by the reforms. City Councilman
Clarence Lightner
Clarence Everett Lightner (August 15, 1921 – July 8, 2002) was an American politician and mortician. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as Mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina from 1973 to 1975. He was the first popularly elected Mayor ...
defeated Raleigh Merchants bureau Executive Director G. Wesley Williams to become Raleigh's first Black mayor, and thus the first Black mayor in a major White-majority city in the South.
In 1976, the Raleigh City and Wake County schools merged to become 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 ...
, now the largest school system in the state and 19th largest in the country.
During the 1970s and 1980s, the
I-440 beltline was constructed, in an attempt to ease traffic congestion and providing access to most major city roads.
The first
Raleigh Convention Center
The Raleigh Convention Center is a convention and exhibition facility in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina that opened in September 2008. The architect was Tvsdesign with the participation of local firms O'Brien/Atkins Associates and Clearscapes. ...
(replaced in 2008) and Fayetteville Street Mall were both opened in 1977. Fayetteville Street was turned into a pedestrian-only street in an effort to help the then-ailing downtown area, but the plan was flawed and business declined for years to come. Fayetteville Street was reopened in 2007 as the main thoroughfare of Raleigh's downtown.
During the
1988 Raleigh tornado outbreak of November 28, 1988, the city was affected by the most destructive of the seven tornadoes reported in
Northeastern North Carolina
The Inner Banks is a neologism made up by developers and tourism promoters to describe the inland coastal region of eastern North Carolina. Without historical precedent, the term "Inner Banks" is an early 21st-century construct that is part of a ...
and southeastern
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 ...
between 1:00 am and 5:45 am. The Raleigh tornado produced over $77 million in damage, along with four fatalities (two in the city of Raleigh, and two in
Nash County
Nash County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 94,970. Its county seat is Nashville.
Nash County is now a part of the Rocky Mount, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, instead of the ...
) and 154 injuries. The damage path from the storm was measured at long, and wide at times. The tornado was rated
F4.
In 1991, two large skyscrapers in Raleigh were completed,
First Union Capitol Center
Wells Fargo Capitol Center (formerly Wachovia Capitol Center and First Union Capitol Center) is a 30-story 121.92 m high-rise skyscraper at 150 Fayetteville Street in Raleigh, North Carolina with of space. Completed in 1990, it was one of the down ...
and
Two Hannover Square, along with the popular
Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
Coastal Credit Union Music Park (originally named Walnut Creek Amphitheatre and formerly Alltel Pavilion) is an outdoor amphitheater located in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States, that specializes in hosting large concerts.
The amphitheater ...
in Southeast Raleigh.
In 1996, the
Olympic Flame
The Olympic flame is a symbol used in the Olympic movement. It is also a symbol of continuity between ancient and modern games. Several months before the Olympic Games, the Olympic flame is lit at Olympia, Greece. This ceremony starts the Olymp ...
passed through Raleigh while on its way to the
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...
in
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
. Also in 1996,
Hurricane Fran
Hurricane Fran caused extensive damage in the United States in early September 1996. The sixth named storm, fifth hurricane, and third major hurricane of the 1996 Atlantic hurricane season, Fran developed from a tropical wave near Cape Verde on ...
struck the area, causing massive flooding and extensive structural damage. In addition,
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 ...
became the first High-Definition broadcast station in the world.
In 1997, the
National Hockey League
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 ...
's
Hartford Whalers
The Hartford Whalers were a professional ice hockey team based for most of its existence in Hartford, Connecticut. The club played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1972 until 1979, and in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1979 to ...
announced their intention to move to Raleigh as 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 ...
, becoming the city's first major league professional sports franchise.
In 1999, the Raleigh Entertainment and Sports Arena (later renamed the RBC Center and now called
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 a ...
), opened to provide a home for the Hurricanes and the
NC State Wolfpack men's basketball
The NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team represents North Carolina State University in NCAA Division I men's basketball competition. N.C. State is one of the seven founding members of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Prior to joining the ACC i ...
team, as well as an up-to-date major concert venue.
21st century
![Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/07/Holy_Name_of_Jesus_Cathedral.jpg)
In the first decade of the 21st century, Raleigh was featured prominently in a number of "Top 10 Lists", including those by ''
Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...
'',
MSNBC
MSNBC (originally the Microsoft National Broadcasting Company) is an American news-based pay television cable channel. It is owned by NBCUniversala subsidiary of Comcast. Headquartered in New York City, it provides news coverage and politi ...
and
''Money'' magazine, due to its quality of life and favorable business climate.
In 2001, the Raleigh Memorial Auditorium complex was expanded with the addition of the
Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts, Meymandi Concert Hall, Fletcher Opera Theater, Kennedy Theatre,
Betty Ray McCain
Betty Landon Ray McCain (born Betty Landon Ray; February 23, 1931 – November 23, 2022) was an American politician and political strategist. She was the North Carolina Secretary of Cultural Resources during Governor Jim Hunt's administration a ...
Gallery and Lichtin Plaza.
Fayetteville Street reopened to vehicular traffic in 2006. A variety of downtown building projects began around this time including the 34-story
RBC Bank Tower, multiple condominium projects and several new restaurants. Additional skyscrapers are in the proposal/planning phase.
In 2006, the city's NHL franchise, 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 ...
, won the
Stanley Cup, North Carolina's first and only professional sports championship.
With the opening of parts of
I-540 from 2005 to 2007, a new loop around Wake County, traffic congestion eased somewhat in the North Raleigh area. Completion of the entire loop is expected to take another 15 years.
In 2008, the city's
Fayetteville Street Historic District
The Fayetteville Street Historic District in Raleigh, North Carolina is a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). The District includes the 100-400 blocks of Fayetteville Street, the 00-100 blocks of the south ...
joined the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
.
In September 2010, Raleigh hosted the inaugural
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 ...
.
In January 2011, Raleigh hosted the
National Hockey League
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 ...
All-Star Game
An all-star game is an exhibition game that purports to showcase the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or d ...
.
In April 2011, a devastating
EF-3 tornado
A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, altho ...
hit Raleigh, and many other tornadoes touched down in the state (ultimately the largest, but not the
strongest outbreak to ever hit the state), killing 24 people. The tornado tracked northeast through parts of Downtown, East Central Raleigh and Northeast Raleigh and produced $115 million in damages in Wake County. There were 4 fatalities in the city.
In September 2015,
Holy Trinity Anglican Church was opened; the first church to be built in downtown Raleigh since 1958.
On July 26, 2017, the Catholic Diocese of Raleigh dedicated its new cathedral,
Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral, the fifth-largest in the United States.
On October 13, 2022,
a mass shooting occurred in Raleigh's Hedingham neighborhood. Five people were killed, and two others were injured.
The suspect, a 15-year-old boy, was detained after being cornered by police at a nearby residence and is in critical condition from injuries sustained during the incident.
Geography
According to the
United States 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 t ...
, the city of Raleigh occupies a total area of ,
of which is land and , or 0.76%, is covered by water. The
Neuse River
The Neuse River ( , Tuscarora: Neyuherú·kęʔkì·nęʔ) is a river rising in the Piedmont of North Carolina and emptying into Pamlico Sound below New Bern. Its total length is approximately , making it the longest river entirely contained in ...
flows through the northeastern corner of the city.
Raleigh is located in the northeast central region of North Carolina, where the
Piedmont
it, Piemontese
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 =
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographics1_title1 =
, demographics1_info1 =
, demographics1_title2 ...
and
Atlantic coastal plain regions meet. This area is known as the "
fall line
A fall line (or fall zone) is the area where an upland region and a coastal plain meet and is typically prominent where rivers cross it, with resulting rapids or waterfalls. The uplands are relatively hard crystalline basement rock, and the coa ...
" because it marks the elevation inland at which waterfalls begin to appear in creeks and rivers. As a result, most of Raleigh features gently rolling hills that slope eastward toward the state's flat coastal plain.
The city of Raleigh is located southeast of
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 ...
, northeast of
Fayetteville, northwest of
Wilmington, northeast of
Charlotte
Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...
, and southwest of
Richmond, Virginia. A small portion of Raleigh is located in
Durham County, North Carolina
Durham County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 324,833, making it the sixth-most populous county in North Carolina. Its county seat is Durham, which is the only incorporated m ...
.
Cityscape
![Fayetteville Street in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3c/Fayetteville_Street_in_downtown_Raleigh%2C_North_Carolina.jpg)
Raleigh is divided into several major geographic areas, each of which use a Raleigh address and a
ZIP code that begins with the digits 276.
PNC Plaza
PNC Plaza is a skyscraper in Downtown, Louisville, Kentucky and located at 500 West Jefferson Street. Owned by Pittsburgh-based PNC Bank, the 31-story, high structure was designed by architect Welton Becket and was completed in 1971. A not ...
, formerly known as RBC Plaza, is the largest and tallest skyscraper in the city of Raleigh. The tower rises to a height of , with a floor count of 34.
Inside the Beltline
![Warehouse raleigh](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/Warehouse_raleigh.jpg)
One common division of Raleigh is to differentiate the central part of the city, which lies inside of the
circumferential highway known as the Raleigh Beltline (
I-440 and
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 ...
