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Raleigh is the capital of North Carolina, a state of the United States of America. It is the county seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. As of the 2000 census, it had a population of 276,093, making it the second most populous city in North Carolina, behind Charlotte. As of 2004, the Census Bureau estimates that Raleigh's population has increased to 326,653, making it one of the fastest growing cities in the nation. Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill make up the three cities of The Triangle, so named in 1959 with the creation of the Research Triangle Park, a research park between Durham and Raleigh (mostly located within Durham County). The Triangle's total population as of 2004 was over 1.46 million.
 * Raleigh redirects here. For the bicycle manufacturer, see Raleigh (bicycle).  For the English explorer, see Sir Walter Raleigh.

The City of Raleigh estimates its population to be 342,194 as of July 1, 2005.

History


A state convention in 1788 directed that a new site be established to serve as the state capital of North Carolina. The site selected was to be within ten miles (16 km) of Isaac Hunter's tavern, a well-known watering hole in the woods of Wake County along a north/south route which would later become U.S. 1. In 1792, the state purchased 1,000 acres from plantation owner Joel Lane and the city was founded on March 30 of that year. Raleigh was named for Sir Walter Raleigh, the sponsor of the "Lost Colony" in eastern North Carolina in the late 16th century. The original state house was erected in 1794 on the site where today's state capitol sits; the 1794 state house burned to the ground in 1840 and the current capitol was completed in 1849.

As a planned city, Raleigh was laid out in a manner similar to Philadelphia. The city's master plan, drawn up by architect William Christmas, called for five squares throughout the city; the one at center, Union Square, would house the capitol building. Eventually, the two northernmost squares were overtaken by development; the northeastern square, Burke Square, now houses the governor's mansion. The southern two squares, Nash and Moore, remain in their original natural state.

The city grew slowly, as it was not located near any major transportation routes; for most of the early 1800s the population mainly consisted of those associated in some way with state government. The population began to grow after the arrival of the North Carolina Railroad and the Raleigh and Gaston Railroad in the 1850s. Raleigh was largely unaffected by the Civil War; local legend has it that General William T. Sherman spared the city from destruction on the pleas of local clergymen. By the late 1800s, Raleigh had a small but bustling downtown, with Fayetteville Street the center of commerce.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Raleigh's population was still relatively small, about 13,000 people. However, by 1920 the population had nearly doubled to over 24,000, and the city boasted almost 94,000 residents at the 1960 census. The growth in the first part of the century was mostly attributed to textile and manufacturing jobs, as well as the establishment of the North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts (now N.C. State University) in 1887; after 1960, the opening of nearby Research Triangle Park propelled Raleigh's astronomical growth. The city surpassed 200,000 citizens in the 1980 Census, and a 2004 Census Bureau estimate placed the population at 326,653, making Raleigh the twelfth fastest-growing city in the United States by population and 24th by percentage; this figure nearly represents a 2300% increase in population from 1900.

The F4 tornado of November 28, 1988
On November 28, 1988, at about 1 a.m., a tornado with wind speeds exceeding 200 mph suddenly touched down in west Raleigh. The supercell thunderstorm that generated the tornado formed in an unusual situation; the early morning hours of late November were believed not to be conducive to the development of such storms. As a result, the National Weather Service issued no watches or warnings before the storm developed.

The tornado blasted an unusually drawn-out length for tornadoes in the region. The twister first touched down in Umstead State Park, before moving on to destroy a motel and then a USD 7-million K-Mart store on Glenwood Avenue. Damage and casualties included 400-500 destroyed or heavily damaged homes and two fatalities: both of them children, and claimed two additional victims. A series of tornadoes would continue across eight other North Carolina counties. In all 150-200 people were injured, the majority in Raleigh.

The intensity of the tornado, as gauged by speed, rests around the F3-F4 dividing point on the Fujita scale, with some F4 level damage observed in Raleigh.

Geography
Raleigh is located at 35.81889°N, -78.64444°W. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 115.6 mi&sup2; (299.3 km&sup2;). 114.6 mi² (296.8 km²) of it is land and 1.0 mi² (2.5 km²) of it is water. The total area is 0.84% water.

The city is situated at 434 feet (132.2 m) above sea level. Raleigh is located approximately 15 miles (24 km) west of the fall line separating the piedmont from the coastal plain, and the geography of the area reflects the rolling terrain that stretches west from Raleigh toward Charlotte and western North Carolina. A significant valley through the city is cut by Crabtree Creek, which empties into the Neuse River in southeast Raleigh. Downtown is located on a south-sloping hill, which accounts for the fact that most pictures of the skyline, such as the one at right, are taken facing north from a short expressway connecting I-40 to downtown.

