Raleigh, North Carolina

Raleigh is the capital city 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. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's estimated population on July 1, 2009 was 405,791, over an area of 142.8 square miles (369.85 km²), making Raleigh one of the fastest growing cities in the United States and currently, the 45th largest city in the United States. The City of Raleigh is named after Sir Walter Raleigh.

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, primarily located in Durham County, four miles from Downtown Durham and encompassed on three sides by the City of Durham and roughly midway between the cities of Raleigh and Chapel Hill and the three major research universities of NC State University, Duke University, and UNC-Chapel Hill.

In 2003, the previous Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill metropolitan statistical area (MSA) was re-defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, resulting in the formation of the Raleigh-Cary, NC MSA and the Durham, NC MSA.

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. As of July 1, 2009 the estimated population of the Raleigh-Durham-Cary CSA was 1,742,816, while the Raleigh-Cary Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) was estimated at 1,125,827, making it the nation's fastest growing metropolitan area.

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

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 11 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 square.

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. John Haywood was the first Intendant of Police. Raleigh's Historic Oakwood contains many houses from the 1800s that are still in good condition.

19th century
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 1857.

After the Civil 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. 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. 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, and in 1898, The Academy of Music private music conservatory was established.

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


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 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.

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.

On December 12, 1942, The Roman Catholic Diocese of Raleigh was officially established by the Vatican and the Sacred Heart Cathedral became the official seat of the diocese.

In 1947, Raleigh citizens adopted a council-manager form of government, the current form.

The Dorton Arena, a 7,610-seat multi-purpose arena designed by Matthew Nowicki, was opened in 1952 on the grounds of the North Carolina State Fair. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

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 1959, Raleigh began to experience a population increase, resulting in a total city population of 100,000 by 1960.

Following passage of the federal Voting Rights Act, one of the main achievements of the African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968) and the Lyndon B. 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.

The 1988 Raleigh tornado outbreak of November 28, 1988 was the most destructive of the seven tornadoes reported in Northeastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia between 1:00 AM and 5:45 AM. The Raleigh tornado produced over $77 million in damage, along with four fatalities (two in the city of Raleigh, and two in Nash County) and 154 injuries. The damage path from the storm was measured at 84 mi long, and .5 mi wide at times.

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 Flame 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 1997, the National Hockey League's Hartford Whalers announced their intention to move to Raleigh as the Carolina Hurricanes, becoming the City's first major league professional sports franchise.

In 1999, the Raleigh Entertainment and Sports Arena, later renamed the RBC Center, opened to provide a home for the Hurricanes and the NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team, as well as an up-to-date major concert venue.

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.

Fayetteville Street reopened to vehicular traffic in 2006. A variety of downtown building projects began around this time including the 34-story RBC Bank Tower, multiple condominium projects and several new restaurants. Additional skyscrapers are in the proposal/planning phase.

In 2006, The City's NHL franchise, The Carolina Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup, North Carolina's first professional sports championship.

With the opening of parts of I-540 from 2005–2007, a new 70 mi 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.

Plans are currently underway to build a combination of high-speed rail, light rail, and commuter rail lines to and from the City's core.

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.

In January 2011, Raleigh will host the National Hockey League All-Star Game.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, Raleigh occupies a total area of 115.6 sqmi, of which 114.6 sqmi is dry land and 1.0 sqmi (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 two 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 mi south of Richmond, Virginia; 232 mi south of Washington, D.C.; and 143 mi northeast of Charlotte, North Carolina.

Climate


Raleigh experiences a humid subtropical climate, with generally moderate temperatures during spring and autumn. Summers are typically warm to hot. Winters are mild and wet with highs generally in the range of 47 - 53 F with lows around or just below freezing, although an occasional 60 F or warmer winter day is not uncommon. Lows may also fall into the 15-20 °F (-9 to -7 °C) range, but rarely any further. The record low temperature recorded at the RDU Airport is -9 F set in January 1985. Spring and autumn features warm days and cool nights. Summer daytime highs average in the upper 80s to low 90s °F (31-34 °C) with warm and humid nights in the upper 60s (19-21 °C). Temperatures can reach 100 °F (38 °C). The region's rainiest months are January and March with the driest months being April and November.