) from areas outside of the Beltline. The area inside of the beltline includes the entirety of the central business district known as Downtown Raleigh, as well as several more residential areas surrounding it.
The downtown area is home to historic buildings such as the
Sir Walter Raleigh Hotel
The Sir Walter Hotel is the oldest surviving hotel building in Raleigh, North Carolina. Constructed between 1923 and 1924 on Fayetteville Street and named after Sir Walter Raleigh, the hotel was nicknamed North Carolina's "third house of governmen ...
built in the early 20th century, the restored
City Market, the
Fayetteville Street
Fayetteville Street is a major street in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, United States of America. It is a north-south thoroughfare that connects the State Capitol to the Raleigh Convention Center and the Progress Energy Center for the Performin ...
downtown business district (which includes the
PNC Plaza
PNC Plaza is a skyscraper in Downtown, Louisville, Kentucky and located at 500 West Jefferson Street. Owned by Pittsburgh-based PNC Bank, the 31-story, high structure was designed by architect Welton Becket and was completed in 1971. A not ...
and
Wells Fargo Capitol Center
Wells Fargo Capitol Center (formerly Wachovia Capitol Center and First Union Capitol Center) is a 30-story 121.92 m high-rise skyscraper at 150 Fayetteville Street in Raleigh, North Carolina with of space. Completed in 1990, it was one of the dow ...
buildings), as well as the
North Carolina Museum of History
The North Carolina Museum of History is a history museum located in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina. It is an affiliate through the Smithsonian Affiliations program. The museum is a part of the Division of State History Museums, Office of Archives ...
,
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences (NCMNS) is the largest museum of its kind in the Southeastern United States. It is the oldest established museum in North Carolina, located in Raleigh. In 2013, it had about 1.2 million visitors, and i ...
,
North Carolina State Capitol
The North Carolina State Capitol is the former seat of the legislature of the U.S. state of North Carolina which housed all of the state's government until 1888. The Supreme Court and State Library moved into a separate building in 1888, and the ...
,
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 ...
, the
City of Raleigh Museum,
Raleigh Convention Center
The Raleigh Convention Center is a convention and exhibition facility in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina that opened in September 2008. The architect was Tvsdesign with the participation of local firms O'Brien/Atkins Associates and Clearscapes. ...
,
Shaw University,
Campbell University School of Law, and
St. Augustine's College. In the 2000s, an effort by the Downtown Raleigh Alliance was made to separate this area of the city into five smaller districts:
Fayetteville Street
Fayetteville Street is a major street in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, United States of America. It is a north-south thoroughfare that connects the State Capitol to the Raleigh Convention Center and the Progress Energy Center for the Performin ...
,
Moore Square,
Glenwood South,
Warehouse (Raleigh)
The Warehouse District is a major downtown district in Raleigh, North Carolina, The Warehouse District is a growing arts, restaurant, nightlife, and entrepreneurial district located three blocks west of the Raleigh Convention Center. The district ...
, and
Capital District (Raleigh).
Some of the names have become commonplace among locals, such as the Warehouse District, Fayetteville Street, and
Glenwood South. Other neighborhoods lying inside the Beltline include
Cameron Park,
Boylan Heights, Country Club Hills, Coley Forest, Five Points, Budleigh,
Glenwood-Brooklyn,
Hayes Barton Historic District,
Moore Square,
Mordecai
Mordecai (; also Mordechai; , IPA: ) is one of the main personalities in the Book of Esther in the Hebrew Bible. He is described as being the son of Jair, of the tribe of Benjamin. He was promoted to Vizier after Haman was killed.
Biblical acco ...
(home to the historic
Mordecai House), Rochester Heights, South Park, Rosengarten Park, Belvidere Park, Woodcrest, Oberlin Village, and
Historic Oakwood
Historic Oakwood is a neighborhood in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, United States, on the National Register of Historic Places, and known for its Historic Oakwood Cemetery, its many Victorian houses and its location close to the Mordecai Pl ...
. These neighborhoods were typically built before World War II, and roughly correspond to the extent of the city of Raleigh before the population boom of the latter half of the 20th century led to growth of the city limits beyond the historic urban core.
Midtown Raleigh
![North Hills in Raleigh](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4d/North_Hills_in_Raleigh.jpg)
Midtown Raleigh is a
relatively new term used to describe the residential and commercial area lying on the northside of the I-440 Beltline and is part of North Raleigh. It is roughly framed by Glenwood/Six Forks Road to the West, Wake Forest Road to the East, and Millbrook Road to the North. It includes shopping centers such as
North Hills and
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 ...
. It also includes North Hills Park and part of the Raleigh Greenway System. The term was coined by the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, developer John Kane and planning director Mitchell Silver. ''The'' ''News & Observer'' newspaper started using the term for marketing purposes only. The Midtown Raleigh Alliance was founded on July 25, 2011, as a way for community leaders to promote the area. The center of the area, especially around the North Hills development at the junction of Six Forks Road and the Beltline, is experiencing rapid urbanization as several high-rise buildings have been built since 2010.
East Raleigh
East Raleigh is situated roughly from
Capital Boulevard near the
I-440 beltline to New Hope Road. Most of East Raleigh's development is along primary corridors such as
U.S. 1 (Capital Boulevard), New Bern Avenue, Poole Road, Buffaloe Road, and New Hope Road. Neighborhoods in East Raleigh include Hedingham, Longview, Lockwood,
Madonna Acres, New Hope, Thompson-Hunter and Wilder's Grove. The area is bordered to the east by the town of
Knightdale.
West Raleigh
![Dorton Arena](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/Dorton_Arena.jpg)
West Raleigh lies along
Hillsborough Street
Hillsborough Street is a business and cultural thoroughfare through Raleigh, North Carolina, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. The street serves as a center for social life among North Carolina State University and Meredith College students.
...
and Western Boulevard. The area is bordered to the west and south by
Cary
Cary may refer to:
Places
;United States
* Cary, Illinois, part of the Chicago metropolitan area
* Cary, Indiana, part of the Indianapolis metropolitan area
* Cary, Miami County, Indiana
* Cary, Maine
* Cary, Mississippi
* Cary, North Carolina ...
. It is home to
North Carolina State University,
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 ...
,
Pullen Park
Pullen Park is a public park immediately west of downtown Raleigh, North Carolina. It is located on Ashe Avenue and is adjacent to the Main and Centennial campuses of North Carolina State University, covering an area between Western Boulevard and ...
,
Pullen Memorial Baptist Church
Pullen Memorial Baptist Church is a Baptist church known for its progressive theology located in Raleigh, North Carolina, US, right beside North Carolina State University. , the Islamic Association of Raleigh,
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, ...
, Lake Johnson, the
North Carolina Museum of Art
The North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA) is an art museum in Raleigh, North Carolina. It opened in 1956 as the first major museum collection in the country to be formed by state legislation and funding. Since the initial 1947 appropriation that e ...
and historic
Saint Mary's School. Primary thoroughfares serving West Raleigh, in addition to Hillsborough Street, are Avent Ferry Road, Blue Ridge Road, and Western Boulevard. The
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 a ...
is also located here adjacent to the
North Carolina State Fairgrounds
The North Carolina State Fair is an American state fair and agricultural exposition held annually in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1853, the fair is organized by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. It attrac ...
. These are located approximately 2 miles from
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 ...
.
North Raleigh
North Raleigh is an expansive, diverse, and fast-growing suburban area of the city that is home to established neighborhoods to the south along with many newly built
subdivisions
Subdivision may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Subdivision (metre), in music
* ''Subdivision'' (film), 2009
* "Subdivision", an episode of ''Prison Break'' (season 2)
* ''Subdivisions'' (EP), by Sinch, 2005
* "Subdivisions" (song), by Rush ...
and along its northern fringes. The area generally falls North of Millbrook Road. It is primarily suburban with large shopping areas. Primary neighborhoods and subdivisions in North Raleigh include Bartons Creek Bluffs, Bedford, Bent Tree, Black Horse Run, Brier Creek, Brookhaven, Coachman's Trail, Crossgate, Crosswinds, Dominion Park, Durant Trails, Ethan's Glenn, Falls River, Greystone Village, Harrington Grove, Hidden Valley, Lake Park, Long Lake, North Haven,
North Ridge, Oakcroft, Shannon Woods, Six Forks Station, Springdale Estates, Stonebridge, Stone Creek, Stonehenge, Summerfield, The Sanctuary, Valley Estates, Wakefield, Weathersfield, Windsor Forest, and Wood Valley. The area is served by a number of primary transportation corridors including Glenwood Avenue
U.S. Route 70,
Interstate 540, Wake Forest Road, Millbrook Road, Lynn Road, Six Forks Road, Spring Forest Road,
Creedmoor Road, Leesville Road, Norwood Road, Strickland Road, and North Hills Drive.
South Raleigh
South Raleigh is located along
U.S. 401 south toward
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 ...
and along
US 70
U.S. Route 70 or U.S. Highway 70 (US 70) is an east–west United States highway that runs for from eastern North Carolina to east-central Arizona. It is a major east–west highway of the Southeastern, Southern and Southwestern United States. E ...
into suburban
Garner
Garner may refer to:
Places United States
* Garner, Arkansas
* Garner, Iowa
* Garner, Missouri
* Garner, North Carolina
Other uses
* Garner (surname), a surname
* Granary, a grain store
* ''Tennessee v. Garner'', a United States Supreme Court cas ...
