Raleigh, North Carolina

City of Raleigh
Downtown-Raleigh-from-Western-Boulevard-Overpass-20081012.jpeg

Flag
Seal
Nickname(s): City of Oaks
Map of Wake County, North Carolina
Map of Wake County, North Carolina
Coordinates:
Country United States
State North Carolina
Counties Wake, Durham
Founded 1792
Government
 - Mayor Charles Meeker (D)
Area
 - City 115.6 sq mi (299.3 km²)
 - Land 114.6 sq mi (296.8 km²)
 - Water 1.0 sq mi (2.5 km²)
Elevation 315 ft (96 m)
Population (2008)
 - City 380,173
 - Density 3,288.4/sq mi (930.2/km²)
 - Urban 749,427
 - Metro 1,635,974
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 - Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
FIPS code 37-55000[1]
GNIS feature ID 1024242[2]
Website: City of Raleigh

Raleigh (pronounced rah-lee) is the capital of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the “City of Oaks” for its many oak trees. It is the second most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte.[3] The estimated population on July 1, 2008 was 380,173.[3] [4] Since 2006, Raleigh's municipal population has surpassed those of Minneapolis, Tampa, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis, and it is the 15th fastest growing city in the United States. Its population has grown by more than 100,000 since 2000, an increase of nearly 40%.

Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill make up the three historically primary cities of the Research Triangle metropolitan region. The regional nickname of "The Triangle" originated after the 1959 creation of the Research Triangle Park, located between the cities of Raleigh and Durham. The Research Triangle region encompasses the U.S. Census Bureau's Combined Statistical Area (CSA) of Raleigh-Durham-Cary in the central Piedmont region of North Carolina. The estimated population of the Raleigh-Durham-Cary CSA was 1,635,974 as of July 1, 2007, with the Raleigh-Cary Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) portion estimated at 1,047,629 residents.[5]

Most of Raleigh is located within Wake County, with a very small portion extending into Durham County[6]. The towns of Cary, Garner, Wake Forest, Apex, Holly Springs, Clayton, Fuquay-Varina, and Knightdale are some of Raleigh's primary nearby suburbs.

Contents

History

18th century

In December 1770, Joel Lane successfully petitioned the North Carolina General Assembly to create a new county, resulting in the formation of Wake County. The county was formed from portions of Cumberland, Orange and Johnston counties. the county gets its name from Margaret Wake Tryon, the wife of Governor William Tryon. The first county seat was Bloomsbury.

Raleigh was chosen as the site of a new state capital in 1788. It was officially established in 1792 as both the new county seat and the new state capital. The city was named in 1792 for Sir Walter Raleigh, sponsor of the Colony of Roanoke. The "Lost Colony" is commemorated at the Fort Raleigh National Historic Site on Roanoke Island, North Carolina.

The city's location was chosen, in part, for being within 10 miles (16 km) of Isaac Hunter's Tavern, a popular tavern frequented by the state legislators. 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. Its original boundaries were formed by the downtown streets of North, East, West and South streets. It was planned to be laid out in an axial fashion, with four public squares and one central sqaure.[7]

The North Carolina General Assembly first met in Raleigh in December 1794, and quickly granted the city a charter, with a board of seven appointed commissioners (elected by the city after 1803) and an "Intendant of Police" (which would eventually become the office of Mayor) to govern it. In 1799, the N.C. Minerva and Raleigh Advertiser became the first newspaper published in Raleigh. [8] John Haywood was the first Intendant of Police.[9]

19th century

Raleigh, North Carolina in 1872

In 1808 Andrew Johnson, the nation’s seventeenth President, was born at Casso’s Inn in Raleigh. The city's first water supply network was completed in 1818, although due to system failures the project was abandoned. 1819 saw the arrival of Raleigh's first volunteer fire company, followed in 1821 by a full-time fire company.

In 1831, a fire destroyed the State Capitol. Reconstruction began two years later with quarried granite being delivered by the first railroad in the state. Raleigh celebrated the completions of the new Capitol and new Raleigh & Gaston Railroad Company in 1840.

In 1853, the first State Fair was held near Raleigh.

The first institution of higher learning in Raleigh, Peace College, was established in 1858.

