Wake County, North Carolina
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Wake County is located in the U.S. state of
North Carolina North Carolina () is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 28th largest and List of states and territories of the United ...
. 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 United States, with the town of Cary and the city of Raleigh being the 8th- and 15th-fastest growing cities, respectively. Its
county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...
is
Raleigh Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...
, which is also the state capital. Eleven other municipalities are in Wake County, the largest of which is Cary, the third-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 ...
region and the seventh-largest municipality in North Carolina. It is governed by the
Wake County Board of Commissioners The Wake County Board of Commissioners is the governing board for Wake County, which includes the City of Raleigh. As of the 2010 census, the population of Wake County was 900,993 making it North Carolina's second most populated county. Its county ...
, coterminous with the Wake County Public School System
school district A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public primary and secondary schools in various nations. North America United States In the U.S, most K–12 public schools function as units of local school districts, w ...
, with law enforcement provided by the Wake County Sheriff's Department. It is also part of the wider Triangle J Council of Governments, which governs regional planning.


History


Early history

Prior to English colonization, present-day Wake County was part of the
Tuscarora Tuscarora may refer to the following: First nations and Native American people and culture * Tuscarora people **'' Federal Power Commission v. Tuscarora Indian Nation'' (1960) * Tuscarora language, an Iroquoian language of the Tuscarora people * ...
nation.


18th century

Wake County was formed in 1770 from parts of
Cumberland County Cumberland County may refer to: Australia * Cumberland County, New South Wales * the former name of Cumberland Land District, Tasmania, Australia Canada *Cumberland County, Nova Scotia United Kingdom *Cumberland, historic county *Cumberla ...
, Johnston County, and Orange County. The first courthouse was built at a village originally called Wake Courthouse, now known as Bloomsbury. In 1771, the first elections and court were held, and the first militia units were organized. Wake County lost some of its territory through the formation of other counties. Parts were included in Franklin County in 1787, and in Durham County in both 1881 and 1911. During the colonial period of North Carolina, the state capital was New Bern. For several years during and after the Revolutionary War, there was no capital, and the
General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of pres ...
met in various locations. Fayetteville was the state capital in 1786, 1789, 1790, and 1793, when Raleigh became the permanent state capital in 1794. In 1792, a commission was appointed to select a site to build a permanent state capital. The commission members favored land owned by Colonel John Hinton across the Neuse River, but the night before the final vote, the committee adjourned to the home of Joel Lane for an evening of food and spirits. The next day, the vote went in Lane's favor. Lane named Wake County in honor of
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 ...
, wife of colonial Governor William Tryon. Raleigh was named after Sir Walter Raleigh, and established in 1792 on purchased from Lane. Raleigh had never set foot in North Carolina, but he had sponsored the establishment of the first English colony in North America on North Carolina's
Roanoke Island Roanoke Island () is an island in Dare County, bordered by the Outer Banks of North Carolina, United States. It was named after the historical Roanoke, a Carolina Algonquian people who inhabited the area in the 16th century at the time of Engl ...
in 1585. The city of Raleigh became both the state capital and the new seat of Wake County.


19th century

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 War between the armies of Major General William T. Sherman and General Joseph E. Johnston. General Judson Kilpatrick, commanding officer of the Union cavalry advance, compelled Confederate forces under the command of Generals Wade Hampton III and Joseph Wheeler to withdraw in haste. They had been frantically trying to transport their remaining supplies and wounded by rail westward toward the final Confederate encampment in Greensboro. Kilpatrick used artillery on the heights overlooking Morrisville Station and cavalry charges to push the Confederates out of the small village, leaving many needed supplies behind. However, the trains were able to withdraw with wounded from the Battle of Bentonville and the Battle of Averasboro. Later, General Johnston sent a courier to the federal encampments at Morrisville with a message for Major General Sherman requesting a conference to discuss an armistice. Several days later, the two generals met at Bennett Place near Durham on April 17, 1865, to begin discussing the terms of what would become the largest surrender of the war.


20th century

In the 20th century, the average per capita income for the county was of $54,988, and the median income for a family was of $67,149. In the same period, the per capita income decreased from $44,472 to $31,579, especially for women. About 7.80% of the population was below the federal poverty line. A county courthouse was built in 1915. Space for county government in the building grew increasingly inadequate in the 1960s, and another courthouse was built in 1970.


21st century

In August 2014, the county population surpassed 1,000,000 people. In November 2017, commissioners of Wake and Harnett Counties discussed the possibility of redrawing the line between the counties using the latest technology. This could affect 27 homeowners, who would end up in a different county or have their property divided between the two.