. This area is the least developed and least dense area of Raleigh (much of the area lies within the
Swift Creek watershed district, where development regulations limit housing densities and construction). The area is bordered to the west by
Cary
Cary may refer to:
Places
;United States
* Cary, Illinois, part of the Chicago metropolitan area
* Cary, Indiana, part of the Indianapolis metropolitan area
* Cary, Miami County, Indiana
* Cary, Maine
* Cary, Mississippi
* Cary, North Carolina ...
, to the east by
Garner
Garner may refer to:
Places United States
* Garner, Arkansas
* Garner, Iowa
* Garner, Missouri
* Garner, North Carolina
Other uses
* Garner (surname), a surname
* Granary, a grain store
* ''Tennessee v. Garner'', a United States Supreme Court cas ...
, to the southwest by
Holly Springs and the southeast by Fuquay-Varina. Neighborhoods in South Raleigh include Eagle Creek, Renaissance Park, Lake Wheeler, Swift Creek, Carolina Pines, Rhamkatte, Riverbrooke, and Enchanted Oaks.
Southeast Raleigh
Southeast Raleigh is bounded by downtown on the west,
Garner
Garner may refer to:
Places United States
* Garner, Arkansas
* Garner, Iowa
* Garner, Missouri
* Garner, North Carolina
Other uses
* Garner (surname), a surname
* Granary, a grain store
* ''Tennessee v. Garner'', a United States Supreme Court cas ...
on the southwest, and rural
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 ...
to the southeast. The area includes areas along Rock Quarry Road, Poole Road, and New Bern Avenue. Primary neighborhoods include Abbington Ridge, Pearl Ridge, Chastain, Chavis Heights, Raleigh Country Club, Southgate, Kingwood Forest, Rochester Heights, Emerald Village and Biltmore Hills.
Coastal Credit Union Music Park (formerly Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion, Alltel Pavilion and Walnut Creek Amphitheatre) is one of the region's major outdoor concert venues and is located on Rock Quarry Road.
Shaw University is located in this part of the city. Starting in 2020, large tracts of formerly unoccupied land along Rock Quarry Road between New Hope Road and Barwell Road, and between Barwell Road and Battle Bridge Road, have been cleared for new developments.
Climate
![Ducks in Fall](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7f/Ducks_in_Fall.jpg)
Like much of the Southeastern United States, Raleigh has a
humid subtropical climate (
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer
* Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan
* Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...
''Cfa''). Winters are generally cool, with a normal January daily mean temperature of .
On average, there are 69 nights per year that drop to or below freezing, and only 2.7 days that fail to rise above freezing.
Raleigh receives an average annual rainfall of . Annual and monthly temperature and precipitation data are in chart below, based on 1991–2020 climate data. February is the driest month, with an average of of precipitation. Precipitation is well distributed around the year, with a slight maximum between July and September, owing to generally frequent, sometimes heavy, showers and thunderstorms, and the threat of tropical weather systems (primarily in from August to early October) bringing heavy rainfall. Summers are hot and humid, with a normal July daily mean temperature of .
There are 48 days per year with highs at or above .
Autumn is similar to spring overall but has fewer days of rainfall, but greater potential for extremely heavy rainfall in a one/two-day period, owing to occasional threat from tropical weather systems (hurricanes and tropical storms) packing torrential rainfall. In September 1999, Raleigh recorded its wettest month ever, with over 21 inches of rain, due to torrential rainfall from tropical weather systems, most notably Hurricane Floyd on September 15–16. Extremes in temperature have ranged from on
January 21, 1985 up to , most recently on
June 29–30 and July 8, 2012.
Raleigh falls in
USDA
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of com ...
hardiness zones
A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most wide ...
7b (5 °F to 10 °F) and 8a (10 °F to 15 °F).
![Raleigh snow](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/Raleigh_snow.jpg)
Raleigh receives an average of of snow in winter.
Freezing rain
Freezing rain is rain maintained at temperatures below freezing by the ambient air mass that causes freezing on contact with surfaces. Unlike a mixture of rain and snow or ice pellets, freezing rain is made entirely of liquid droplets. The rain ...
and
sleet also occur most winters, and occasionally the area experiences a major damaging
ice storm
An ice storm, also known as a glaze event or a silver storm is a type of winter storm characterized by freezing rain. The U.S. National Weather Service defines an ice storm as a storm which results in the accumulation of at least of ice on e ...
. On January 24–25, 2000, Raleigh received its greatest snowfall from a single stormthe
Winter Storm of January 2000. Storms of this magnitude are generally the result of
cold air damming
Cold air damming, or CAD, is a meteorological phenomenon that involves a high-pressure system (anticyclone) accelerating equatorward east of a north-south oriented mountain range due to the formation of a barrier jet behind a cold front associated ...
that affects the city due to its proximity to the
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. They ...
. Winter storms have caused traffic problems in the past as well.
The region also experiences occasional periods of drought, during which the city sometimes has restricted water use by residents. During the late summer and early fall, Raleigh can experience
hurricane
A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...
s. In 1996,
Hurricane Fran
Hurricane Fran caused extensive damage in the United States in early September 1996. The sixth named storm, fifth hurricane, and third major hurricane of the 1996 Atlantic hurricane season, Fran developed from a tropical wave near Cape Verde on ...
caused severe damage in the Raleigh area, mostly from falling trees. Hurricanes Dennis and Floyd in September 1999 were primary contributors to that month's extreme rainfall of over 21 inches. The most recent hurricane to have a considerable effect on the area was
Hurricane Florence
Hurricane Florence was a powerful and long-lived Cape Verde hurricane that caused catastrophic damage in the Carolinas in September 2018, primarily as a result of freshwater flooding due to torrential rain. The sixth named storm, third h ...
in 2018. Tornadoes also have on occasion affected the city of Raleigh, most notably the November 28, 1988, tornado which occurred in the early morning hours and rated F4 on the
Fujita scale
The Fujita scale (F-Scale; ), or Fujita–Pearson scale (FPP scale), is a scale for rating tornado intensity, based primarily on the damage tornadoes inflict on human-built structures and vegetation. The official Fujita scale category is deter ...
and affected northwestern portions of the city. There also was the April 16, 2011, EF3 tornado, which affected portions of downtown and northeast Raleigh and the suburb of Holly Springs.
Demographics
2020 census
''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.''
As of the
2020 United States census
The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...
, there were 467,665 people, 188,412 households, and 104,848 families residing in the city. In the
American Community Survey of 2019, the city of Raleigh's population was estimated at 474,708; an earlier estimate determined the population at 474,069.
At the 2000 United States census,
there were 276,093 persons (July 2008 estimate was 380,173) and 61,371 families residing in Raleigh. The population density was 2,409.2 people per square mile (930.2/km
2). There were 120,699 housing units at an average density of 1,053.2 per square mile (406.7/km
2). There were 112,608 households in the city in 2000, of which 26.5% included children below the age of 18, 39.5% were composed of married couples living together, 11.4% reported a female householder with no husband present, and 45.5% classified themselves as nonfamily. Unmarried partners were present in 2.2% of households. In addition, 33.1% of all households were composed of individuals living alone, of which 6.2% was someone 65 years of age or older. The average household size in Raleigh was 2.30 persons, and the average family size was 2.97 persons.
Raleigh's population in 2000 was evenly distributed with 20.9% below the age of 18, 15.9% aged 18 to 24, 36.6% from 25 to 44, and 18.4% from 45 to 64. An estimated 8.3% of the population was 65 years of age or older, and the median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.0 males; for every 100 females aged 18 or older, there were 96.6 males aged 18 or older.
The racial makeup of Raleigh in 2019 was 52.5% non-Hispanic White, 28.3% Black or African American, 0.4% American Indian or Alaska Native, 4.0% Asian American, 0.1% from some other race, 2.1% two or more races, 12.5% Hispanic or Latin American of any race. According to the 2010 United States census, the racial composition of the city was: 57.5%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...
(53.3%
non-Hispanic White), 29.3%
Black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...
or African American, 4.3% Asian American (1.2%
Indian
Indian or Indians may refer to:
Peoples South Asia
* Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor
** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country
* South Asia ...
, 0.8%
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
, 0.7%
Vietnamese
Vietnamese may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia
** A citizen of Vietnam. See Demographics of Vietnam.
* Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam
** Overse ...
, 0.5%
Korean
Korean may refer to:
People and culture
* Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula
* Korean cuisine
* Korean culture
* Korean language
**Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl
**Korean dialects and the Jeju language
** ...
, 0.4%
Filipino
Filipino may refer to:
* Something from or related to the Philippines
** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines.
** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...
, 0.1%
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
), 2.6%
two or more races
2 (two) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 1 and preceding 3. It is the smallest and only even prime number. Because it forms the basis of a duality, it has religious and spiritual significance in many cultur ...