Raleigh receives an average of 6.8 in of snow in winter. Freezing rain and sleet also occur most winters, and occasionally the area experiences a major damaging ice storm. On January 24–25, 2000, Raleigh received its greatest snowfall from a single storm - 20.3 in - during the Winter Storm of January 2000. Storms of this magnitude are generally the result of cold air damming that affects the city due to its proximity to the Appalachian Mountains.

The region also experiences occasional periods of drought, during which the city sometimes has restricted water use by residents. During the late summer and early fall, Raleigh can experience the remnants of hurricanes. In 1996, Hurricane Fran caused severe damage in the Raleigh area, mostly from falling trees. The most recent hurricane to have a considerable effect on the area was Isabel in 2003.

Cityscape
Raleigh is divided into several major geographic areas, each of which use a Raleigh address and a ZIP code that begins with the digits 276. "Inner Beltline" and "Outer Beltline" both refer to Interstate 440. The "Inner Beltline" traverses the city clockwise, while the "Outer Beltline" traverses counter-clockwise.

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, the Cameron Village midtown 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, RBC Plaza, Shaw University, and St. Augustine's College. The neighborhoods in Old Raleigh include Cameron Park, Boylan Heights, Country Club Hills, Coley Forest, Five Points, Glenwood-Brooklyn, Hayes Barton, Moore Square, Mordecai, Belvidere Park, Woodcrest, and Historic Oakwood.

Outer Beltline
Midtown Raleigh, is a residential and commercial area just North of the I-440 Beltline and is part of North Raleigh. 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 North Hills Park and part of the Raleigh Greenway System. The term was coined by the News & Observer newspaper and was identified for marketing purposes only. The main road is Capital Boulevard.

Uptown Raleigh, is a residential and commercial area at the intersection of Glenwood and Creedmoor adjacent to the Beltline. Crabtree Valley Mall is the anchor of the area. This label is not used by locals and was made to market the area. The area is hoping to live up to its name in the future, but currently wouldn't be considered an uptown quite yet. The Soleil Center, what was to be the second tallest building in Raleigh at 480, was planned to be built here, but due to the financial Crisis of 2008 lost funding and now is stalled. This enclave is still considered to be part of North Raleigh, because in the past it was known as the outskirts of Raleigh, a very rural country land. The 27612 zip code is the most popular zip code in this area. The main roads are Millbrook Road and North Hills Drive.

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.

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. West Raleigh is also home to the nation's smallest Roman Catholic cathedral, Sacred Heart Cathedral.

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, Brier Creek, Brookhaven, Black Horse Run, Crossgate, Crosswinds, Falls River, Hidden Valley, Lake Park, North Ridge, Oakcroft, Six Forks Station, Spingdale, 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), Interstate 540, Wake Forest Road, Millbrook Road, Lynn Road, Six Forks Road, Spring Forest Road, Creedmoor Road, Leesville Road, Strickland Road, and North Hills Drive.

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, Kingwood Forest 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. Shaw University, the oldest HBCU in the South, is located between Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and South Street in this part of the city.

Demographics
According to the 2006-2008 American Community Survey, the racial composition of the city were 52% White, 30% Black or African American, 3% Asian, 0.3% Native American, less than 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, 1.4% from some other race and 1.2% from Two or more races. Hispanic or Latino (of any race) make up 12% of the total population.

As of the 2000 United States census, there were 276,093 persons (July 2008 estimate was 380,173) and 61,371 families residing in Raleigh. The population density was 2,409.2 people per square mile (930.2/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, 18.8% of those below the age of 18, and 9.3% of those 65 and older, were living below the poverty line.

Law and government
Raleigh operates under a council-manager government. Raleigh 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

 * Charles Meeker, Mayor
 * Nancy McFarlane, Council Member (District A, north-central Raleigh)
 * John Odom, Council Member (District B, northeast Raleigh)
 * James West, Council Member (District C, southeast Raleigh), Mayor Pro Tempore
 * Thomas Crowder, Council Member (District D, southwest Raleigh)
 * Bonner Gaylord, Council Member (District E, west and northwest Raleigh)
 * Russ Stephenson, Council Member, At-Large
 * Mary-Ann Baldwin, Council Member, At-large

Crime
In 2008, 34 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, 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,.