After the War began, Governor Zebulon Baird Vance ordered the construction of breastworks around the city as protection from Union troops. During General Sherman's Carolinas Campaign, Raleigh was captured by Union cavalry under the command of General Hugh Judson Kilpatrick on April 13, 1865. After the Confederate cavalry retreated west , the Union soldiers followed, leading to the nearby Battle of Morrisville.[10] The city was spared significant destruction during the War, but due to the economic problems of the post-war period and Reconstruction, it grew little over the next several decades.

North Carolina State Capitol, c 1861. Governor David S. Reid is in the foreground
North Carolina State Treasurers Office in State Capitol, c 1890s

After the Civil War ended in 1865, African Americans were able to be educated and men could become involved in politics. With the help of the Freedmen's Bureau, many freedmen migrated from rural areas to Raleigh. Shaw University, the South's first African-American college, began classes in 1865 and was chartered in 1875. Shaw's Estey Hall 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. In 1869, the state legislature approved the nation’s first school for blind and deaf African Americans to be located in Raleigh. And in 1874, the city's Federal Building was constructed in Raleigh, the first Federal Government project in the South following the Civil War.

In 1880, the newspapers News and Observer combined to form The News & Observer. It remains 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 in 1887. The city's Rex Hospital opened in 1889 and housed the state's first nursing school. The Baptist Women's College, now known as Meredith College, opened in 1891.

In 1900, the state legislature passed a new constitution, with voter registration rules that disenfranchised most blacks and many poor whites. Added to earlier statutory restrictions, the state succeeded in reducing black voting to zero by 1908. It was not until 1965 that the majority of blacks in North Carolina would again be able to vote, sit on juries and serve in local offices.

20th century

Intersection of Fayetteville and Martin Streets, c 1908
Fayetteville Street during the 1910s. The North Carolina State Capitol can be seen in the background
Construction of the Commercial National Bank building, c 1912
Martin Street business district, c 1915

In 1912, Bloomsbury Park opened, featuring a popular carousel ride. Relocated to Pullen Park, the carousel is still operating.

From 1914-1917, an influenza epidemic killed 288 Raleigh citizens. The state of North Carolina lost a total of 5,799 men in the World War I.

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.

The city's first airport, Curtiss-Wright Flying Field opened in 1929. That same year, the stock market crash resulted in six Raleigh banks closing.[8]

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 was dedicated. The North Carolina Symphony, founded the same year, performed in its new home. From 1934-1937, the federal Civilian Conservation Corps constructed the area now know as William B. Umstead State Park. 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, the current form.

Raleigh experienced significant damage from Hurricane Hazel in 1954.

In 1956, WRAL-TV became the first local television station.

With the opening of the Research Triangle Park in 1957, Raleigh began to experience a population increase, resulting in a total city population of 100,000 by 1960. [8]

Following passage of the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965, one of the main achievements of the African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968) and the Lyndon Johnson presidency, political participation and voting by African Americans in Raleigh increased rapidly. In 1967, Clarence E. Lightner was elected to the City Council, and in 1973 became Raleigh's first African-American mayor.

In 1976, the Raleigh City and Wake County schools merged to become the Wake County Public School System, 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, easing traffic congestion and providing access to most major city roads.

The first Raleigh Convention Center (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.[8]

In 1991, two large skyscrapers in Raleigh were completed, First Union Capital Center and Two Hanover Plaza, along with the popular Walnut Creek Amphitheatre in Southeast Raleigh.

In 1996, the Olympic Torch passed through Raleigh while on its way to the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. Also in 1996, Hurricane Fran struck the area, causing massive flooding and extensive structural damage.

In 1999, the RBC Center arena opened to provide a venue for the National Hockey League's Carolina Hurricanes and NC State Wolfpack men's basketball teams.[8]

21st century

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 Gallery and Lichtin Plaza.[8]

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.

With the opening of parts of I-540 from 2005-2007, a new 70-mile (110 km) 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 joined the National Register of Historic Places.

Also in 2008, Raleigh has featured prominently in a number of "Top 10 Lists," including those by Forbes, MSNBC and Money Magazine, due to its quality of life and business climate.