Geography

According to 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 ...
, the county has a total area of , of which (2.6%) are covered by water. Wake County is located in the northeast central region of North Carolina, where the North American Piedmont and
Atlantic Coastal Plain The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe a ...
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 Wake County features gently rolling hills that slope eastward toward the state's flat coastal plain. Its central Piedmont location situates the county about three hours west of
Atlantic Beach Atlantic Beach is the name of some places in the United States: *Atlantic Beach, Florida, a city *Atlantic Beach, New York, a village *Atlantic Beach, North Carolina, a town *Atlantic Beach, South Carolina Atlantic Beach is a town in Horry County ...
by car and four hours east of the Great Smoky Mountains. Bodies of water that are located in Wake County include
Lake Crabtree Lake Crabtree is a reservoir in Cary, North Carolina. In order to alleviate the possibility of flooding, it was constructed in 1989 by the Natural Resources Conservation Service via damming the Crabtree Creek. It is currently within the Lake C ...
, Crabtree Creek, Lake Johnson, the Neuse River, and portions of Falls Lake and Jordan Lake.


State and local protected areas/sites

*
Annie Louise Wilkerson, MD Nature Preserve Park Annie may refer to: People and fictional characters * Annie (given name), a given name and a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Annie (actress) (born 1975), Indian actress * Annie (singer) (born 1977), Norwegian singer T ...
* Beaverdam Lake State Recreation Area *
Blue Jay Point County Park Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when o ...
*
Carl Alwin Schenck Memorial Forest Carl may refer to: * Carl, Georgia, city in USA * Carl, West Virginia, an unincorporated community *Carl (name), includes info about the name, variations of the name, and a list of people with the name * Carl², a TV series * "Carl", an episode of ...
*
Carroll Howard Johnson Environmental Park Carroll may refer to: People * Carroll (given name) * Carroll (surname) * O'Carroll, also known as Carroll, a Gaelic Irish clan * Mac Cearbhaill, anglicised as Carroll, a Gaelic Irish clan * Charles Carroll Webster (1824-1893), American lawyer an ...
* Clemmons Educational State Forest (part) * Falls Lake Dam Recreation Area * Falls Lake State Recreation Area (part) *
Forest Ridge Park A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...
*
Harris Lake County Park Harris may refer to: Places Canada * Harris, Ontario * Northland Pyrite Mine (also known as Harris Mine) * Harris, Saskatchewan * Rural Municipality of Harris No. 316, Saskatchewan Scotland * Harris, Outer Hebrides (sometimes called the Isle of ...
*
Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve is a joint project between the North Carolina state park system and Cary, Wake County, North Carolina in the United States. Located in Cary, it covers approximately in the Research Triangle region of the state. ...
* Hilltop Needmore Town Park & Preserve *
Lake Crabtree County Park Lake Crabtree County Park is a park in Wake County, North Carolina. It is a forested area between Cary, Morrisville, and Raleigh-Durham International Airport, bounded by the northeastern shore of Lake Crabtree, I-40 Interstate 40 (I-40 ...
* Mitchell Mill State Natural Area * NC Executive Mansion * North Carolina State Capitol, historic site * Robertson Millpond Preserve * Rolling View State Recreation Area (part) * Sandling Beach State Recreation Area *
Sandy Pines Preserve Sandy may refer to: People and fictional characters *Sandy (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Sandy (surname), a list of people * Sandy (singer), Brazilian singer and actress Sandy Leah Lima (born 1983) * (Sandy) ...
*
Turnipseed Nature Preserve Turnipseed is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Erica Simone Turnipseed (born 1971), American author *Tom Turnipseed (1936–2020), American politician and activist Fictional people * Harold and Martha Turnipseed, characters in ...
* William B. Umstead State Park


Major water bodies

* Beaver Dam Lake *
Briar Creek Reservoir The Briar Creek Reservoir (also known as Briar Creek Park Lake or Briar Creek Lake) is a reservoir in Columbia County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It has an area of 51.04 acres and is located in Briar Creek Township. The lake is situated o ...
* Crabtree Creek (Neuse River tributary) * Jordan Lake * Lake Benson * Lake Betz *
Lake Crabtree Lake Crabtree is a reservoir in Cary, North Carolina. In order to alleviate the possibility of flooding, it was constructed in 1989 by the Natural Resources Conservation Service via damming the Crabtree Creek. It is currently within the Lake C ...
* Lake Johnson * Lake Wheeler *
Little River (Neuse River tributary) The Little River is a tributary of the Neuse River, which originates in Moore's Pond, south of Youngsville in Franklin County. The river crosses through Wake, Johnston, and Wayne counties, joining the Neuse at Waynesborough State Park and Busco ...
* Neuse River * Shearon Harris Reservoir


Adjacent counties

* Granville County – north * Franklin County – northeast * Nash County – east * Johnston County – southeast * Harnett County – southwest * Chatham County – west * Durham County – northwest