Climate
Raleigh's location, unprotected from the Atlantic Ocean 130 miles (209 km) to the southeast, leaves the city susceptible to severe ocean storms. The Appalachian Mountains to the west typically shield the city from heavy snowfall produced by frontal systems that is prone to falling in similar-latitude locations such as Nashville and Oklahoma City, but a nor'easter during the winter can dump up to two feet (61 cm) on the city, as a 2000 storm did. Raleigh is also prone to a phenomenon known as "cold-air damming", where a shallow layer of cold air is trapped between the warm ocean and the heights of the mountains to the west; this makes snowfall prediction extremely difficult, as the rain/snow line is usually within 20 miles (32 km) on either side of the city, and ice storms can also occur as a result. Additionally, Raleigh often feels residual effects from hurricanes that make landfall in eastern North Carolina. Two hurricanes have made direct hits on the city, Hazel in 1954 and Fran in 1996. Raleigh experiences severe thunderstorms and tornadoes on occasion, especially during the spring and late fall; a 1988 tornado killed two children and damaged more than 400 homes in north Raleigh.

Raleigh's all-time record high, 105 ˚F (41 ˚C), has been reached three times: July 22 and July 28, 1952; and August 31, 1932. The all-time record low of –6 ˚F (–21 ˚C) was attained on January 21, 1985. On average, the warmest month is July with a mean temperature of 78.8 ˚F (26 ˚C) and the coolest is January with a mean temperature of 39.7 ˚F (4.28 ˚C), based on a 30-year average from 1971-2000. The average yearly rainfall is 46.49 in (1180.8 mm). All official weather readings for Raleigh are taken at the Raleigh-Durham International Airport in northwest Wake County.

Cityscape
For a city of its age, Raleigh has few houses that are older than 100 years old. This is attributed to the fact that prior to 1900 most citizens lived in or very close to downtown. The first outlying neighborhood was Oakwood, immediately northeast of downtown, founded in the mid-19th century. Oakwood features a diverse collection of home styles, including Neo-Classical, Victorian and Second Empire. The neighboring Oakwood Cemetery is the final resting place of many significant figures in Raleigh's history. The neighborhoods of Boylan Heights, Brooklyn-Glenwood and Mordecai were annexed into the city in 1907 and provided the first true expansion of the city outside of the downtown area. All three neighborhoods feature similarly-designed Queen Anne- and Colonial-style houses.

In 1949, developer J.W. "Willie" York built Cameron Village, at the time the largest shopping center in North Carolina, on the western edge of the city. What has become known as the Cameron Park neighborhood developed around Cameron Village, with large homes that stretched north across Glenwood Avenue to what is now the I-440 Beltline. Nearby was the Oberlin community, a traditionally African-American community featuring smaller houses that are similar to what is found in southeast Raleigh, just beyond downtown. Southeast Raleigh is the poorer section of the city, with many African-American residents and low family incomes.

Until the 1970s, the Beltline was the outer limit for development in Raleigh; however, with the development of Research Triangle Park, new development appeared rapidly across what has become North Raleigh, a section of the city featuring similarly-adorned subdivisions. Residents of Raleigh typically identify themselves as living "inside" or "outside the Beltline"; someone who lives inside the Beltline is typically considered to be a high-society, longtime resident of the city, while the common perception of an outside-the-Beltline resident is a transplanted Northerner who has moved to Raleigh fairly recently. North Raleigh actually contains the bulk of the population of the city, as there is roughly twice as much land north of the Beltline as there is inside the freeway.

A network of greenways crisscross the city, typically along creeks and streams. Raleigh also maintains a softball park in southeast Raleigh, a nature park converted from a Boy Scout camp in North Raleigh, and eight swimming pools scattered across the city. Raleigh has often been criticized for clear-cutting forests to provide areas for new development, but the city council under Mayor Charles Meeker has attempted to assuage this problem by requiring developers to retain trees in new developments and offering free trees to city residents.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 276,093 people, 112,608 households, and 61,371 families residing in the city. The population density is 930.2/km² (2,409.2/mi²). There are 120,699 housing units at an average density of 406.7/km² (1,053.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 63.31% White, 27.80% African American, 0.36% Native American, 3.38% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 3.24% from other races, and 1.88% from two or more races. 6.99% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 112,608 households out of which 26.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.5% are married couples living together, 11.4% have a female householder with no husband present, and 45.5% are non-families. 33.1% of all households are made up of individuals and 6.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.30 and the average family size is 2.97.

In the city the population is spread out with 20.9% under the age of 18, 15.9% from 18 to 24, 36.6% from 25 to 44, 18.4% from 45 to 64, and 8.3% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 31 years. For every 100 females there are 98.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 96.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $46,612, and the median income for a family is $60,003. Males have a median income of $39,248 versus $30,656 for females. The per capita income for the city is $25,113. 11.5% of the population and 7.1% of families are below the poverty line. Approximately one out of four (25.5%) Raleigh citizens are beneath 200% of the poverty line. Out of the total population, 13.8% of those under the age of 18 and 9.3% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Government and politics
Raleigh has operated under a council-manager government since 1947. The city council consists of eight members; all seats, including the mayor's, come up for election every two years. The current town council, elected in 2005, consists of Mayor Charles Meeker and 7 council members (5 district representatives and 2 at large).