Economy
Raleigh's industrial base includes banking/financial services; electrical, medical, electronic and telecommunications equipment; clothing and apparel; food processing; paper products; and pharmaceuticals. Raleigh is part of North Carolina's Research Triangle, one of the country's largest and most successful research parks and a major center in the United States for high-tech and biotech research, as well as advanced textile development. The city is a major retail shipping point for eastern North Carolina and a wholesale distributing point for the grocery industry.

Several films have been shot in Raleigh and its surrounding areas. The North Carolina Film Office, which is headquartered in Raleigh, ranks third in the nation, behind New York City and Los Angeles, California.

In 2009 the Raleigh-Cary Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) placed #5 on WomenCo.'s list of the Top 25 Cities for Your Career.

Education








Public

 * North Carolina State University
 * Wake Technical Community College

Private

 * Meredith College
 * Peace College
 * Shaw University
 * St. Augustine's College
 * Campbell University Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law

Private, for profit

 * ECPI College of Technology
 * School of Communication Arts
 * Strayer University
 * Mitchell's Hair Styling Academy
 * The Emerald Academy - A Paul Mitchell Partner School

Public schools
Public schools in Raleigh are operated by the Wake County Public School System and Durham Public Schools in the Durham County portion. 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.

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:


 * Casa Esperanza Montessori School (K-6)
 * Endeavor Charter School (K-8)
 * Exploris Middle School (6-8)
 * Hope Elementary School (K-5)
 * John H. Baker, Jr., High School (9-12)
 * Magellan Charter School (3-8)
 * PreEminent Charter School (K-8)
 * Quest Academy (K-8)
 * Raleigh Charter High School (9-12)
 * SPARC Academy (K-8)
 * Torchlight Academy (K-6)
 * Wake Early College of Health and Sciences (9-12)
 * Woods Charter School (K-12)

Museums

 * African American Cultural Complex
 * Contemporary Art Museum
 * Gregg Museum of Art & Design at NCSU
 * Haywood Hall House & Gardens
 * North Carolina Museum of Art
 * North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
 * North Carolina Museum of History
 * North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame
 * Raleigh City Museum
 * Marbles Kids Museum
 * J. C. Raulston Arboretum
 * Joel Lane House
 * Mordecai House
 * Montfort Hall
 * Pope House Museum

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. Theater performances are also offered at the Raleigh Little Theatre, Long View Center, Theatre in the Park, and Stewart and Thompson Theaters 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. 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.

Professional


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. The city will play host to the 2011 NHL All-Star Game.

In addition to the Hurricanes, the Carolina RailHawks FC 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 North Carolina Tigers compete as an Australian Rules football club in the United States Australian Football League, in the Eastern Australian Football League.

Raleigh is also home to the Carolina Rollergirls, an all-women flat-track roller derby team that is a competing member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association. The Carolina Rollergirls compete at Dorton Arena at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds.

Recreation
The Raleigh Parks and Recreation Department offers a wide variety of leisure opportunities at more than 150 sites throughout the city, which include: 8100 acre of park land, 54 mi 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 a year-round collection that is open daily to the public without charge.

Raleigh-Durham International Airport
Raleigh-Durham International Airport, the region's primary airport and the second-largest in North Carolina, located northwest of downtown Raleigh via Interstate-40 between Raleigh and Durham, serves the city and greater Research Triangle metropolitan region, as well as much of eastern North Carolina. The airport offers service to more than 45 domestic and international destinations and serves approximately 10 million passengers a year. The airport also offers facilities for cargo and 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:


 * Bagwell Airport, Garner
 * Ball Airport, Louisburg
 * Cox Airport, Apex
 * Deck Airpark Airport, Apex
 * Field of Dreams Airport, Zebulon
 * Fuquay/Angier Field Airport, Fuquay-Varina
 * North Raleigh Airport, Louisburg
 * Peacock Stolport Airport, Garner
 * Raleigh East Airport, Knightdale
 * Triple W Airport, Raleigh