Major highways

* is the only major Interstate Highway that runs through the county. It offers direct access to RDU International Airport, Morrisville, Cary, Raleigh and Garner. It has two auxiliary routes in Wake County: * (Concurrency with US 70) * will eventually connect I-40 to
Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia B ...
. Its Wake County section is concurrent with U.S. 64. The highway is currently signed as I-87 only where it already meets Interstate standards: along the Raleigh Beltline (where its southern terminus is at I-440's Exit 16 and I-40's Exit 301) and along the
Knightdale Bypass Interstate 87 (I-87) is a partially completed Interstate Highway in the US state of North Carolina, the shortest designated primary Interstate Highway at . The completed portion is in eastern Wake County, between Raleigh and Wendell; the ...
, which runs from I-440 to the Business 64 exit between Knightdale and Wendell. East of this point, the road is a controlled-access freeway but does not meet interstate standards, so it is marked with "Future" I-87 signs. The "future" designation will be removed as the road is eventually upgraded by improving the road's shoulders, which are currently too narrow to qualify for an Interstate Highway designation. There is no timetable for these improvements. Interstate 87 will run along the same routing, and will eventually will be extended along US 64, US 17, and other roads (some yet to be built) to Norfolk. * is the northern, western, and eastern portion of the "Beltline" that encircles most of central Raleigh. The southern portion of the Beltline is I-40. * is a partially completed loop that currently connects the satellite towns of Knightdale, Cary, Morrisville, Apex and Holly Springs. The completed portion in northern Wake County is called the Northern Wake Expressway (I-540). It continues as a non-Interstate route, NC 540, in western Wake County, almost all of which is a toll road. The remaining segments to be constructed will also be designated as NC 540 and will be tolled, with an approximate cost of $2.2 billion. * * (Originally NC 147 Toll) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


Bicycles Routes

The "mountains-to-the-sea"
North Carolina Bicycle Route 2 The following is a List of bicycle routes in North Carolina. These routes are designated by the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Division. State U.S. Bicycle Route 1 The North Carolina por ...
travels through Wake County, as does the
Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and nor ...
-to-Florida
U.S. Bicycle Route 1 U.S. Bicycle Route 1 (often called U.S. Bike Route 1, abbreviated USBR 1) is a cross-country bicycle route that will run the length of the United States eastern seaboard from Florida to Maine. It is one of the two original U.S. Bicycle Rout ...
.
North Carolina Bicycle Route 5 The following is a List of bicycle routes in North Carolina. These routes are designated by the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Division. State U.S. Bicycle Route 1 The North Carolina por ...
, the "Cape Fear run", connects Apex to the coastal city of Wilmington.


Major infrastructure

* Cary Station *
North Carolina State Fair Station North Carolina State Fair station is a seasonal Amtrak station serving the North Carolina State Fairground in Raleigh, North Carolina. It is served by Amtrak's '' Carolinian'' and ''Piedmont'' trains when the fair is in operation in mid-October. ...
* Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) is located in northwestern Wake county off I-40. The airport offers service to more than 35 domestic and international destinations. The airport currently serves more than 9 million passengers a year. *
Raleigh Union Station Raleigh Union Station is an intermodal transit station in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Train service began the morning of July 10, 2018. Its main building serves as an Amtrak train station, while a future adjacent building will serve a ...
* Regional Rail– Plans are being made for a light rail system that would be built over the next 10 to 20 years. *
Triangle Transit Authority The Research Triangle Regional Public Transportation Authority, known as GoTriangle (previously Triangle Transit and Triangle Transit Authority or TTA), provides regional bus service to the Research Triangle region of North Carolina in Wake, Durha ...
operates buses that serve the region and connect to municipal bus systems in
Raleigh Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...
, Durham, 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 neighbou ...
.


Climate

Wake County enjoys a moderate
subtropical climate The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical and climate zones to the north and south of the tropics. Geographically part of the temperate zones of both hemispheres, they cover the middle latitudes from to approximately 35° north a ...
, with moderate temperatures in the spring, fall, and winter. Summers are typically hot with high
humidity Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation, dew, or fog to be present. Humidity dep ...
. Winter highs generally range in the low 50s °F (10 to 13
°C The degree Celsius is the unit of temperature on the Celsius scale (originally known as the centigrade scale outside Sweden), one of two temperature scales used in the International System of Units (SI), the other being the Kelvin scale. The d ...
) with lows in the low to-mid 30s°F (−2 to 2 °C), although an occasional 60 °F (15 °C) or warmer winter day is not uncommon. Spring and fall days usually reach the low to mid-70s°F (low 20s°C), with lows at night in the lower 50s°F (10 to 14°C). Summer daytime highs often reach the upper 80s to low 90s°F (29 to 35 °C). The rainiest months are July and August. The county, at the National Weather Service in Raleigh, receives on average of snow in the winter. Freezing rain and sleet 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 ...
.


Demographics


2020 census

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 off ...
, 1,129,410 people, 419,361 households, and 279,243 families were residing in the county.