Law and government

North Carolina State Capitol

Raleigh operates under a council-manager government. The city council consists of eight members; all seats, including the 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. 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

See also: List of mayors of Raleigh, North Carolina

Crime

In 2007, 22 murders or non-negligent cases of manslaughter were reported within Raleigh's city limits, per the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Reports.

Mayor Charles Meeker is a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition[11], a bi-partisan group with a stated goal of "making the public safer by getting illegal guns off the streets." The coalition is co-chaired by Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Raleigh averages a rate of 469.2 motor vehicle thefts per year per 100,000 residents, below the average rate of 528.4 motor vehicle thefts per year per 100,000 residents for all metropolitan areas in North Carolina.

According to the Uniform Crime Reports, crime in Raleigh has steadily decreased in recent years. In 2004, there were 580 reported incidents of violent crime and 3,768 reported incidents of property crime reported per 100,000 population. Nationally there were 466 violent crimes and 3,517 property crimes reported per 100,000 population, while U.S. cities with a population between 250,000 and 500,000 residents reported 978 violent crimes and 5,631 property crimes per 100,000 population, all well above Raleigh's reported rate.[12]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, Raleigh occupies a total area of 115.6 square miles (299.3 km²), of which 114.6 square miles (296.8 km²) is dry land and 1.0 square miles (2.5 km²)(0.84%) is covered by water.

Raleigh is located in the northeast central region of North Carolina, where the North American Piedmont and Atlantic Coastal Plain regions meet. This area is known as the "fall line" 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. Its central Piedmont location situates Raleigh about three hours west of Atlantic Beach, North Carolina, by car and four hours east of the Great Smoky Mountains of the Appalachian range. The city is 145 miles (233 km) south of Richmond, Virginia; 232 miles (373 km) south of Washington, D.C.; and 143 miles (230 km) northeast of Charlotte, North Carolina.

Climate

Snow in Raleigh, North Carolina

Raleigh enjoys a temperate subtropical climate, with generally moderate temperatures during spring and autumn. Summers are typically warm to hot. Winters are cool to cold and wet with highs generally in the range of upper 40s to low 50s°F (8 to 11 °C) with lows in the mid 20s to low 30s°F (-4 to 0°C), although an occasional 60°F (15°C) or warmer winter day is not uncommon. The record low temperature recorded at the RDU Airport is -9°F set back in 1985(-22°C). Occasional single digit temperatures can be experienced in any given winter. Spring and Autumn days usually reach the low/mid 70s°F (low 20s°C), with lows at night in the lower 50s°F (10 to 14°C). Summer daytime highs often reach mid to upper 80s to low 90s°F (29 to 35°C) with cooler nights between 65°F to 70°F. The region's rainiest months are January and March with the driest months being April and November[13].

Raleigh receives an average of 7.0" of snow in winter. Freezing rain and sleet also occur most winters, and occasionally the area experiences a major damaging ice storm. The region also experiences occasional periods of drought, during which the city sometimes has restricted water use by residents.

Climate in Raleigh
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual
Avg °F (°C) 41.4°F (5.2°C) 43.5°F (6.4°C) 51.0°F (10.6°C) 60.0°F (15.6°C) 68.0°F (20.0°C) 75.4°F (24.1°C) 78.9°F (26.1°C) 77.4°F (25.2°C) 71.9°F (22.2°C) 61.1°F (16.2°C) 51.9°F (11.1°C) 43.3°F (6.3°C) 60.3°F (15.7°C)
Avg high °F (°C) 51.1°F (10.6°C) 53.9°F (12.2°C) 62.0°F (16.7°C) 71.7°F (22.1°C) 79.0°F (26.1°C) 85.9°F (29.9°C) 88.7°F (31.5°C) 87.0°F (30.6°C) 81.7°F (27.6°C) 71.8°F (22.1°C) 62.4°F (16.9°C) 53.0°F (11.7°C) 70.7°F (21.5°C)
Avg low °F (°C) 31.7°F
(-0.2°C)		 33.0°F (0.6°C) 39.9°F (4.4°C) 48.3°F (9.1°C) 57.1°F (13.9°C) 65.0°F (18.3°C) 69.1°F (20.6°C) 67.8°F (19.9°C) 62.1°F (16.7°C) 50.4°F (10.2°C) 41.5°F (5.3°C) 33.5°F (0.8°C) 49.9°F (9.9°C)
Average Rain (inches) 3.6in. 3.5in. 3.9in. 3.1in. 3.8in. 4.1in. 4.9in. 4.6in. 4.1in. 3.2in. 3.1in. 3.3in. 45.3in.
Snow (inches) 1.8in. 1.3in. 0.8in. 0.0in. 0.0in. 0.0in. 0.0in. 0.0in. 0.0in. 0.0in. 0.0in. 0.6in. 4.6in.
Sources for climate statistics: Southeast Regional Climate Center (Raleigh - NC State University)