, 1.4%
some other race, 0.5% Native American, and <0.1%
Native Hawaiian
Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, First Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians) ( haw, kānaka, , , and ), are the indigenous ethnic group of Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands.
Hawa ...
or
other Pacific Islander In addition, 11.4% of city residents were
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...
or
Latino Americans
Hispanic and Latino Americans ( es, Estadounidenses hispanos y latinos; pt, Estadunidenses hispânicos e latinos) are Americans of Spanish and/or Latin American ancestry. More broadly, these demographics include all Americans who identify as ...
, of any race (5.9%
Mexican, 1.1%
Puerto Rican, 0.9%
Salvadoran
Salvadorans (Spanish: ''Salvadoreños''), also known as Salvadorians (alternate spelling: Salvadoreans), are citizens of El Salvador, a country in Central America. Most Salvadorans live in El Salvador, although there is also a significant Salvad ...
, 0.6%
Dominican, 0.6%
Honduran, 0.3%
Colombian, 0.3%
Cuban
Cuban may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Cuba, a country in the Caribbean
* Cubans, people from Cuba, or of Cuban descent
** Cuban exile, a person who left Cuba for political reasons, or a descendant thereof
* Cuban citizen, a perso ...
, 0.2%
Guatemalan, 0.2%
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
, 0.2%
Peruvian
Peruvians ( es, peruanos) are the citizens of Peru. There were Andean and coastal ancient civilizations like Caral, which inhabited what is now Peruvian territory for several millennia before the Spanish conquest of Peru, Spanish conquest in th ...
, 0.1%
Venezuelan, 0.1%
Ecuadorian
Ecuadorians ( es, ecuatorianos) are people identified with the South American country of Ecuador. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Ecuadorians, several (or all) of these connections exist and are colle ...
, 0.1%
Argentine, and 0.1%
Panamanian
Panamanians (Spanish: ''Panameños'') are people identified with Panama, a transcontinental country in Central America (a region within North America) and South America, whose connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For m ...
). In 2000, the racial composition of the city was: 63.31% White, 27.80% Black or African American, 7.01% Hispanic or Latino American, 3.38% Asian American, 0.36% Native American, 0.04% Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, 3.24% some other race, and 1.88% two or more races.
The median
household income
Household income is a measure of the combined incomes of all people sharing a particular household or place of residence. It includes every form of income, e.g., salaries and wages, retirement income, near cash government transfers like food stamp ...
in the city was $46,612 in 2000, and the median
family income
Family income is generally considered a primary measure of a nation's financial prosperity.
In the United States, political parties perennially disagree over which economic policies are more likely to increase family income. The party in power oft ...
was $60,003. Males earned a median income of $39,248, versus $30,656 for females. The median per capita income for the city was $25,113, and an estimated 11.5% of the population and 7.1% of families were living below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
. Of the total population, 18.8% of those below the age of 18, and 9.3% of those 65 and older, were living below the poverty line. In 2019, an estimated 10.9% of the local population were at or below the poverty line. The median household income from 2014 to 2018 was $63,891 and the per capita income was $36,875.
There were 180,046 households with an average of 2.43 persons per household. The median value of an owner-occupied housing unit was $236,700 in 2018 and the monthly cost with a mortgage was $1,480. The cost without a mortgage was $526. Raleigh had a median gross rent of $1,074.
Religion
Raleigh is home to a wide variety of religious practitioners. The predominant religion in Raleigh is Christianity, with the largest numbers of adherents being
Baptist
Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compe ...
(14.1%),
Methodist
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...
(5.6%), and
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
* Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...
(4.2%). Others include
Presbyterianism
Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...
(2.8%),
Pentecostalism
Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement (1.7%),
Anglicanism/Episcopalianism (1.2%),
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...
(0.6%), the
Latter-Day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The c ...
(0.7%), and other Christian denominations (10.2%) including the
Eastern Orthodox
Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism.
Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or " canonical ...
,
Oriental Orthodox,
Jehovah's Witness
Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The group reports a worldwide membership of approximately 8.7 million adherents involved in ...
,
Christian Science,
Christian Unitarianism, other
Mainline Protestant groups, and
non-denominational Christians.
The
Roman Catholic Diocese of Raleigh, the
Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina
The Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina is a diocese of the Episcopal Church within Province IV that encompasses central North Carolina. Founded in 1817, the modern boundaries of the diocese roughly corresponds to the portion of North Carolina ...
, the
North Carolina Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, and the New Hope Presbytery of the
Presbyterian Church (USA) are all headquartered in Raleigh.
Other religions, including
Hinduism
Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...
,
Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religions, Indian religion or Indian philosophy#Buddhist philosophy, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha. ...
,
Baháʼí,
Druze,
Taoism
Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the '' Ta ...
, and
Shintoism
Shinto () is a religion from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners ''Shintois ...
make up 1.31% of religious practitioners. Judaism (0.9%) and
Islam (0.8%) are also practiced.
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 ...
, 29% of the population are affiliated with the
Southern Baptist Convention, 22% are affiliated with the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
, 17% are affiliated with the
United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelic ...
, 6% are affiliated with the
Presbyterian Church (USA), and 27% are religiously affiliated with other denominations, religions, or are not religiously affiliated.
Crime
According to the
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...
's
Uniform Crime Reports
The Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program compiles official data on crime in the United States, published by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). UCR is "a nationwide, cooperative statistical effort of nearly 18,000 city, university and co ...
, in 2019 the
Raleigh Police Department
The Raleigh Police Department is the municipal law enforcement agency of Raleigh, North Carolina.
Overview
The Raleigh Police Department is a full service police department, serving all areas in the city limits of Raleigh, and some properties wh ...
and other agencies in the city reported 1,222 incidents of
violent crime
A violent crime, violent felony, crime of violence or crime of a violent nature is a crime in which an offender or perpetrator uses or threatens to use harmful force upon a victim. This entails both crimes in which the violent act is the objecti ...
and 8,520 incidents of
property crime
Property crime is a category of crime, usually involving private property, that includes, among other crimes, burglary, larceny, theft, motor vehicle theft, arson, shoplifting, and vandalism. Property crime is a crime to obtain money, property, o ...
– far below both the national average and the North Carolina average. Of the violent crimes reported, 5 were murders, 164 were rape/sexual assaults and 322 were
robberies
Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take anything of value by force, threat of force, or by use of fear. According to common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the perso ...
.
Aggravated assault accounted for 731 of the total violent crimes. Property crimes included
burglaries
Burglary, also called breaking and entering and sometimes housebreaking, is the act of entering a building or other areas without permission, with the intention of committing a criminal offence. Usually that offence is theft, robbery or murder ...
which accounted for 1,200,
larcenies for 6,572 and
Motor vehicle theft accounted for 748 incidents out of the total.
Economy
Raleigh's industrial base includes financial services, electrical, medical, electronic and telecommunications equipment, clothing and apparel, food processing, paper products, and pharmaceuticals. Raleigh is part of North Carolina's Research Triangle, one of the country's largest and most successful research parks, and a major center in the United States for
high-tech and
biotech
Biotechnology is the integration of natural sciences and engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms, cells, parts thereof and molecular analogues for products and services. The term ''biotechnology'' was first used b ...
research, as well as advanced textile development. The city is a major retail shipping point for eastern North Carolina and a wholesale distributing point for the grocery industry.
The healthcare and pharmaceutical industry has experienced major growth in recent years with many companies based in Raleigh including
PRA Health Sciences
PRA Health Sciences was a contract research organization (CRO) with headquarters in Raleigh, North Carolina. It was established in 1976 and acquired by ICON in 2021.
Background
PRA was founded as the Anti-Inflammatory Drug Study Group in 1976, r ...
, Chiesi USA (subsidiary of
Chiesi Farmaceutici), formerly
Mallinckrodt
Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals is an American-Irish domiciled manufacturer of specialty pharmaceuticals (namely, adrenocorticotropic hormone), generic drugs and imaging agents. In 2017 it generated 90% of its sales from the U.S. healthcare system. ...
prior to tax evasion with Ireland,
MAKO Surgical Corp., Metabolon, Inc.,
TearScience, and
American Board of Anesthesiology
The American Board of Anesthesiology sets standards and exams for the accreditation of Board certified anesthesiologists coming to the end of their residency. It is one of the 24 medical specialty boards that constitutes the American Board of M ...
.
Raleigh was number one on the 2015
Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...
list of the best place for businesses and careers. Companies based in Raleigh include
Advance Auto Parts
Advance Auto Parts, Inc. (Advance) is an American automotive aftermarket parts provider. Headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, it serves both professional installer and do it yourself (DIY) customers. As of July 13, 2019, Advance operated 4 ...
,
Bandwidth
Bandwidth commonly refers to:
* Bandwidth (signal processing) or ''analog bandwidth'', ''frequency bandwidth'', or ''radio bandwidth'', a measure of the width of a frequency range
* Bandwidth (computing), the rate of data transfer, bit rate or thr ...
,
Truist Financial
Truist Financial Corporation is an American bank holding company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. The company was formed in December 2019 as the result of the merger of BB&T (Branch Banking and Trust Company) and SunTrust Banks. Its ...
