Raleigh, North Carolina

Raleigh, North Carolina
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Downtown-Raleigh-from-South-Saunders-20080325.jpeg
Author: Jmturner


Raleigh is a city in Wake County, North Carolina. It is the state capital of North Carolina, the seat of Wake County, and the second largest city in the state after Charlotte. Often called the "City of Oaks" for its numerous oak trees, Raleigh is a city of some 404,000 people (2011 estimate).

North Carolina Legislature Building, Raleigh
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NCLegislature.jpg
Author: W Edward Callis III


Raleign is today one of the fastest growing cities in the United States. Together with Durham and Chapel Hill, it forms an area known as the Research Triangle, where there is a high concentration of research universities such as North Carolina State University, Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The Research Triangle has a population of close to 1.8 million people.

Raleigh was named after Sir Walter Raleigh (1552-1618), the English aristocrat in the court of Queen Elizabeth I. Despite his many successes, it was imprisoned based on hearsay, and was eventually beheaded. Nonetheless his legacy includes the city of Raleigh in North Carolina and Raleigh county in West Virginia.

North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:North-Carolina-Museum-of-Natural-Sciences-20070321.jpeg
Author: Jmturner


Raleigh covers 115.6 sq mi (299 sq km). It is located in northeastern North Carolina, where the North American Piedmont region meets the Atlantic Coastal Plain. The city is about two hours from the Atlantic coast, and four from the Great Smoky Mountains. It experiences a humid subtropical climate with hot summers and mild to wet winters.

Visiting Raleigh, North Carolina

You can fly to Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) and take a taxi from there. The airport gets direct connection with London Heathrow on American Airlines, and Paris on Delta. Other international flights include connections to Toronto and Cancun.

If you're coming by car, then take Interstate 40 which approaches Raleigh from Greensboro in the west and Wilmington in the south.

Places of Interest in Raleigh, North Carolina

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