Piedmont Triad
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Piedmont Triad is a region of North Carolina (locally known simply as "The Triad") in the Piedmont that consists of the area within and surrounding the cities of Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and High Point. The area is connected by Interstates 40, 85, 73, & 74 and is served by the Piedmont Triad International Airport. Long known as one of the primary manufacturing and transportation hubs of the southeastern U.S., the Triad is also an important educational and cultural region and occupies a prominent place in the history of the American Civil Rights Movement. The Triad is not be confused with the "Triangle" region (Raleigh / Durham / Chapel Hill) directly to the east.
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[edit] Educational institutions
Eleven institutions of higher education are located within the Triad, including Wake Forest University, Salem College, Winston-Salem State University, North Carolina School of the Arts, High Point University, Guilford College, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro College, Bennett College, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, and Elon University. Three prominent boarding schools also call the Triad home: Salem Academy, Oak Ridge Military Academy, and the American Hebrew Academy.
[edit] Museums
Major art and historical museums contribute to the cultural climate of the region, including the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA), The Reynolda House of American Art, Old Salem, High Point Historical Museum, Mendenhall Plantation, the Weatherspoon Museum of Modern Art, Blandwood Mansion and Gardens, the Greensboro Historical Museum, Guilford Battleground National Military Park, and the Charlotte Hawkins Brown State Museum. (Museums of the Triad)
[edit] Economy
[edit] Industry & Manufacturing
The Triad area is notable for large textile, tobacco, and furniture corporations. The Triad remains a national center for textile manufacturing, represented by corporations including Hanes based in Winston-Salem, and International Textile Group, based in Greensboro. Tobacco remains a prominent crop in the Triad's rural areas and many tobacco companies like Lorillard Tobacco Company of Greensboro, and Reynolds American, based in Winston-Salem, call the Piedmont Triad home. Numerous furniture manufacturers are also headquartered in the Triad area, especially in the cities of High Point (deemed the "Furniture Capital of the World"), Thomasville (known as the "Chair City"), and Lexington. Popular brands like "Thomasville" and "Lexington" are derived from the names of these cities. Recently, however, many furniture and tobacco factories have been closing and/or laying off workers across the region in response to escalating industrial globalization.
[edit] Technology
After many of the old industries in the area began to die out, many Piedmont Triad cities began encouraging technological businesses to move into the Triad. Winston-Salem, for instance, founded within its downtown the Piedmont Triad Research Park, a highly interactive, master-planned innovation community developed to support life science and information technology research and development. Dell, Inc. in the early 2000s struck a deal with local officials allowing for the construction of a new computer assembly plant near the Triad city of Kernersville.
[edit] Counties
Generally:
Occasionally:
[edit] Primary cities
- Burlington Alamance
- Greensboro Guilford
- High Point Guilford, Forsyth, Davidson & Randolph
- Winston-Salem Forsyth
[edit] Secondary Cities over 10,000 in population
- Asheboro Randolph
- Clemmons Forsyth
- Eden Rockingham
- Graham Alamance
- Kernersville Forsyth & Guilford
- Lexington Davidson
- Reidsville Rockingham
- Thomasville Davidson
[edit] Other Municipalities under 10,000 in population
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