,
Building Materials Holding Corporation,
Capitol Broadcasting Company,
Carquest,
First Citizens BancShares,
Golden Corral
Golden Corral is an American restaurant chain which offers an all-you-can-eat buffet and grill. It is a privately held company headquartered in the U.S. city of Raleigh, North Carolina, with locations in 43 U.S. states and Puerto Rico.
History ...
,
Martin Marietta Materials
Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. is an American company and a member of the S&P 500 Index. The company is a supplier of aggregates and heavy building materials, with operations spanning 26 states, Canada and the Caribbean. In particular, Martin ...
,
PRA Health Sciences
PRA Health Sciences was a contract research organization (CRO) with headquarters in Raleigh, North Carolina. It was established in 1976 and acquired by ICON in 2021.
Background
PRA was founded as the Anti-Inflammatory Drug Study Group in 1976, r ...
,
Red Hat,
Vontier
Vontier Corporation is a manufacturing company headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina. It owns the brands Gilbarco Veeder-Root, Matco Tools and Teletrac Navman, including subsidiaries Hennessy Industries, Gasboy, and Global Traffic Technologies ...
,
Waste Industries
Waste Industries is a waste management company headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina. Specializing in non-hazardous solid waste, recycling collection of waste disposal from residential and commercial customers in the southeastern United St ...
, and
Lulu
Lulu may refer to:
Companies
* LuLu, an early automobile manufacturer
* Lulu.com, an online e-books and print self-publishing platform, distributor, and retailer
* Lulu Hypermarket, a retail chain in Asia
* Lululemon Athletica or simply Lulu, ...
.
Social Blade
Social Blade (sometimes spelled SocialBlade) is an American social media analytics website. Social Blade most notably tracks the YouTube platform, but also has analytical information regarding Twitch, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Trovo ...
, a website that tracks social media statistics and analytics, and
Temple Run
''Temple Run'' is a 3D endless running video game developed and published by Imangi Studios. The player controls an explorer who has obtained an ancient relic and runs from demonic monkey-like creatures chasing him. The game was initially rele ...
developer
Imangi Studios
Imangi Studios is an American independent video game company best known for creating the top free iOS, Android, and Windows Phone game '' Temple Run''. Founded by husband-and-wife team Natalia Luckyanova and Keith Shepherd, the company also ha ...
are based in Raleigh.
The
North Carolina Air National Guard
The North Carolina Air National Guard (NC ANG) is the aerial militia of the State of North Carolina, United States of America. It is, along with the North Carolina Army National Guard, an element of the North Carolina National Guard.
As state m ...
, a unit of the
Air National Guard, is also headquartered in Raleigh.
In April 2014 Steven P. Rosenthal of Northland Investment Corp. referred to Raleigh as "a real concentration of brain power. You have a lot of smart people living in the same place. That will drive the economy."
Top employers
According to Raleigh's 2017–18 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:
Arts and culture
Museums
![Progress-Energy-Center-for-the-Performing-Arts-20080321](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/Progress-Energy-Center-for-the-Performing-Arts-20080321.jpeg)
*African American Cultural Complex
*
Contemporary Art Museum of Raleigh
Contemporary Art Museum of Raleigh (CAM Raleigh) is a multimedia contemporary art gallery in Raleigh, North Carolina. CAM Raleigh has no permanent collection but offers exhibitions of works by artists with regional, national, and international rec ...
*Gregg Museum of Art & Design at
North Carolina State University
*Haywood Hall House & Gardens
*
Marbles Kids Museum
*
North Carolina Museum of Art
The North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA) is an art museum in Raleigh, North Carolina. It opened in 1956 as the first major museum collection in the country to be formed by state legislation and funding. Since the initial 1947 appropriation that e ...
*
North Carolina Museum of History
The North Carolina Museum of History is a history museum located in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina. It is an affiliate through the Smithsonian Affiliations program. The museum is a part of the Division of State History Museums, Office of Archives ...
*
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences (NCMNS) is the largest museum of its kind in the Southeastern United States. It is the oldest established museum in North Carolina, located in Raleigh. In 2013, it had about 1.2 million visitors, and i ...
*
North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame
The North Carolina Museum of History is a history museum located in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina. It is an affiliate through the Smithsonian Affiliations program. The museum is a part of the Division of State History Museums, Office of Archives ...
*
City of Raleigh Museum
*
J. C. Raulston Arboretum
The JC Raulston Arboretum is a arboretum and botanical garden administered by North Carolina State University, and located in Raleigh, North Carolina. It is open daily to the public without charge.
History
The Arboretum was established in ...
*
Joel Lane House
The Joel Lane House, also known as Wakefield, was built in 1769 and is now a restored historic home and museum in Raleigh, North Carolina. It is the oldest dwelling in Wake County and contains collections of 18th century artifacts and period fur ...
*
Mordecai Plantation
*
Pope House Museum
Performing arts
The
Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
Coastal Credit Union Music Park (originally named Walnut Creek Amphitheatre and formerly Alltel Pavilion) is an outdoor amphitheater located in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States, that specializes in hosting large concerts.
The amphitheater ...
hosts major international touring acts. In 2011, the Downtown Raleigh Amphitheater opened (now sponsored as the
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 ...
), which hosts numerous concerts primarily in the summer months. An additional amphitheater sits on the grounds of the North Carolina Museum of Art, which hosts a summer concert series and outdoor movies. Nearby Cary is home to the
Koka Booth Amphitheatre which hosts additional summer concerts and outdoor movies, and serves as the venue for regularly scheduled outdoor concerts by the North Carolina Symphony based in Raleigh. During the
North Carolina State Fair
The North Carolina State Fair is an American state fair and agricultural exposition held annually in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1853, the fair is organized by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. It attrac ...
,
Dorton Arena
J. S. Dorton Arena is a 7,610-seat multi-purpose arena located in Raleigh, North Carolina, on the grounds of the North Carolina State Fair. It opened in 1952.
Architect Maciej Nowicki of the North Carolina State University Department of Architec ...
hosts headline acts. The private Lincoln Theatre is one of several clubs in downtown Raleigh that schedules many concerts throughout the year in multiple formats (rock, pop, country).
The
Duke 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 2 ...
complex houses the Raleigh Memorial Auditorium, the Fletcher Opera Theater, the Kennedy Theatre, and the Meymandi Concert Hall. In 2008, a new theatre space, the Meymandi Theatre at the Murphey School, was opened in the restored auditorium of the historic Murphey School. Theater performances are also offered at the
Raleigh Little Theatre
Raleigh Little Theatre (RLT) is a community theatre in Raleigh, North Carolina, that produces 10 to 11 full productions annually and conducts youth and adult theatre education programs.
About
Raleigh Little Theatre was established in 1936 to pro ...
,
Long View Center
The Long View Center is a historic church building located in the Moore Square Historic District of Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. The facility sits directly across from Moore Square, one of two surviving four-acre (1.6 ha) parks from R ...
,
Ira David Wood III Pullen Park Theatre, and Stewart and Thompson Theaters at North Carolina State University.
Raleigh is home to several professional arts organizations, including the
North Carolina Symphony
The North Carolina Symphony (NCS) is an American orchestra based in Raleigh, North Carolina, with sixty-six full-time musicians. The orchestra performs in Meymandi Concert Hall and performs occasionally with the Carolina Ballet and the Opera Com ...
, the Opera Company of North Carolina,
Theatre in the Park, Burning Coal Theatre Company, the
North Carolina Theatre, Broadway Series South and the
Carolina Ballet
Carolina Ballet is one of America’s premier arts organizations, programming traditional ballets by legendary masters and new works by contemporary choreographers. The Ballet was launched as a professional company in 1998 under the direction of F ...
. The numerous local colleges and universities significantly add to the options available for viewing live performances.
Visual arts
North Carolina Museum of Art
The North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA) is an art museum in Raleigh, North Carolina. It opened in 1956 as the first major museum collection in the country to be formed by state legislation and funding. Since the initial 1947 appropriation that e ...
, occupying a large suburban campus on Blue Ridge Road near the
North Carolina State Fair
The North Carolina State Fair is an American state fair and agricultural exposition held annually in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1853, the fair is organized by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. It attrac ...
grounds, maintains one of the premier public art collections located between Washington, D.C., and Atlanta. In addition to its extensive collections of
American Art
Visual art of the United States or American art is visual art made in the United States or by U.S. artists. Before colonization there were many flourishing traditions of Native American art, and where the Spanish colonized Spanish Colonial arc ...
,
European Art
The art of Europe, or Western art, encompasses the history of visual art in Europe. European prehistoric art started as mobile Upper Paleolithic rock and cave painting and petroglyph art and was characteristic of the period between the Paleo ...
and
ancient art
Ancient art refers to the many types of art produced by the advanced cultures of ancient societies with some form of writing, such as those of ancient China, India, Mesopotamia, Persia, Palestine, Egypt, Greece, and Rome. The art of pre-liter ...
, the museum recently has hosted major exhibitions featuring
Auguste Rodin (in 2000) and
Claude Monet
Oscar-Claude Monet (, , ; 14 November 1840 – 5 December 1926) was a French painter and founder of impressionist painting who is seen as a key precursor to modernism, especially in his attempts to paint nature as he perceived it. Durin ...