Cityscape

Downtown Raleigh panorama, from 1909
Main article: Raleigh Neighborhoods

Raleigh is divided into seven major geographic areas, each of which use a Raleigh address and a ZIP code that begins with the digits 276.

Fayetteville Street in downtown Raleigh

Downtown/Old Raleigh ("Inside the Beltline") is home to historic neighborhoods and buildings such as the Sir Walter Raleigh Hotel built in the early 20th century, the restored City Market, the Fayetteville Street downtown business district, as well as the North Carolina Museum of History, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, North Carolina State Capitol, Peace College, the Raleigh City Museum, Raleigh Convention Center, Shaw University, and Saint Augustine's College. The neighborhoods in Old Raleigh include Cameron Park, Boylan Heights[14], Country Club Hills, Coley Forest, Five Points, Glenwood-Brooklyn, Hayes Barton, Moore Square, Mordecai, Belvidere Park, Woodcrest, and Historic Oakwood.

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 New Hope, and Wilder's Grove. The area is bordered to the east by the town of Knightdale.

Downtown Raleigh

West Raleigh lies along Hillsborough Street and Western Boulevard. The area is bordered to the west by suburban Cary. It is home to North Carolina State University, Meredith College, Pullen Park, Pullen Memorial Baptist Church, Cameron Village, Lake Johnson, the North Carolina Museum of Art 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.

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 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 Bedford, Bent Tree, Brentwood, Brookhaven, Crossgate, Falls River, North Ridge, Stonebridge, Stone Creek, Stonehenge, Wakefield, Windsor Forest, and Wood Valley. The area is served by a number of primary transportation corridors including Glenwood Avenue (U.S. Route 70), Wake Forest Road, Millbrook Road, Lynn Road, Six Forks Road, Spring Forest Road, Creedmoor Road, Leesville Road, and Strickland Road, as well as the Interstate-540 Expressway.

Midtown Raleigh, which used to be considered a part of North Raleigh, is a residential and commercial area just North of the I-440 Beltline. It is roughly framed by Glenwood/Creedmoor 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. It also includes the upcoming high-rise Soleil Center, as well as North Hills Park and part of the Raleigh Greenway System.

South Raleigh is located along U.S. 401 South toward Fuquay-Varina and along US 70 into suburban Garner. 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, to the east by Garner, and to the southwest by Holly Springs. Neighborhoods in South Raleigh include Lake Wheeler, Swift Creek, Riverbrooke, and Enchanted Oaks.

Southeast Raleigh is bounded by downtown on the west, Garner on the southwest, and rural Wake County to the southeast. The area includes areas along Rock Quarry Road, Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, and New Bern Avenue. This area is very diverse, with new suburban developments to poor inner-city neighborhoods. Many of the older neighborhoods are historically African American and date back to the end of the Civil War. Primary neighborhoods include Chavis Heights, Raleigh Country Club, Southgate, and Biltmore Hills. Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion (formerly Alltel Pavilion and Walnut Creek Amphitheatre) is one of the region's major outdoor concert venues and is located on Rock Quarry Road.

Economy

Raleigh's industrial base includes 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 research, as well as advanced textile development.[15] The city is a major retail shipping point for eastern North Carolina and a wholesale distributing point for the grocery industry.

Demographics

Historical populations
Census
year		 Population
1800 699
1900 13,643
1910 19,218
1920 24,418
1930 37,379
1940 46,879
1950 65,679
1960 93,931
1970 122,830
1980 150,255
1990 212,092
2000 276,093
2008 est 380,173

As of the 2000 United States census,[1] 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/km²). There were 120,699 housing units at an average density of 1,053.2/sq mi (406.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 63.31% White, 27.80% African American, 0.36% Native American, 3.38% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 3.24% of other races, and 1.88% of two or more races. Residents who described themselves as Hispanic or Latino of any race represented 7.01% of the population.

