Raleigh, North Carolina

The Oak City - Raleigh is known for its dedication to Research and Development. It is one of the cities in the "Research Triangle" created in the late 1950s. This place is characterized by hi-tech business enterprises like banking and financial institutions, knowledge centers like esteemed universities and colleges, local businesses and government institutions. The Research Triangle has been the cause for the increase in settlers in Raleigh as it draws in not only people who are interested in higher education and advanced technologies to be a part of the Research and Development, but also different smaller businesses too.

The city of Raleigh is not all about work. There are so many museums that portray the history of the place. The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh City Museum, and Museum of Contemporary Art are some of the esteemed museums in the city.

For those interested recreation like performing arts, there are so many theaters and performance houses in the city that frequently host local, national and even international programs. Performing arts organizations like North Carolina Symphony and Burning Coal Theater Company are based in Raleigh.

Raleigh, the city of oaks, is not only beautiful but is also one of the most vibrant city in the state. It not only soothes one's soul but is also good a city full of life. People of any age or any profession will surely find the city exciting and vivacious to their own liking. No wonder everyone is welcome to the state capital of North Carolina, the city of Raleigh.

Raleigh History

Raleigh has an enthralling history. Raleigh was chosen as the state capital in 1788. In fact Raleigh is one of the very few cities in United States of America which was planned to serve as state capital. Raleigh derives its name from Sir Walter Raleigh. Raleigh was initially governed by seven commissioners who were elected through public elections held in 1803. Raleigh city then had the office of intendant of police which is now officially known as the mayor house. Intendant of police would preside over the board of seven elected commissioners.

Raleigh was severely impacted by the civil war and it was captured by the union troops. Civil war broke the economy of Raleigh and slowed down its progress considerably. After the civil war many people migrated to Raleigh. African American started their own schools and children and men gained education. In fact Raleigh witnessed its first government project in 1874 when the federal building was built. The federal building of Raleigh is still in good condition and it speaks volumes about Raleigh's history. Raleigh's primary daily news paper is "The news & observer" which is actually a merger of two leading dailies "The news" & "The Observer". These two leading newspapers amalgamated in the year 1880 to form single largest selling newspaper in Raleigh.

Year 1900 saw a new legislation which debarred blacks from voting. Many whites from poor backgrounds were also debarred from casting their votes. This continued to be the situation till 1965 where majority of the black population had gained their right to vote. Raleigh saw its first radio station WLAC in the year 1922. However success of WLAC was short-lived. It shut operations after two years. Since then WPTF has been the longest running radio station in Raleigh. WPTF was earlier known as WFBQ and it was formed in 1924.

Raleigh survived the great depression of 1930 owing to its innovative and united government.

Government officials worked laboriously at all levels to provide jobs and education during the great depression. Raleigh handled the crisis much effectively as compared to other cities. Unfortunately Raleigh faced severe destruction from hurricane hazel in 1954 and the economy collapsed again. The year 1955 witnessed the outbreak of African- American civil rights movement. This movement continued till 1968. African Americans regained the voting rights thanks to this movement. Raleigh progressed rapidly since then. First television channel in Raleigh was established in the year 1956 and it continues to be one of the leading TV channels till date.

Nature struck Raleigh again in 1988, this time in form of Raleigh Tornado. It has been the most devastating natural disaster in the history of Raleigh. It caused damages worth $77 million. City however stuck together during this time and slowly gathered its momentum. 1991 marked the completion of first skyscraper towers in Raleigh. Raleigh has continued to grow in leaps and bounds since then. It continues to feature in Forbes top ten lists for its business opportunities. Raleigh offers its citizens amazing quality of life with ample of income opportunities.

About Raleigh, North Carolina

Raleigh is a city that is located in the Wake County of the North Carolina State. There are two things that this city is renowned for namely: the abundance of Oak Trees, hence the nick name "City of Oaks" and secondly it is one of the three cities that have dedicated its services to Research and Development forming the Research Triangle ( or simply as known as the triangle). These two things make the city rich in nature and greenery as well as a place for the latest and futuristic technology therefore making this one of the best cities to work and live in.

The city of Raleigh has a population of a little over four hundred thousand people of different races in the city, predominantly Americans, and African Americans. The geography of the city shows a high plateau on side gradually sloping to the plains of the coastal region. The city is adorned by historical buildings and modern day architecture. One can see old heritage buildings (Sir Walter Raleigh Hotel) on one side of the city to the budding sky scrapers (RBC Tower) on the other side. The city is well planned and therefore making navigation very easy.

Raleigh has been and still continues to be known for its educational inclination. As a result of this, there are so many institutions old and new ones that provide elementary to advanced education. People flock into the city in search for the same. Places like the Shaw University, St. Augustine's College, Leonard Medical Center as well known educational institutions.

Ever since Raleigh's focus on Research and Development, there are so many industries that have cropped up or set up base in and around The Triangle. These industries include hi-tech services like banking and finances, medicine, electronics, textiles to name a few. This is bringing in more and more people to the city.

Though Tourism is not a primary point of attraction in this city, there are so many tourists who visit the city. The city has many museums that showcase the history of this place. Raleigh has got a lot of places for leisure and relaxation like parks, botanical gardens, performance theaters, museums and art galleries and sports arenas Raleigh has got a lot of performing arts theaters that provideconstant entertainment to the people of Raleigh. A few of them are Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion, Raleigh Little Theatre and Theatre in the Park. For those who love art, the North Carolina museum of Art is one of the places to visit in Raleigh known for its vast European, American and even Native American collections.

Those interested in nature, there is an eight acre arboretum and botanical garden (J.C. Rolston Arboretum) in Raleigh in addition to the numerous parks that add to the scenic beauty and serenity of the city. What comes as a surprise to this hi-tech and educational city of Raleigh is that a sport is also a major event here.

It is home to prestigious ice hockey team, the Carolina Hurricanes. The other sports that find a fancy here are basketball, baseball, football, soccer, tennis and golf. The RBC center is the main place for indoor events like ice hockey and basketball. It has hosted a few nationally acclaimed events too.

About Wake County, North Carolina

Raleigh is the county seat of the Wake County, which is also the state capital of North Carolina. Wake County, with a population of 0.9 million people is the second most populous counties of the state of North Carolina. It is a land locked county located in the middle of the state. This county is part of the Research Triangle metropolitan area. 

The Research Triangle is a prime zone found in North Carolina. Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and Cary belong to the Research Triangle metropolitan area.  The Wake County has a total area of 857 sq miles with 25 sq miles being water and the rest covered by land. The county has a total of 12 municipalities, the Raleigh municipality being the largest among them.

Wake County’s earliest inhabitants are known to be the Tuscarora Native Americans. These Native Americans were drawn out of this area after their defeat in 1711. They were moved to the area now known as the state of New York and joined the Iroquois nation. 

It was in 1771 that Wake County was formed, after carving out parts of the county from Orange County, Johnston County and Cumberland County. The county was named after the wife Governor William Tryon, Margaret Wake. In the same year elections in the county were organized and the first courthouse called the Wake Courthouse was constructed.

A part of Wake county was lost in 1778 after the creation of the Franklin County and then again in 1881 and 1911, when area from Wake County was added to Durham County. In the colonial period, the state capital of North Carolina was New Bern. After this Fayetteville was selected as the state capital in 1789 and served as the state capital until 1793. In 1793 the county seat of Wake County, Raleigh was named as the permanent state capital. 

The Wake County is an affiliate of the regional Triangle-J council of government. The Wake County Board of Commissioners govern the county along with a group of seven County Commissioners who are elected for a period of four years.