2018 Estimate

As of the census estimate of 2018, 1,092,776 people, 421,265 households, and 276,363 families resided in the county. The population density was 1308.72 people per square mile (505.91/km2). The 458,953 housing units had an average density of 311 per square mile (120/km2). The
racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...
of the county was 59.40% White, 14.29% African American, 9.24% Hispanics or Latinos of any race, 12.84% Asian, 4.04% from other races, 3.13% from two or more races, 0.16% Native American, and 0.03% Pacific Islander. Of the 242,040 households, 34.0% had children under 18 living with them, 52.5% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.4% were not families. About 25.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.1% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.51, and the average family size was 3.06. In the county, the age distribution was 25.1% under 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 36.5% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 7.4% who were 65 or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.40 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 96.50 males. The median income for a household in the county was $54,988, and for a family was $67,149. Males had a median income of $44,472 versus $31,579 for females. The per capita income for the county was $27,004. About 4.90% of families and 7.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.60% of those under age 18 and 8.90% of those age 65 or over. In Wake County, 29% of the population is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, 22% are affiliated with the Catholic Church, 17% are affiliated with the United Methodist Church, 6% are affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA), and 27% are religiously affiliated with other denominations or religions, or are not religiously affiliated.


Law and government

The county is governed by the
Wake County Board of Commissioners The Wake County Board of Commissioners is the governing board for Wake County, which includes the City of Raleigh. As of the 2010 census, the population of Wake County was 900,993 making it North Carolina's second most populated county. Its county ...
, a seven-member board of County commissioners, elected at large to serve four-year terms. Terms are staggered so that every two years, three or four commissioners are up for election. The commissioners enact policies such as the establishment of the
property tax A property tax or millage rate is an ad valorem tax on the value of a property.In the OECD classification scheme, tax on property includes "taxes on immovable property or net wealth, taxes on the change of ownership of property through inher ...
rate, regulation of land use and zoning outside municipal jurisdictions, and adoption of the annual budget. Commissioners meet on the first and third Mondays of each month. Current members of the Wake County Board of Commissioners are Gregory Ford (chair), Vickie Adamson (vice chair), Jessica Holmes, Matt Calabria, Susan Evans, Sig Hutchinson, and James West. The first professional county manager was hired in 1965. David Ellis is the county manager. Wake County is a member of the regional Triangle J Council of Governments.


Politics

For much of the second half of the 20th century, Wake County was a swing county. Since 2008, it has voted for the Democratic Party. In the 2000 presidential election, the Republican Bush/Cheney campaign won the county by 7.1 points; however in the 2020 election, the Democratic Biden/Harris campaign won the county by 26.4 points, equating to a 33.5-point swing in 20 years. From 1828 to 1964, the county was a traditional Solid South county, with Democratic presidential candidates carrying it all but five times (
Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union A ...
in 1868 and 1872, Rutherford B. Hayes in 1876, James A. Garfield in 1880, and Benjamin Harrison in 1888). From 1968 to 2004, the GOP won the county in every election but one, when
Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and again ...
carried it in 1992. However, the races were almost always close. In 1980, for instance, Ronald Reagan won by a landslide both nationally and in North Carolina, but won Wake County by only 765 votes. Recently, Republican George W. Bush won the county in 2000 with 53 percent of the vote and defeated
John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party, he ...
in 2004 by a slim 51 to 49 percent. In 2008, the county swung hard to
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...
, who defeated
John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American politician and United States Navy officer who served as a United States senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death in 2018. He previously served two te ...
56 to 43 percent. Obama became the first Democrat since Lyndon Johnson to win a majority of the county's vote. In 2012, Obama won Wake County again over Mitt Romney with 54 percent of the vote to Romney's 44 percent – the first time in almost half a century that a Democrat carried the county in consecutive elections. Obama's performance in Wake mirrored his strong showing along the
I-85 Corridor Interstate 85 (I-85) is a major Interstate Highway in the Southeastern United States. Its southern terminus is at an interchange with I-65 in Montgomery, Alabama; its northern terminus is an interchange with I-95 in Petersburg, Virginia, n ...
. In 2016, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton won the county 57 percent to Donald Trump's 37 percent, and in 2020 Joe Biden won the county with 62 percent of the vote to Donald Trump's 36 percent, reflecting the nationwide shift towards Democrats in urban and suburban areas. Biden's margin was the largest for a Democrat in the county since 1948. Trump was the first Republican in over 60 years to fail to receive at least 40 percent of the county’s vote. Democrats fared well in Wake County during the 2008 election. In the 1998 Senate race, John Edwards won in Wake County, which helped him defeat incumbent Republican Lauch Faircloth. In 2000 Mike Easley won the governor's race here with 55% of the vote. In 2004, Easley won again, winning with 59 percent to 40 percent for opponent Patrick Ballantine. Democrat
Beverly Perdue Beverly Eaves Perdue (born Beverly Marlene Moore; January 14, 1947) is an American businesswoman, politician, and member of the Democratic Party who served as the 73rd governor of North Carolina from 2009 to 2013. She was the first female gove ...
won Wake County in the 2008 Governor's election by a 51 to 45 percent margin. In 2002, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Elizabeth Dole defeated Democrat
Erskine Bowles Erskine Boyce Bowles (born August 8, 1945) is an American businessman and political figure from North Carolina. He served from 2005 to 2010 as the president of the University of North Carolina system. In 1997–98 he served as White House C ...
with 55% of the vote in Wake County, and won by a large margin statewide. However, in 2004, Bowles won the county with 52 percent, despite losing statewide to Richard Burr by the same margin. In 2008 Kay Hagan defeated Dole 56 to 40 percent. Democratic strength is concentrated primarily in
Raleigh Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...
. Republican strength is concentrated in the rural and exurban areas in the northern and western parts of the county. The outskirts of Raleigh, and the cities of Cary and Apex, are mostly home to swing voters.