Freeways and primary designated routes

 * Interstate Highways:
 * I-40 traverses the southern part of the city, connecting Raleigh to Durham and Chapel Hill toward the west, and coastal Wilmington, North Carolina to the southeast.
 * I-440, Also known locally as the Raleigh Beltline, it makes a loop around the central part of the city. The I-440 route labeling formerly encompassed the entire loop around the city, co-numbered though South Raleigh with I-40.  In 2002, the NCDOT removed the I-440 designation from the co-numbered I-40 (southern and southwestern) sections of the loop, and the directional signage on the remaining I-440 portion was changed from Inner/Outer to East/West.  The route designation changes were made to avoid driver confusion over the Inner/Outer designations, especially with Raleigh's new "Outer Beltline," as I-540 has become known.
 * I-540/NC 540 is currently under development. It is a partially completed outer beltway that will run around the outer edges of Wake County and into a small portion of southeast Durham county. The route is complete and currently open between the NC 55 interchange in suburban Cary and the US-64/US-264 interchange in suburban Knightdale.
 * United States Highways:
 * U.S. Route 1 enters the city from the north along Capital Boulevard, joins I-440 around the west side of Raleigh, and leaves the city to the southwest as the US 1/US 64 expressway in Cary.
 * U.S. Route 64 is the main east-west route through Raleigh; all segments share routes with another highway. East of the city, US-64/US-264 is known as the Knightdale Bypass. US 64 follows I-440 (as a wrong way concurrency) and I-40 along southern Raleigh, and US 1 to the southwest.
 * U.S. Route 70 runs roughly northwest-southeast through Raleigh. North of downtown, the route follows Glenwood Avenue into Durham.  South of Raleigh, the route (along with US 401 and NC 50) follows South Saunders and South Wilmington Streets into Garner.  Through downtown, US 70 uses small segments of several streets, including Wade Avenue, Capital Boulevard, Dawson, and McDowell Streets.
 * U.S. Route 264 cosigned with US 64 through East Raleigh.
 * U.S. Route 401 north of downtown Raleigh it follows Capital Boulevard and Louisburg Road. South of downtown it is cosigned with US 70 from Wade Avenue southward.
 * North Carolina Highways:
 * N.C. Route 54 follows Chapel Hill Road and Hillsborough Street in West Raleigh. The route ends at its interchange with I-440.
 * N.C. Route 50 is a north-south route through Raleigh. North of Raleigh it follows Creedmoor Road.  NC 50 joins US 70 and later US 401 in downtown Raleigh.  The three routes remain together through south Raleigh.
 * N.C. Route 98, known as Durham Road in North Raleigh, traverses the extreme northern parts of the city.

Intercity rail
Raleigh's train station is one of Amtrak's busiest stops in the Southern U.S. The station is served by three passenger trains, the Silver Star, Piedmont and Carolinian. Daily service is offered between Raleigh and:


 * Charlotte, with intermediate stops including Cary, Durham, Burlington and Greensboro, North Carolina.
 * New York City, with intermediate stops including Richmond, Virginia; Washington, D.C.; Baltimore; and Philadelphia.
 * Miami, with intermediate stops including Columbia, South Carolina, and Savannah, Georgia; as well as Jacksonville, Orlando and Tampa, Florida.
 * Greyhound lines are provided as inter-city bus lines

Public transit
Public transportation in and around Raleigh is provided by Capital Area Transit (CAT), which operates 38 bus fixed routes and a historic trolley line within the city, and also by Triangle Transit (known formerly as the Triangle Transit Authority, or TTA). Triangle Transit offers scheduled, fixed-route regional and commuter bus service between Raleigh and the region's other principal cities of Durham, Cary and Chapel Hill, as well as to and from the Raleigh-Durham International Airport, Research Triangle Park and several of the region's larger suburban communities. TT also coordinates an extensive vanpool and rideshare program that serves the region's larger employers and commute destinations. North Carolina State University also maintains its own transit system, the Wolfline, that provides zero-fare bus service to the general public along multiple routes serving the university's campuses in southwest Raleigh. Raleigh also offers a zero-fare downtown circulator bus service known as the R-Line.