(in 2006–07), each attracting more than 200,000 visitors. Unlike most prominent public museums, the North Carolina Museum of Art acquired a large number of the works in its permanent collection through purchases with public funds. The museum's outdoor park is one of the largest such
art parks
Artie William Parks (November 1, 1911 – December 6, 1989) was an outfielder in Major League Baseball. He played for the Brooklyn Dodgers during the 1937 and 1939 baseball seasons.
References
External links
Major League Baseball out ...
in the country. The museum facility underwent a major expansion which greatly expanded the exhibit space that was completed in 2010. The 127,000 sf new expansion is designed by NYC architect
Thomas Phifer and Partners.
Raleigh's downtown is also home to many local art galleries such as Art Space in
City Market, Visual Art Exchange, and 311 Gallery, on Martin Street, and Bee Hive Studios on Hargett Street.
CAM Raleigh is a downtown contemporary art museum, also on Martin Street, that serves to promote new artists and does not house a permanent collection. CAM Raleigh was designed by the award-winning architectural firm Brooks+Scarpa of Los Angeles.
Sports
Professional
The
National Hockey League
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 ...
's
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 ...
franchise moved to Raleigh in 1997 from
Hartford, Connecticut (where it was known as the
Hartford Whalers
The Hartford Whalers were a professional ice hockey team based for most of its existence in Hartford, Connecticut. The club played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1972 until 1979, and in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1979 to ...
). The team played its first two seasons more than 60 miles away at
Greensboro Coliseum
The Greensboro Coliseum Complex, commonly referred to as Greensboro Coliseum (the first and biggest building on the site), is an entertainment and sports complex located in Greensboro, North Carolina. Opened in 1959, the complex holds eight ven ...
while its home arena, Raleigh Entertainment and Sports Arena (later RBC Center and now
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 a ...
), was under construction. The Hurricanes are the only major league (
NFL,
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 ...
,
NBA,
MLB
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
) professional sports team in North Carolina to have won a championship, winning the
Stanley Cup in 2006, over the
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...
. The city played host to the
2011 NHL All-Star Game
The 2011 National Hockey League All-Star Game (also known as the ''2011 National Hockey League All-Star Game presented by Discover'') was played on January 30, 2011. The game took place at the RBC Center in Raleigh, home of the Carolina Hurricane ...
.
![PNC Arena](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/PNC_Arena.jpg)
In addition to the Hurricanes, the
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 ...
of the
United Soccer League
United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues currently organized are the ...
and
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 ...
women's professional soccer team play in suburban Cary to the west; 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, and play their home games at Five County Stadium. ...
, a
Single-A minor-league baseball team, play in the city's eastern suburbs; the newly formed
Single-A minor-league baseball Fayetteville Woodpeckers
The Fayetteville Woodpeckers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and play their home games at Segra Stadium. From 2017 to ...
, who formerly played in
Buies Creek
Buies Creek is a long 3rd order tributary to the Cape Fear River in Harnett County, North Carolina, United States.
Course
Buies Creek rises about 1.5 miles southeast of Angier and then flows south to join the Cape Fear River about 1 mile south ...
, began play in the nearby out-of-county southern suburb of
Fayetteville when their
new ballpark opened in 2019; the
Carolina Flyers
The Carolina Flyers, formerly the Raleigh Flyers, are a professional ultimate team from Durham, North Carolina playing in the South Division of the American Ultimate Disc League. The team was founded in 2015. From 2015 through 2018, the Flyers ...
of the
American Ultimate Disc League
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
play primarily at Cardinal Gibbons High School near the PNC Arena; and 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 ...
, the
AAA minor-league baseball team made internationally famous by the movie ''
Bull Durham
''Bull Durham'' is a 1988 American romantic comedy sports film. It is partly based upon the minor-league baseball experiences of writer/director Ron Shelton and depicts the players and fans of the Durham Bulls, a minor-league baseball team in ...
'', play in the neighboring city of Durham.
Several other professional sports leagues have had former franchises (now defunct) in Raleigh, including the
Raleigh IceCaps of the
ECHL
The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL).
The ...
(1991–1998);
Carolina Cobras
The Carolina Cobras were an expansion franchise in the Arena Football League. The team was formed prior to the 2000 season, which endured a player strike.
The team was originally based in Raleigh, North Carolina, but moved to Charlotte followi ...
of the
Arena Football League
The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 season, making it the third longest-running professional football league in ...
(2000–2004); the Raleigh–Durham Skyhawks of the World League of American Football (1991); the Raleigh Bullfrogs of the Global Basketball Association (1991–1992); the Raleigh Cougars of the United States Basketball League (1997–1999); and most recently, the Carolina Courage of the Women's United Soccer Association (2000–2001 in Chapel Hill, 2001–2003 in suburban Cary), which won that league's championship Founders Cup in 2002.
The Raleigh area has hosted the Professional Golfers' Association of America, Professional Golfers' Association (PGA) Nationwide Tour Rex Hospital Open since 1994, with the current location of play at Raleigh's Wakefield Plantation. Nearby Prestonwood Country Club hosts the PGA SAS Championship every fall.
Collegiate
North Carolina State University is located in southwest Raleigh where the North Carolina State Wolfpack, Wolfpack competes nationally in 24 intercollegiate varsity sports as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The university's football team plays in Carter–Finley Stadium, the second largest football stadium in North Carolina, while the men's basketball team shares the PNC Arena with the Carolina Hurricanes hockey club. The Wolfpack women's basketball, volleyball, and gymnastics as well as men's wrestling events are held on campus at Reynolds Coliseum. The men's baseball team plays at Doak Field.
Amateur
The North Carolina Tigers compete as an Australian rules football club in the United States Australian Football League, in the Eastern Australian Football League.
Raleigh is also home to one of the Cheer Extreme All Stars gyms. In 2009 and again in 2010, Cheer Extreme Raleigh's Small Senior Level 5 Team were silver medalists at the Cheerleading Worlds Competition in Orlando, Florida, and in 2012 they received the bronze medal. Raleigh is also home to one of the Southeast's premier Hardcourt Bike Polo clubs.
Because of the area's many billiards rooms, Raleigh is home to one of the largest amateur league franchises for playing pool (cue sports), pool, the Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill American Poolplayers Association. There are leagues available in formats for players of any skill level.
Parks and recreation
![Girl walking dog at Lake Johnson](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/Girl_walking_dog_at_Lake_Johnson.jpg)
Raleigh is the home of Raleigh Kubb, both a competitive and non-competitive kubb club. Raleigh Kubb hosts kubb tournaments benefitting various charities in the Raleigh area.
The Raleigh Parks and Recreation Department offers a wide variety of leisure opportunities at more than 200 sites throughout the city, which include: of park land, of greenway (landscape), greenway, 22 community centre, community centers, a Bicycle Motocross, BMX championship-caliber race track, 112 tennis courts among 25 locations, 5 public lakes, and 8 public aquatic facilities. The park system includes the historic
Pullen Park
Pullen Park is a public park immediately west of downtown Raleigh, North Carolina. It is located on Ashe Avenue and is adjacent to the Main and Centennial campuses of North Carolina State University, covering an area between Western Boulevard and ...
, the oldest public park in North Carolina. The
J. C. Raulston Arboretum
The JC Raulston Arboretum is a arboretum and botanical garden administered by North Carolina State University, and located in Raleigh, North Carolina. It is open daily to the public without charge.
History
The Arboretum was established in ...
, an 8-acre (32,000 m
2) arboretum and botanical garden in west Raleigh administered by
North Carolina State University, maintains a year-round collection that is open daily to the public without charge.
Government
Historically, Raleigh voters have tended to elect conservative Democrats in local, state, and national elections, a holdover from their one-party system of the late 19th century.
City Council
Raleigh operates under a council-manager government. Raleigh City Council consists of eight members; all seats, including the Mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina, Mayor's, are open for election every two years. Five of the council seats are district representatives and two seats are citywide representatives elected at-large.
*Mary-Ann Baldwin, mayor
*Jonathan Melton, Council Member, At-Large
*Nicole Stewart, Council Member, At-Large
*Patrick Buffkin, Council Member (District A, north-central Raleigh)
*David Cox, Council Member (District B, northeast Raleigh)
*Corey Branch, Council Member (District C, southeast Raleigh)
*Stormie Forte, Council Member (District D, southwest Raleigh)
*David Knight, Council Member (District E, west and northwest Raleigh)
Education
![Peace-College-20080321](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/Peace-College-20080321.jpeg)
As of 2011, ''Time (magazine), Time'' ranked Raleigh as the third most educated city in the US based on the percentage of residents who held college degrees. This statistic can most likely be credited to the presence of universities in and around Raleigh, as well as the presence of
Research Triangle Park (RTP) to the Northwest.
Higher education
Public
*
North Carolina State University
*Wake Technical Community College
Private
*Campbell University Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law (Baptist)
*
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 ...
(Baptist)
*Montreat College's ''School of Professional and Adult Studies'' (Presbyterian)
*
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 ...
(Presbyterian)
*
Shaw University (Baptist)
*Skema Business School, the first French Business School to open a campus in the USA
*St. Augustine's University (Episcopal)
Private, for profit
*ECPI College of Technology
*The Medical Arts School
*Strayer University
Primary and secondary education
Public schools
Public schools in Raleigh are operated by 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 ...