Economy

Wake County's economy is heavily influenced by the Research Triangle Park (RTP), located between Durham and Raleigh. RTP is the country's largest
industrial park An industrial park (also known as industrial estate, trading estate) is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development. An industrial park can be thought of as a more "heavyweight" version of a business park or office park ...
and a primary center in the United States for
high-tech High technology (high tech), also known as advanced technology (advanced tech) or exotechnology, is technology that is at the cutting edge: the highest form of technology available. It can be defined as either the most complex or the newest te ...
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 ...
research, as well as textile development. The park is home to more than 160 companies employing over 50,000 people. The largest employers in the Park include IBM (11,000 employees), GlaxoSmithKline (6,400 employees), and
Cisco Systems Cisco Systems, Inc., commonly known as Cisco, is an American-based multinational digital communications technology conglomerate corporation headquartered in San Jose, California. Cisco develops, manufactures, and sells networking hardware, ...
(3,400 employees). Wake County's industrial base includes electrical, medical, electronic and telecommunications equipment; clothing and apparel; food processing; paper products; and pharmaceuticals. The agriculture industry is visible in rural areas of the county, with tobacco, cotton, wheat, soybeans, and corn being the most common products grown.
SAS Institute SAS Institute (or SAS, pronounced "sass") is an American multinational developer of analytics software based in Cary, North Carolina. SAS develops and markets a suite of analytics software ( also called SAS), which helps access, manage, ana ...
, one of the largest privately held software companies in the world, is located in Cary. Other major companies based in Wake County include Advance Auto Parts,
A10 Networks A10 Networks is an American public company specializing in the manufacturing of application delivery controllers (software and hardware). Founded in 2004 by Lee Chen, co-founder of Foundry Networks, A10 originally serviced just the identity mana ...
,
Verizon Verizon Communications Inc., commonly known as Verizon, is an American multinational telecommunications conglomerate and a corporate component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company is headquartered at 1095 Avenue of the Americas ...
,
3Dsolve The Lockheed Martin Corporation is an American aerospace, arms, defense, information security, and technology corporation with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It is ...
,
Carquest Carquest Corporation is an American automotive parts distribution network that is currently owned and operated by Advance Auto Parts via independent retailers associated with the network. As of October 4, 2014 Advance operated 5,305 stores, 109 ...
, Butterball, Cotton Incorporated, Epic Games, Lord Corporation, Lenovo Group (U.S. headquarters), Tekelec, Red Hat,
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 ...
and
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 ...
. In 2007, ''
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 ...
'' magazine listed Raleigh and Cary among the best cities to find jobs in the United States, as well as being the area ranked as the best place for business and careers. Also in 2007, CNN ranked the region as the third best area for job growth, the top region for technology workers, and Bizjournals.com ranked it as the fourth best place for young adult job seekers. On April 26, 2021, Apple Inc. announced that they would build a $1 billion hub in the Wake County portion of the Research Triangle Park. It is expected to house a 1,000,000 square foot facility and hire more than 3,000 people with a minimum average salary of $185,000 per year.


Education


Higher education

Wake County is home to eight institutions of higher learning. They include
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 ...
,
North Carolina State University North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The univers ...
, Campbell University's
Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law The Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law (also known as Campbell Law School or Campbell University School of Law) is a private law school in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1976, the law school is one of six graduate programs ...
, Peace College, Saint Augustine's College, Shaw University, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and
Wake Technical Community College Wake Technical Community College (Wake Tech) is a public community college in Raleigh, North Carolina. Its first location, Southern Wake Campus, opened in 1963. Wake Tech now operates multiple campuses throughout Wake County. The largest communit ...
. The
State Library of North Carolina The State Library of North Carolina is an institution which serves North Carolina libraries, state government employees, genealogists, and the citizens of North Carolina. The library is the main depository for North Carolina state publications a ...
is an institution which serves North Carolina libraries, state government employees, genealogists, and the citizens of North Carolina. There are two locations in Raleigh.


Primary and secondary education

Public education in Wake County is administered by the Wake County Public School System, the 15th largest public school district in the country with over 155,000 students. There are 27 high schools, 33 middle schools, 104 elementary schools, and eight specialized schools. In addition, nine charter schools and 31 private schools are located in the county.


Libraries

The Wake County Public Library system operates 22 branches throughout the county. There are 11 facilities in Raleigh. Cary and Apex each have two facilities. Holly Springs, Fuquay-Varina, Garner, Wake Forest, Zebulon, Knightdale and Wendell each have one library facility. The Wake County library system keeps books, periodicals, and audio books and has recently expanded the selection to include downloadable e-books.