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. 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 median household income in the city was $46,612 in 2000, and the median family income 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. Of the total population, 13.8% of those below the age of 18, and 9.3% of those 65 and older, were living below the poverty line.

Education

D.H. Hill Library at North Carolina State University
Memorial Bell Tower at North Carolina State University
Estey Hall on the campus of Shaw University
Main Building on the campus of Peace College

Higher education

Public

Private

In addition, the Campbell University Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law has announced that it will move to downtown Raleigh from the nearby town of Buies Creek by 2009.[16]

Private, for profit

Primary and secondary education

Public schools

Public schools in Raleigh are operated by the Wake County Public School System. 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.[17]

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 eleven such charter schools:

Private and religion-based schools

  • Al-Iman Islamic School (K-8)
  • Bonner Academy (5-8)
  • Cardinal Gibbons Catholic High School (9-12)
  • Follow the Child Montessori School (K-6)
  • The Franciscan School (Catholic, K-8)
  • Friendship Christian School of Raleigh (Baptist, 1-12)
  • Gethsemane Seventh-Day Adventist School (K-8)
  • Maass Jewish Community Day School (K-5)
  • Montessori School of Raleigh (K-9)
  • Neuse Baptist Christian School (K-12)
  • North Raleigh Christian Academy (K-12)
  • Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School (K-8)
  • Raleigh Christian Academy (Baptist, K-12)
  • Raleigh Latin High School (9-12)
  
  • The Raleigh School (K-5)
  • Ravenscroft School (K-12)
  • Saint David's Episcopal School (K-12)
  • Saint Mary's School (9-12)
  • Saint Thomas More Academy (Catholic, 9-12)
  • Saint Timothy's Episcopal School (K-8)
  • Thales Academy - Wake Forest, Apex (K-5)
  • The Trilogy School (2-12)
  • Trinity Academy of Raleigh (Christian, K-12)
  • Wake Christian Academy (K-12)

Homeschooling

As of August 2008, Wake County had the highest estimated number of home-schoolers in the state, with 7,059 students.[18] North Carolina law defines a home school as a non-public school in which the student receives academic instruction from his/her parent, legal guardian, or a member of the household in which the student resides. The home school academic instructional setting must always meet the home school legal definition of G.S. 115C-563(a) and is limited to students from no more than two households.[19] These schools are administered independently of the Wake County Public School System and are registered with the State of North Carolina Department of Non-Public Education.

Cultural resources

Museums

Performing arts

The Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek hosts major international touring acts. The Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts complex houses the Raleigh Memorial Auditorium, the Fletcher Opera Theater, the Kennedy Theatre, and the Meymandi Concert Hall. During the North Carolina State Fair, Dorton Arena hosts headline acts. In 2008, a new theatre space, the Meymandi Theatre at the Murphey School, was opened in the restored auditorium of the historic Murphey School[1]. Theater performances are also offered at the Raleigh Little Theatre, Long View Center, Theatre In The Park, and Stewart Theater at North Carolina State University.

Raleigh is home to several professional arts organizations, including the North Carolina Symphony, the Opera Company of North Carolina, Burning Coal Theatre Company, the North Carolina Theatre, Broadway Series South and the Carolina Ballet. The numerous local colleges and universities significantly add to the options available for viewing live performances.

Visual arts

North Carolina Museum of Art, occupying a large suburban campus on Blue Ridge Road near the North Carolina State Fairgrounds, maintains one of the premier public art collections located between Washington, D.C., and Atlanta. In addition to its extensive collections of American Art, European Art and ancient art, the museum recently has hosted major exhibitions featuring Auguste Rodin (in 2000) and Claude Monet (in 2006-07), each attracting more than 200,000 visitors. [20][21] 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 in the country. The museum facility is currently undergoing a major expansion, scheduled for completion in 2010.