, the largest public school system of the Carolinas. Observers have praised the Wake County Public School System for its innovative efforts to maintain a socially, economically and racial balanced system by using income as a prime factor in assigning students to schools. Raleigh is home to several magnet school, magnet high schools and several schools offering the International Baccalaureate program. There are four early college high schools in Raleigh. Raleigh also has two Alternative school, alternative high schools.
Wake County Public high schools in Raleigh include:
=Traditional schools
=
*Needham B. Broughton High School (International Baccalaureate)
*Leesville Road High School
*Jesse O. Sanderson High School
*Wakefield High School (Raleigh, North Carolina), Wakefield High School
=Magnet schools
=
*Athens Drive High School
*William G. Enloe High School, William G. Enloe GT/IB Center for the Humanities, Sciences, and the Arts (International Baccalaureate)
*Millbrook High School (North Carolina), Millbrook High School (International Baccalaureate)
*Southeast Raleigh Magnet High School
=Alternative schools
=
*Longview School
*Phillips High School (North Carolina), Mary E. Phillips High School
=Early college schools
=
*Wake Young Men's Leadership Academy
*Wake Young Women's Leadership Academy
*Wake STEM Early College High School
*Wake Early College of Health and Sciences
Charter schools
The State of North Carolina provides for a legislated number of charter schools. These schools are administered independently of the Wake County Public School System. Raleigh is currently home to 11 such charter schools:
*Casa Esperanza Montessori method, Montessori School (K-8)
*Endeavor Charter School (K-8)
*Exploris Middle School (1–8)
*Hope Elementary School (K-5)
*Longleaf School of the Arts (9–12)
*Magellan Charter School (3–8)
*PreEminent Charter School (K-8)
*Quest Academy (K-8)
*Raleigh Charter High School (9–12)
*Torchlight Academy (K-6)
*Woods Charter School (K-12)
State-operated schools
*Governor Morehead School, school for the blind
Private and religion-based schools
*Al-Iman Islamic School (K-8)
*An Noor Quran Academy (3–8)
*Bonner Academy (5–8)
*Follow the Child Montessori School (K-6)
*Friendship Christian School (North Carolina), Friendship Christian School of Raleigh (Baptist, 1–12)
*Gethsemane Seventh-day Adventist Church School (K-8)
*Grace Christian School (North Carolina), Grace Christian School (K-12)
*Jewish Academy of Wake County (K-3)
*Montessori School of Raleigh (K-9)
*Neuse Baptist Christian School (K-12)
*North Raleigh Christian Academy (Protestant Christian, K-12)
*Raleigh Christian Academy (Baptist, K-12)
*Raleigh School, The Raleigh School (K-5)
*Ravenscroft School (K-12)
*The Trilogy School (2–12)
*Trinity Academy of Raleigh (Protestant Christian, K-12)
*Upper Room Christian Academy (closed) (PreK-12)
*Wake Christian Academy (K-12)
*Word of God Christian Academy (Protestant Christian, K-12)
*Thales Academy (PreK-12)
;Episcopal schools
*St. David's School (Raleigh, North Carolina), St. David's School (Episcopal, K-12)
*St. Timothy's School
*Saint Mary's School (Raleigh, North Carolina), St. Mary's School (Episcopal, 9–12)
;Catholic secondary schools
*Cardinal Gibbons High School (Raleigh, North Carolina), Cardinal Gibbons High School (Catholic, 9–12)
*Saint Thomas More Academy, St. Thomas More Academy (Catholic, 9–12)
;Catholic primary schools
*The Franciscan School (Catholic, K-8)
*Sacred Heart Cathedral (Raleigh, North Carolina), Cathedral School (Catholic, PreK-8)
*Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School (K-8)
*St. Raphael the Archangel Catholic Church, St. Raphael the Archangel Catholic School (PreK-8)
Media
Print publications
There are several newspapers and periodicals serving Raleigh:
* ''
The News & Observer
''The News & Observer'' is an American regional daily newspaper that serves the greater Triangle area based in Raleigh, North Carolina. The paper is the largest in circulation in the state (second is the ''Charlotte Observer''). The paper has bee ...
'', a large daily newspaper owned by The McClatchy Company
* ''The Triangle Downtowner Magazine'', a locally owned free monthly print magazine centered around high-density areas of the Triangle with features on dining, entertainment, wine, community, history and more
*''Technician (newspaper), Technician'', student publication of North Carolina State University
* ''The Carolinian'', North Carolina's oldest and largest African-American newspaper published twice weekly
* ''Midtown Magazine'' an upscale Raleigh lifestyle magazine
* ''Raleigh Magazine'' a glossy print magazine covering exclusively Raleigh
* ''Walter Magazine'' a magazine covering Covering the art, culture and people of Raleigh
* ''The Slammer'', a paid bi-weekly newspaper featuring Raleigh crime news
* ''Carolina Journal'', a free monthly newspaper
* ''Independent Weekly'', a free weekly tabloid covering Raleigh, Durham, and the surrounding area
Television
Broadcast
Raleigh is part of the Raleigh-Durham-
Fayetteville Designated Market Area, the 24th largest broadcast television market in the United States. The following stations are licensed to Raleigh and/or have significant operations and viewers in the city:
* UNC-TV, WUNC-TV (4, PBS): City of license, licensed to Chapel Hill, owned by the University of North Carolina
*
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, NBC): licensed to Raleigh, owned by
Capitol Broadcasting Company
* WTVD (11, American Broadcasting Company, ABC): licensed to Durham; news bureau located in Raleigh. ABC Owned-and-operated station, O&O owned by ABC Owned Television Stations
* WNCN, WNCN-TV (17, CBS): studios located in Raleigh, licensed to the city of Goldsboro, North Carolina, Goldsboro southeast of Raleigh; owned by Nexstar Media Group
* WLFL, WLFL-TV (22, The CW, CW): licensed to Raleigh, owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group
* WRDC (28, MyNetworkTV, MyNet) licensed to Durham, owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group
* WRAY-TV (30, TCT) licensed to Wilson. TCT O&O owned by Tri-State Christian Television
* WUVC-DT (40, Univision) licensed to Fayetteville. Univision Owned-and-operated station, O&O owned by TelevisaUnivision
* WRPX-TV (47, Ion Television, Ion) licensed to Rocky Mount, with studios in Raleigh. Ion O&O owned by Ion Media
* WRAZ (TV), WRAZ-TV (50, Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox): licensed to Raleigh, owned by Capitol Broadcasting Company
* WAUG-LD (8, Independent station) licensed to Raleigh, owned and operated by Saint Augustine's College
* WRTD-CD (54, Telemundo): licensed to Raleigh. Telemundo Owned-and-operated station, O&O owned by NBCUniversal
Broadcast radio
Public and listener-supported
* WKNC-FM – 88.1 FM (College rock), operated by students of
North Carolina State University
* WRKV – 88.9 FM (Contemporary Christian), operated by Educational Media Foundation
* WCPE, WCPE-FM – 89.7 FM (Classical)
* WUNC (FM), WUNC-FM – 91.5 FM (National Public Radio, North Carolina Public Radio) operated by 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 ...
* WRLY-LP – 93.5 FM (Adult hits), operated by Triangle Access Broadcasting, Inc.
* WKRP-LP – 101.9 FM (Variety (radio), Variety), operated by Oak City Media, Inc.
Commercial
* WDCG-FM (G105, Contemporary hit radio)
* WDCG-HD2 (ALT 95.3, Alternative rock, analogue broadcast on 95.3 FM W237BZ)
* WQDR-FM (94.7QDR, Country music, Country)
* WBBB-FM 96.1 (Radio 96.1, Adult hits)
* WRAL (FM), WRAL-FM (Mix 101.5, Adult contemporary music, Adult contemporary)
* WKIX-FM (KIX 102.9, Classic hits)
* WPTF-AM (NewsRadio 680, Talk radio, News/Talk)
* WQOK-FM (K97.5, Hip hop)
* WFXC-FM/WFXK-FM (Foxy 107/104, Urban adult contemporary)
* WRDU-FM (100.7, Classic rock)
* WNCB-FM (93.9 B939 FM, Country music, Country)
* WTKK-FM (106.1 FM, Talk radio, News/Talk)
* WNNL-FM (103.9 The Light, Urban contemporary gospel)
* WWPL-FM (96.9 Pulse FM, Contemporary hits)
* WKIX (AM), WKIX (Just Right Radio 850 and 104.7 FM, Popular standards)
* WQDR(AM), WQDR-AM (570, classic rock)
* WCLY-AM (That Station, Adult album alternative)
* WAUG (AM), 750 WAUG
Infrastructure
Transportation
Air
=Raleigh-Durham International Airport
=
Raleigh-Durham International Airport, the region's primary airport and the second-largest in North Carolina, located northwest of downtown Raleigh via Interstate-40 between Raleigh 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 ...