Culture


Museums

*
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 ...
* North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences * North Carolina Museum of History * City of Raleigh Museum *
Marbles Kids Museum Marbles Kids Museum is a nonprofit children's museum located in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina in the Moore Square Historic District. Marbles was founded in 2007 as a result of the merger between Exploris, an interactive global learning cente ...
*
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 i ...
*
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 fu ...
* Page-Walker Hotel *
Mordecai House The Mordecai House (also called the Mordecai Plantation or Mordecai Mansion), built in 1785, is a registered historical landmark and museum in Raleigh, North Carolina that is the centerpiece of Mordecai Historic Park, adjacent to the Historic O ...
*
North Carolina Railroad Museum The New Hope Valley Railway is a heritage railroad in Bonsal, North Carolina operated by the North Carolina Railway Museum, Inc., an all-volunteer, nonprofit, and tax exempt educational and historical organization. The railroad consists of a tot ...
*
Pope House Museum The Pope House Museum, built in 1901, is a restored home once owned by Dr. Manassa Thomas Pope, a prominent African-American citizen of Raleigh, North Carolina. The Pope House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999, It was ...
* Contemporary Art Museum of Raleigh *
Artspace Artspace may refer to: * Artspace (website), an online marketplace based in New York City * Artspace, New Haven, an art gallery in downtown New Haven, Connecticut * Artspace Mackay, Mackay, Queensland, Australia * Artspace NZ, a visual arts cent ...


Performing arts

A number of outdoor concert venues regularly host major international touring acts. Among these are
Coastal Credit Union Music Park 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 ...
, located in Southeast Raleigh,
Red Hat Amphitheater The Red Hat Amphitheater (formerly the Raleigh Amphitheater) is an amphitheatre in Raleigh, North Carolina. It is adjacent to the Raleigh Convention Center. The Raleigh Amphitheater books acts through an agreement with Live Nation, and is owned a ...
, located in downtown Raleigh,
Koka Booth Amphitheatre The Koka Booth Amphitheatre is a performing arts amphitheatre in Cary, North Carolina, USA. It is located in Regency Park, which is owned and operated by the Town of Cary. The venue is managed by SMG, formally known as Spectacor Management Group ...
, located in Cary, and the North Carolina Museum of Art's Amphitheater, located in West Raleigh. Numerous smaller theaters and clubs also host concerts throughout the county. Occasionally the larger sporting venues such as PNC Arena and Carter-Finley Stadium do as well. The Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts complex houses the Raleigh Memorial Auditorium, the Fletcher Opera Theater, the Kennedy Theatre, and the Meymandi Concert Hall. 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 pr ...
, Theatre in the Park and Stewart Theater at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. Applause! Cary Youth Theatre, Cary Players Community Theatre, Sertoma Amphitheater at Bond Park, are located in Cary. Other theaters and performing arts locations include The Halle Cultural Arts Center in Apex and Garner Historic Auditorium in Garner. Local colleges and universities add to the options available for viewing live performances. Wake County is home to several professional arts organizations, including the North Carolina Symphony, the Opera Company of North Carolina, the North Carolina Theatre, and Carolina Ballet.


Visual arts

The North Carolina Museum of Art, occupying a large suburban campus on Blue Ridge Road near the State Fairgrounds, houses one of the premier public art collections between Washington, D.C. and
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 498,7 ...
. In addition to 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,
African art African art describes the modern and historical paintings, sculptures, installations, and other visual culture from native or indigenous Africans and the African continent. The definition may also include the art of the African diasporas, such ...
, 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 ...
, the museum recently has hosted major exhibitions featuring
Auguste Rodin François Auguste René Rodin (12 November 184017 November 1917) was a French sculptor, generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a uniqu ...
(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. During ...
(in 2006–07), each attracting more than 200,000 visitors. The museum is currently hosting a special exhibition of contemporary installation art called ''You Are Here: Light, Color, and Sound Experiences''. Unlike most 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 in the country. Located in downtown Raleigh, the Contemporary Art Museum of Raleigh offers a continuously rotating and updated exhibitions of modern and contemporary art and multimedia.


Sports


Professional

The
National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey sports league, league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranke ...
'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 Conferenc ...
franchise moved to Raleigh in 1999 from their temporary home of Greensboro, after having departed
Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since t ...
, in 1997. Their home arena, 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 ...
, also hosts concerts and other public events. The Hurricanes are the only major league ( NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB) professional sports team in North Carolina to have won a championship, winning the
Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...
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 ...
. North Carolina FC of the United Soccer League and the affiliated women's team North Carolina Courage of the National Women's Soccer League are located in Cary and play at the
WakeMed Soccer Park WakeMed Soccer Park is a major soccer complex in Cary, North Carolina, United States. It consists of a purpose-built, soccer-specific main stadium called Sahlen's Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park, two lighted practice fields, and four additional ...
. The Courage is the reigning NWSL Shield Winner and NWSL Champion, breaking the NWSL season record for most wins, points, and goals in the process. The Carolina Mudcats are a minor league baseball team located in eastern Wake County. Their ballpark,
Five County Stadium Five County Stadium is a baseball stadium located in Zebulon, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh. It is the home of the Carolina Mudcats of the Carolina League. The ballpark, which was opened in 1991 and extensively renovated in 1999, has a cap ...
, is located in Zebulon. The Research Triangle region has hosted the Professional Golfers' Association (PGA)
Nationwide Tour The Korn Ferry Tour is the developmental tour for the U.S.-based PGA Tour, and features professional golfers who have either not yet reached the PGA Tour, or who have done so but then failed to win enough FedEx Cup points to stay at that level. ...
Rex Hospital Open since 1994, with the current location of play at Raleigh's Wakefield Plantation.