Sports and leisure

Professional

The RBC Center in Raleigh

The National Hockey League's Carolina Hurricanes franchise moved to Raleigh in 1997 from Hartford, Connecticut (where it was known as the Hartford Whalers). The team played its first two seasons in the nearby city of Greensboro, while its home arena, Raleigh's RBC Center was under construction. 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 in 2006, over the Edmonton Oilers.

In addition to the Hurricanes, the Carolina Railhawks of the United Soccer Leagues play in suburban Cary to the west; the Carolina Mudcats, an AA minor-league baseball team, play in the city's eastern suburbs; and the Durham Bulls, the AAA minor-league baseball team made internationally famous by the movie Bull Durham, play in the neighboring city of Durham.

Several other professional sports leagues have had former franchises (now defunct) in Raleigh, including the Arena Football League; the World League of American Football; the Raleigh Cougars of the United States Basketball League; and most recently, the Carolina Courage of the Women's United Soccer Association (in suburban Cary), which won that league's championship Founders Cup in 2002.

The Research Triangle region has hosted the Professional Golfers' Association (PGA) Nationwide Tour Rex Hospital Open since 1994, with the current location of play at Raleigh's Wakefield Plantation.

Amateur

The Raleigh Rugby Football Club encompasses three different adult teams:

The North Carolina Tigers compete as an Australian Rules football club in the United States Australian Football League (USAFL), in the Eastern Australian Football League (EAFL).

Raleigh is also home to the Carolina Rollergirls, 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 Dorton Arena at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds.

In addition, the Carolina ANZACs[22] cricket and social group is based in the Raleigh area and participates in tournaments throughout the country as part of the Mid Atlantic Cricket Conference, a member league of the United States of America Cricket Association (USACA).

Recreation

The Raleigh Parks and Recreation Department offers a wide variety of leisure opportunities at more than 150 sites throughout the city, which include: 8,100 acres (33 km2) of park land, 54 miles (87 km) of greenway, 22 staffed community centers, a BMX championship-caliber race track, 112 tennis courts among 25 locations, 5 public lakes, and 8 public aquatic facilities.

The J. C. Raulston Arboretum, an 8 acre (32,000 m²) arboretum and botanical garden in west Raleigh administered by North Carolina State University, maintains an impressive year-round collection that is open daily to the public without charge.

Transportation

Air

The RDU sign at the entrance of the airport.

Raleigh-Durham International Airport

Main article: Raleigh-Durham International Airport
(IATA: RDU, ICAO: KRDU, FAA LID: RDU)

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, serves the city and greater Research Triangle metropolitan region, as well as much of eastern North Carolina. The airport is a hub for American Eagle Airlines. The airport offers service to more than 45 domestic and international destinations and serves approximately 10 million passengers a year.[23] The airport also offers facilities for general aviation. The airport authority currently is tripling the size of its Terminal 2 (formerly Terminal C), and is planned for completion in winter of 2011.

Private airports

Several licensed private general-aviation airports operate in Raleigh's immediate suburban areas:

Freeways and primary designated routes

Interstate Highways
United States Highways
North Carolina Highways

Intercity rail

Amtrak's Carolinian, pulling into Raleigh's downtown train station

Amtrak's Carolinian, Piedmont and Silver Star offer daily service between Raleigh and:

See NCDOT ByTrain for more information.

Public transit

Triangle Transit bus

Public transportation in and around Raleigh is provided by the CAT, Capital Area Transit (CAT), which operates 37 bus fixed routes and a historic trolley line within the city, and the Triangle Transit Authority (TTA), which offers scheduled, fixed-route regional and commuter bus service between Raleigh and the metropolitan region's other principal cities of Durham, Cary and Chapel Hill (where TTA connects with the respective local urban transit systems), as well as to and from the Raleigh-Durham International Airport, Research Triangle Park and several of the region's larger suburban communities. TTA also coordinates an extensive vanpool and rideshare program that serves the region's larger employers and commute destinations.