, serves the city and greater Research Triangle metropolitan region, as well as much of eastern North Carolina. The airport offers service to more than 50 domestic and international destinations and serves approximately 10 million passengers a year. International destinations include London, Montreal, Toronto, Cancún, Mexico, Cancún, Paris, and seasonal service to Keflavík. American Airlines operates the daily service to London Heathrow. Delta Air Lines announced in November 2008 that service from RDU to Paris, France would begin in June 2009, but the route would not take flight until 2016. The airport also offers facilities for cargo airline, cargo and general aviation. The airport authority tripled the size of its Terminal 2 (formerly Terminal C) in January 2011.
Private general aviation airports in Raleigh include Triple W Airport .
Freeways and primary designated routes
=Interstate Highways
=
* traverses the southern part of the city, connecting Raleigh to Durham and Chapel Hill toward the west, and coastal Wilmington, North Carolina to the southeast.
* also known locally as the Raleigh Beltline, it forms part of the inner beltway around central Raleigh, forming the eastern, northern, and western portions, with I-40 forming the southern portion.
* when complete, will be a full outer beltway around Raleigh. The northern and western quadrants are complete and open to traffic, while the remaining two quadrants are currently under construction.
* designated September 5, 2017, follows the former route of Interstate 495. It begins at the I-40/I-440 interchange southeast of Raleigh and runs east, meeting I-540 and currently terminating at Rolesville Road. It is entirely concurrent with US 64. When the route is completed it will link Raleigh to the Norfolk, Virginia area.
=United States Highways
=
* enters the city from the southwest as the US 1/US 64 expressway from Cary, joining I-440 at the I-40 interchange, and leaves I-440 along with US 401 on
Capital Boulevard, before leaving the city to the north.
* is the main east–west route through Raleigh; all segments share routes with another highway. It enters the city from the southwest as the US 1/US 64 expressway from Cary, follows I-40 at the western I-440 interchange, briefly joins I-440 in Southeast Raleigh, and then joins I-87 and US 264 along the Knightdale Bypass east of the city. A former alignment, designated as Business US-64, follows New Bern Avenue from the I-440 Beltline to the eastern boundary of the city, where it continues into Knightdale.
* enters the city from the south cosigned with US 401 and NC 50 along Wilmington Street, following South Saunders Street into Downtown Raleigh, through which it follows the paired one-way streets of McDowell and Dawson. North of Downtown it follows Capital Boulevard, Wade Avenue, and Glenwood Avenue before leaving the city to the Northwest heading towards Durham.
* cosigned with US 64 through East Raleigh.
* enters the city from the south cosigned with US 70 and NC 50 along Wilmington Street, following South Saunders Street into Downtown Raleigh, through which it follows the paired one-way streets of McDowell and Dawson. North of Downtown it follows Capital Boulevard and Louisburg Road, before leaving the city to the northeast towards Rolesville.
=North Carolina Highways
=
* follows Chapel Hill Road and
Hillsborough Street
Hillsborough Street is a business and cultural thoroughfare through Raleigh, North Carolina, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. The street serves as a center for social life among North Carolina State University and Meredith College students.
...
in West Raleigh. The route ends at its interchange with
I-440.
* enters the city from the south cosigned with US 70 and US 401 along Wilmington Street, following South Saunders Street into Downtown Raleigh, through which it follows the paired one-way streets of McDowell and Dawson. North of Downtown it follows Capital Boulevard, Wade Avenue, Glenwood Avenue, and Creedmoor Road, before heading north towards Creedmoor.
* known as Durham Road in North Raleigh, traverses the extreme northeastern part of the city, where it borders Wake Forest.
Intercity rail
![2008-07-05 TTA bus 713 at DATA terminal](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2b/2008-07-05_TTA_bus_713_at_DATA_terminal.jpg)
Raleigh (Amtrak station), Raleigh's train station is one of Amtrak's busiest stops in the Southern United States, Southern U.S.
The station is served by five passenger trains daily: the ''Silver Star (Amtrak train), Silver Star'', thrice-daily ''Piedmont (train), Piedmont'' service, and the ''Carolinian (train), Carolinian.''
Daily service is offered between Raleigh and:
*
Charlotte
Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...
, with intermediate stops including Cary, Durham, Burlington, North Carolina, Burlington and Greensboro, North Carolina, Greensboro, North Carolina.
*New York City, with intermediate stops including
Richmond, Virginia; Washington, D.C.; Baltimore; and
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
.
*Miami, with intermediate stops including Columbia, South Carolina, and Savannah, Georgia; as well as Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville, Orlando, Florida, Orlando and Tampa, Florida.
Public transit
Public transportation in and around Raleigh is provided by GoRaleigh (formerly Capital Area Transit), which operates 33 fixed bus routes, including the R-Line (Capital Area Transit), R-Line and the Wake-Forest Loop. Although there are 33 routes, some routes are designed to cover multiple other routes at times when they are not served. Depending on the time of the day, and the day of the week, the number of routes operating is between 5 and 29.
Raleigh is also served by GoTriangle (formerly Triangle Transit Authority). GoTriangle offers scheduled, fixed-route regional and commuter bus service between Raleigh and the region's other principal cities of Durham, Cary and Chapel Hill, as well as to and from the Raleigh-Durham International Airport,
Research Triangle Park and several of the region's larger suburban communities. Triangle Transit also coordinates an extensive vanpool and carpool, rideshare program that serves the region's larger employers and commute destinations.
North Carolina State University also maintains its own transit system, the Wolfline, that provides zero-fare bus service to the general public along multiple routes serving the university's campuses in southwest Raleigh.
Government agencies throughout the Raleigh-Durham metropolitan area have struggled with determining the best means of providing fixed-rail transit service for the region.
From 1995 the cornerstone of Triangle Transit's long-term plan was a 28-mile rail corridor from northeast Raleigh, through downtown Raleigh,
Cary
Cary may refer to:
Places
;United States
* Cary, Illinois, part of the Chicago metropolitan area
* Cary, Indiana, part of the Indianapolis metropolitan area
* Cary, Miami County, Indiana
* Cary, Maine
* Cary, Mississippi
* Cary, North Carolina ...
, and
Research Triangle Park, to
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 ...
using Diesel multiple unit, DMU technology. There were proposals to extend this corridor 7 miles to
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 ...
with light rail technology. However, in 2006 Triangle Transit deferred implementation indefinitely when the Federal Transit Administration declined to fund the program due to low ridership projections.
The region's two metropolitan planning organizations appointed a group of local citizens in 2007 to reexamine options for future transit development in light of Triangle Transit's problems. The Special Transit Advisory Commission (STAC) retained many of the provisions of Triangle Transit's original plan, but recommended adding new bus services and raising additional revenues by adding a new local half-cent sales tax to fund the project.
Greyhound Lines provides an inter-city bus service to Durham, Charlotte, Richmond, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, and other cities.
Bicycle and pedestrian
*The Maine-to-Florida U.S. Bicycle Route#1 routes through suburban Raleigh, along with North Carolina Bicycle Route 2, N.C. Bicycle Route #2, the "Mountains To Sea" route. As of September 2010, maps and signage for both US Bike Route No. 1 and NC Bike Route No. 2 are out-of-date for the Raleigh area. North Carolina Bicycle Route 5, N.C. Bicycle Route #5 is routed nearby, connecting Apex to
Wilmington and closely paralleling the NCBC Randonneurs 600-kilometer brevet route.
*Most public buses are equipped with bicycle racks, and some roads have dedicated bicycle-only lanes. Bicyclists and pedestrians also may use Raleigh's extensive Capital Area Greenway, greenway system, with paths and trails located throughout the city.
*In May 2011, Raleigh was designated a Bicycle Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists at the Bronze level.
*A 2011 study by Walk Score ranked Raleigh 36th most walkable of fifty largest U.S. cities.
*In 2002, the "Walk [Your City]" initiative was started in the city which provides a tool kit for neighborhood organizations to post signs giving a distance by bike or foot, with directions in scannable QR code. The movement has spread to more than 400 communities in 55 countries.
Public safety
The Raleigh Fire Department provides fire protection throughout the city. The North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women, the state's primary correctional facility housing female inmates, is based in Raleigh.
Notable people
Sister cities
Raleigh has several sister cities:
* Compiègne, Oise, Hauts-de-France, France
* Kingston upon Hull, England, United Kingdom
* Rostock, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
* Nairobi, Kenya
* Gibraltar, Gibraltar, United Kingdom
See also
*List of capitals in the United States
*List of municipalities in North Carolina
*National Register of Historic Places listings in Wake County, North Carolina
Notes
References
Further reading
*
*Benjamin, Karen (March 2012)
"Suburbanizing Jim Crow: The Impact of School Policy on Residential Segregation in Raleigh" ''Journal of Urban History'', ''38''(2), pp. 225–46. .
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External links
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*Raleigh Directory
18751883189619031927Guide to the Ray Winstead Collection of Aerial Photographs of Raleigh, North Carolina Circa 1970
{{Authority control
Raleigh, North Carolina,
1792 establishments in North Carolina
Cities in Durham County, North Carolina
Cities in Wake County, North Carolina
County seats in North Carolina
Planned cities in the United States
Populated places established in 1792
Populated places on the Neuse River
Research Triangle
Walter Raleigh
Capitals of North Carolina