College

North Carolina State University North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The univers ...
, which is a member of the
Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate athletic conference located in the eastern United States. Headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC's fifteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Assoc ...
(ACC) and
National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...
(NCAA) Division I, plays their home basketball games at the PNC Arena and home football games at
Carter–Finley Stadium Wayne Day Family Field at Carter–Finley Stadium is home to the NC State Wolfpack football team. It was opened in 1966 and has grown to a seating capacity of 56,919 seats. History As early as the 1950s, State was looking to replace its on-campu ...
. Other institutions of higher learning that compete in competitive sports include St. Augustine's College (
NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is an intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environmen ...
,
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. CIAA institutions mostly consist of historically black co ...
(CIAA)), Meredith College (NCAA Division III and
USA South Athletic Conference The USA South Athletic Conference (formerly the Dixie Intercollegiate Athletic Conference or the Dixie Conference) is an athletic conference which competes in the NCAA's Division III. Member schools are located in North Carolina and Virginia ...
), William Peace University (
NCAA Division III NCAA Division III (D-III) is a division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States. D-III consists of athletic programs at colleges and universities that choose not to offer athletic scholarships to their ...
,
USA South Athletic Conference The USA South Athletic Conference (formerly the Dixie Intercollegiate Athletic Conference or the Dixie Conference) is an athletic conference which competes in the NCAA's Division III. Member schools are located in North Carolina and Virginia ...
), Shaw University Division II,
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. CIAA institutions mostly consist of historically black co ...
(CIAA)), and Wake Technical Community College ( NJCAA).


Amateur

The Raleigh Cú Chulainn, which includes a
Hurling Hurling ( ga, iománaíocht, ') is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic Irish origin, played by men. One of Ireland's native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goals, the number of p ...
team and a
Gaelic football Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach; short name '), commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA or Football is an Irish team sport. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by ki ...
team, is based in Wake County. The football team won the 2014 Men's Junior Championship in North American Gaelic Athletic Association competition. The
North Carolina Tigers North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' is ...
, an
Australian Rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...
club in the United States Australian Football League (USAFL) and competing in the Eastern Australian Football League (EAFL), are based in Raleigh. Wake County is also home to the
Carolina Rollergirls Carolina Roller Derby is a women's flat-track roller derby league in Raleigh, North Carolina. Operating as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and founded in January 2004, Carolina is a founding member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Associatio ...
, an all-women flat-track roller derby team that is a competing member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA). The Carolina Rollergirls compete at the North Carolina State Fairground's Dorton Arena. Because of the area's many billiards rooms, Raleigh is home to one of the largest amateur league franchises for playing pool, the Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill American Poolplayers Association. There are leagues available in
eight-ball Eight-ball (also spelled 8-ball or eightball, and sometimes called solids and stripes, spots and stripes or rarely highs and lows) is a discipline of pool played on a billiard table with six pockets, cue sticks, and sixteen billiard balls ...
,
nine-ball Nine-ball (sometimes written 9-ball) is a discipline of the cue sport pool. The game's origins are traceable to the 1920s in the United States. It is played on a rectangular billiard table with at each of the four corners and in the middle o ...
, and Masters formats for players of any skill level. The
USA Baseball USA Baseball is the national governing body for organized baseball in the United States, and is a member of the United States Olympic Committee and the World Baseball Softball Confederation. The organization selects and trains the World Basebal ...
National Training Complex is located in Cary. Home of the
Capital City Steelers Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used fo ...
three time national champions of Pop Warner Football. Also featured in Raleigh/Durham is the Carolina Phoenix, Women's Professional Tackle Football team.


Parks and recreation


State parks

Wake County is home to three state parks: Falls Lake State Recreation Area, William B. Umstead State Park, and the
Jordan Lake State Recreation Area Jordan Lake State Recreation Area is a North Carolina state park spanning Chatham County, and Wake County North Carolina in the United States. It comprises of woodlands along the shores of Jordan Lake. History The New Hope River Valley, now h ...
. Falls Lake Park is located in northern Wake County and contains the Falls Lake and of woodlands. Umstead Park is situated between Raleigh and Cary near RDU. Located right off I-40, it is divided into two sections, Crabtree Creek and Reedy Creek, and contains of woodlands. Jordan Lake Park, which is partially located in Wake County near Apex, contains Jordan Lake and of woodlands. This park is known for being home to
bald eagle The bald eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), which occupies the same niche as ...
s.