Government agencies throughout the Raleigh-Durham metropolitan area have struggled with determining the best means of providing fixed-rail transit service for the region.

From 1995 the cornerstone of Triangle Transit's long-term plan was a 28-mile rail corridor from northeast Raleigh, through downtown Raleigh, Cary, and Research Triangle Park, to Durham using DMU technology. There were proposals to extend this corridor 7 miles to Chapel Hill with light rail technology. However, in 2006 Triangle Transit deferred implementation indefinitely when the Federal Transit Administration declined to fund the program due to low ridership projections.

The region's two metropolitan planning organizations appointed a group of local citizens in 2007 to reexamine options for future transit development in light of Triangle Transit's problems. The Special Transit Advisory Commission (STAC) retained many of the provisions of Triangle Transit's original plan, but recommended adding new bus services and raising additional revenues by adding a new local half-cent sales tax to fund the project.

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) 600 km brevet route. .

Most public buses are equipped with bicycle racks, and some roads have dedicated bicycle-only lanes. Bicyclists and pedestrians also may use Raleigh's extensive greenway system, with paths and trails located throughout the city.

Print Publications
There are several newspapers and periodicals serving Raleigh:


 * The News & Observer, a large daily newspaper owned by The McClatchy Company
 * The Raleigh Telegram, an online community newspaper with a weekly newsletter
 * New Raleigh, a popular Raleigh news blog that covers entertainment and other news
 * The Carolinian, North Carolina's oldest and largest African-American newspaper published twice weekly
 * Metro Magazine, a Raleigh lifestyle magazine with food columns, book reviews, and more
 * Midtown Magazine an upscale Raleigh lifestyle magazine
 * The Raleigh Downtowner, a monthly print magazine about downtown Raleigh
 * The Slammer, a paid bi-weekly newspaper featuring Raleigh crime news
 * Carolina Journal, a free monthly newspaper

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:


 * WUNC-TV (4, PBS) licensed to Chapel Hill, owned by the University of North Carolina
 * WRAL-TV (5, CBS): licensed to the city of Raleigh, owned by Capitol Broadcasting Company
 * WTVD (11, ABC): licensed to the city of Durham. News bureau located in Raleigh, owned by ABC (The Walt Disney Company)
 * WNCN-TV (17, NBC): studios located in Raleigh, licensed to the city of Goldsboro southeast of Raleigh; owned by Media General
 * WLFL-TV (22, CW): licensed to the city of Raleigh, owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group
 * WRDC (28, MyNetworkTV) licensed to Durham, owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group
 * WRAY-TV (30, Independent/Jewelry TV) licensed to Wilson, owned by Multicultural Broadcasting
 * WUVC-TV (40, Univision) licensed to Fayetteville, owned by Univision.
 * WRAZ-TV (50, Fox): licensed to the city of Raleigh, owned by Capitol Broadcasting Company
 * WAUG-TV (68, Independent station) licensed to Raleigh, owned and operated by Saint Augustine's College

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

Public and listener-supported

 * WKNC-FM (College rock), operated by students of North Carolina State University
 * WSHA-FM (Jazz), operated by Shaw University
 * WCPE-FM (Classical)
 * WUNC-FM (National Public Radio, North Carolina Public Radio) operated by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Commercial

 * WDCG-FM
 * WQDR-FM
 * WBBB-FM 96.1  Rock
 * WRAL-FM
 * WKIX-FM
 * WPTF-AM 680 News-Talk
 * WKIX-AM
 * WQDR-AM
 * WCLY-AM
 * WQOK-FM
 * WFXC-FM
 * WFXK-FM
 * WRVA-FM
 * WKSL-FM
 * WRDU-FM 106.1  News-Talk
 * WNNL-FM
 * WAUG-AM

Sister cities
Raleigh has several sister cities:
 * 🇨🇳 Xiangfan, China.
 * 🇫🇷 Compiègne, France.
 * Hull, United Kingdom.
 * 🇩🇪 Rostock, Germany.
 * 🇷🇺 Kolomna, Russia.

Notable Raleighites

 * David Sedaris, writer
 * Michael C. Hall, actor
 * Evan Rachel Wood, actress