Raleigh city planners, in conjunction with other government agencies throughout the metropolitan area, currently are conducting a feasibility study on whether or not to construct a light rail and/or commuter rail system for the Research Triangle region.[24] An attempt was made to gain support for such a proposal earlier in the decade, however in 2006 the TTA announced those plans had been placed on indefinite hold due to a lack of local funds and a recommended denial by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to Congress for matching federal funding.[25][26] The Special Transit Advisory Commission (STAC) has proposed raising the local sales tax by a half cent to fund the project.[27][28] The STAC estimates the population of the Triangle region will double in size over the next 20 to 25 years, and that rail transit is among the solutions to the inevitable continued increase in traffic volumes and congestion due to the region's burgeoning population growth and continuing sprawl.[29]

Bicycle and pedestrian

The mountains-to-the-sea North Carolina Bicycle Route 2 travels through the city of Raleigh, as does the Maine-to-Florida U.S. Bicycle Route 1. North Carolina Bicycle Route 5, the Cape Fear run, connects nearby suburban Apex to the coastal city of Wilmington, North Carolina, and closely parallels the route of the Randonneurs USA (RUSA) 600km brevet route. [30].

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 greenway system, with paths and trails located throughout the city.

Media

Print

There are several printed newspapers and periodicals that serve the Raleigh market:

Television

Main article: The Triangle (North Carolina)#Television

Broadcast

Raleigh is part of the Raleigh-Durham-Fayetteville Designated Market Area, the 28th 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:

Subscriber

Raleigh is home to the Research Triangle Region bureau of the regional cable news channel News 14 Carolina.

Internet-only

Broadcast radio

Public and listener-supported

Commercial

Sister cities

Raleigh is twinned with several cities:

Notable Raleighites

Natives and near-natives

Current residents

Associated former residents

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  2. ↑ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 City of Raleigh | Raleigh Demographics
  4. ↑ The 258 fastest growing U.S. cities - Jun. 27, 2007
  5. ↑ "Annual Estimates of the Population of Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2007 (CBSA-EST2007-01)" (CSV). 2007 Population Estimates. United States Census Bureau, Population Division (2007-04-05). Retrieved on 2007-04-05.
  6. ↑ Raleigh Durham Annexation Agreement Lines
  7. ↑ Bishir, Catherine (2005). North Carolina Architecture. UNC Press. pp. 73. http://books.google.com/books?id=NccTgQkmPIEC&client=opera. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 "City of Raleigh Years (1587 - 1844)". City of Raleigh. Retrieved on 2008-03-17.
  9. ↑ "About John Haywood". NSCDA. Retrieved on 2006-09-07.
  10. ↑ "The Battle of Morrisville". Ernest Dollar. Retrieved on 2008-03-17.
  11. ↑ "Mayors Against Illegal Guns: Coalition Members".
  12. ↑ "Crime in the United States, 2004" (in English). Department of Justice — Federal Bureau of Investigation. Retrieved on 2008-11-29.
  13. ↑ http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USNC0558
  14. ↑ Historic Boylan Heights Neighborhood Main Page
  15. ↑ The Research Triangle Park
  16. ↑ newsobserver.com | Friends helped Campbell law school find home
  17. ↑ As Test Scores Jump, Raleigh Credits Integration by Income, Alan Finder, 1:1 September 25, 2005, New York Times
  18. ↑ "Home-school enrollment up in Wake, state" The News & Observer newspaper
  19. ↑ North Carolina Division of Non-Public Education
  20. ↑ ARTSCAPE: Dr. Lawrence Wheeler, Director, North Carolina Museum of Art, 8-25-06
  21. ↑ Monet Exhibit Sets New Attendance Record at N.C. Museum of Art :: WRAL.com
  22. ↑ Carolina ANZACs Cricket Club
  23. ↑ International destinations include London, Toronto and Cancun, Mexico (seasonal). Delta Airlines announced in November 2008 that service from RDU to Paris, France would begin in June 2009.Raleigh-Durham International Airport
  24. ↑ Local Leaders Turn to Charlotte for Transportation Insights :: WRAL.com
  25. ↑ 3-07LatestTransitNeeds
  26. ↑ Commuter Rail System Coming to the Triangle? :: WRAL.com
  27. ↑ Panel: Sales Tax Could Pay for Regional Transit :: WRAL.com
  28. ↑ New Panel Will Develop Vision For Triangle Transit :: WRAL.com
  29. ↑ Regional Mass Transit System Inches Closer to Reality :: WRAL.com
  30. ↑ 600 Kilometers

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