County parks and recreation centers

There are 152 county parks, city parks, public swimming and public tennis facilities in Wake County. In addition, there are 53
community centers Community centres, community centers, or community halls are public locations where members of a community tend to gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may sometimes be open for the whole c ...
. Notable parks include Pullen Park and Yates Mill Park. The
American Tobacco Trail The American Tobacco Trail (ATT) is a long Rails-to-Trails project located in the Research Triangle region of North Carolina, running along an abandoned railroad bed originally built for the American Tobacco Company in the 1970s. The route cros ...
is a
rail trail A rail trail is a shared-use path on railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed, but may also share the right of way with active railways, light rail, or streetc ...
project that is located in the Research Triangle Park region. Fifteen miles of the trail is located in Wake County and is open to pedestrians, cyclists, equestrians (in non-urban sections), and other non-motorized users. The
Capital Area Greenway The Capital Area Greenway is a greenway trail system through the city of Raleigh, North Carolina. Started in 1974, it currently spans over and 3800 acres (12 km²) throughout much Wake County. The Greenway system also connects to similar ...
system has over 100 miles (160 km) of paved walking and biking trails and connects to other systems operated by municipalities and neighboring counties.


Hospitals

Wake County is served by three hospitals systems:
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 ...
, WakeMed, and Duke Raleigh Hospital. In addition to WakeMed's primary facility, the hospital also operates eight satellite locations throughout the county. These locations include North Raleigh, Cary, Fuquay-Varina, Garner, Wake Forest, Apex, Wake Forest Road, and Brier Creek.Locations/Maps
. Wakemed.org.


Communities


Cities

* Durham (small part, mostly in Durham County) *
Raleigh Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...
(state capital, county seat, and largest city) (most, small part in Durham County)


Towns

* Apex * Cary (most, small part in Chatham County) * Fuquay-Varina * Garner * Holly Springs * Knightdale * Morrisville (most, small part in Durham County) * Rolesville * Wake Forest (most, small part in Franklin County) * Wendell * Zebulon (part in Nash County)


Townships

* Bartons Creek * Buckhorn * Cary * Cedar Fork * Holly Springs * House Creek * Leesville * Little River * Marks Creek * Meredith * Middle Creek * Neuse * New Light * Panther Branch *
Raleigh Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...
* St. Mary's * St. Matthew's * Swift Creek * Wake Forest * White Oak


Unincorporated communities

* Asbury * Auburn * Banks * Barham * Bayleaf * Bonsal * Carpenter * Clegg * Eagle Rock * Falls * Feltonville * Five Points * Forestville * Fowlers Crossroads *
Friendship Friendship is a relationship of mutual affection between people. It is a stronger form of interpersonal bond than an "acquaintance" or an "association", such as a classmate, neighbor, coworker, or colleague. In some cultures, the concept of ...
* Green Level *
Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former Provinces of the Netherlands, province on the western coast of the Netherland ...
* Hollemans Crossroads *
Hopkins Hopkins is an English, Welsh and Irish patronymic surname. The English name means "son of Hob". ''Hob'' was a diminutive of ''Robert'', itself deriving from the Germanic warrior name ''Hrod-berht'', translated as "renowned-fame". The Robert spe ...
* Kennebec * Lassiter * Leesville *
Lizard Lick Lizard Lick is an unincorporated community in Wake County, North Carolina, United States. The community is located at the crossroads of Lizard Lick Road and NC 97. Lizard Lick has frequently been noted on lists of unusual place names. The communi ...
* Macks Village * McCullers * McCullers Crossroads * Medfield * Mount Pleasant * Neuse * New Hill * New Hope * New Light * Purnell * Riley Hill * Sandy Plain * Shotwell * Six Forks * Stony Hill * Wake Crossroads * Walkers Crossroad * Westover * Wilbon * Williams Crossroads * Willow Spring * Wyatt


See also

* List of counties in North Carolina *
National Register of Historic Places listings in Wake County, North Carolina This list includes properties and districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Wake County, North Carolina. Click the "Map of all coordinates" link to the right to view an online map of all properties and districts with latitud ...
* History of North Carolina * North Carolina in the American Civil War * North Carolina State Parks *
 List of North Carolina state forests The State of North Carolina has a group of twelve protected areas known as State Forests which are managed by the North Carolina Forest Service, an agency of the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Six of the state for ...
*
List of future Interstate Highways In the United States, future Interstate Highways include proposals to establish new mainline (one- and two-digit) routes to the Interstate Highway System. Excluded from this article are auxiliary Interstate Highways (designated by three-digit nu ...


References


Works cited

*


External links


Wake County official website

Wake County Real Estate Records


{{Coord, 35.79, -78.65, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-NC_source:UScensus1990 1771 establishments in North Carolina Populated places established in 1771 Research Triangle