City council

 * Thomas Craven (District A, north-central Raleigh)
 * Jessie Taliaferro (District B, northeast Raleigh)
 * James West (District C, mayor pro tem, southeast Raleigh)
 * Thomas Crowder (District D, southwest Raleigh)
 * Philip Isley (District E, west and northwest Raleigh)
 * Russ Stevenson (at-large)
 * Joyce Kekas (at-large)

See also: List of mayors of Raleigh, North Carolina

Economy
Coming soon...

Education
The main public university in Raleigh is North Carolina State University, which boasts the largest enrollment of any university in North Carolina. Originally chartered by the Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act in 1887, N.C. State was founded as an agricultural school, and still maintains educational farms across Wake County and eastern North Carolina. Raleigh is also home to two four-year womens' colleges, Meredith College in west Raleigh and Peace College near downtown. Additionally, two historically black universities are located in Raleigh, Shaw University and St. Augustine's College. Wake Technical Community College, the city's public two-year college, has three campuses within the city; its main campus is located in unincorporated Wake County south of Raleigh, and a second main campus is under construction in northeast Raleigh.

The Wake County Public School System, created in 1976 by merging the county and city school systems, provides public education to Raleigh. WCPSS is the second-largest school system in North Carolina and the 23rd-largest in the United States, with an enrollment of over 120,000 as of the 2005-06 school year. The school system is led by Superintendent Bill McNeal, who has announced his resignation effective June 30, 2006 to take a position with the North Carolina Association of School Administrators.

Culture
Downtown Raleigh offers a collection of museums and performing arts centers. Just north of the state capitol are the North Carolina museums of History and Natural Sciences, and also nearby is Exploris, a childrens' museum featuring an IMAX theater. The Raleigh City Museum, located on Fayetteville Street south of the capitol, chronicles the history of the city, and is located in a building which has contained a YMCA, the Raleigh Little Theatre and the predecessor to the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. Additionally, the North Carolina Museum of Art is located in west Raleigh.

At the south end of Fayetteville Street, opposite the Capitol, is the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts, which comprises Raleigh Memorial Auditorium, Meymandi Concert Hall, Fletcher Opera Theater and the Kennedy Theater. Meymandi Hall is the home concert hall of the North Carolina Symphony, and Memorial Auditorium hosts touring Broadway shows and other plays and concerts. Major touring musical acts perform at the Alltel Pavilion at Walnut Creek (typically shortened to simply "Walnut Creek") in southeast Raleigh; an amphitheatre on the grounds of the Museum of Art hosts smaller musical performances. The RBC Center in west Raleigh also hosts concerts and plays, especially during the winter.

Raleigh is home to multiple theatre companies, including the Raleigh Little Theatre, the North Carolina Theatre and Theatre in the Park. Carolina Ballet is also headquartered in the city. TIP's production of Dickens' A Christmas Carol and Carolina Ballet's performance of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker, both performed at Memorial Auditorium, are holiday traditions in the city.

Media
Raleigh's sole remaining newspaper, The News & Observer, publishes daily from offices in downtown. The Raleigh Times, an afternoon newspaper owned by The N&O, ceased publication in 1989. The N&O was originally owned by the Daniels family, benefactors to the city and the region; patriarch Josephus Daniels, the first publisher of The N&O, was the Secretary of the Navy in the Woodrow Wilson administration.

The Raleigh-Durham-Fayetteville television market is the 29th-largest in the United States, according to Nielsen Media Research.. Raleigh is home to WRAL 5 (CBS), WNCN 17 (NBC), WLFL 22 (WB) and WRDC 28 (UPN). Also serving the city are WTVD 11 (ABC) and WRAZ 50 (FOX), located in Durham; WUNC 4 (PBS), in Chapel Hill; WRPX 47 (i), in Rocky Mount; and WUVC 40 (Univision), located in Fayetteville. Local radio is overwhelmingly clustered in the ownership of three significant entities: Clear Channel Communications, the Curtis Media Group, and Radio One; other stations are owned individually or with one other sister station.

Sports
College sports, especially those of the Atlantic Coast Conference, are the most popular sports in Raleigh. The N.C. State Wolfpack plays its home football games at Carter-Finley Stadium in west Raleigh and its home basketball games at the RBC Center next door. While Raleigh is home to N.C. State itself, sizable minorities in the city are fans of Durham's Duke University or Chapel Hill's UNC; given the geographic proximity of the three universities, significant rivalries exist among the schools and their fans.

The NHL's Carolina Hurricanes share the RBC Center with N.C. State, and are the only professional major-league team in Raleigh. The team moved to Raleigh in 1999 from Hartford, Connecticut via a two-year stay in Greensboro while the RBC Center was under construction. Soccer is a popular sport both to participate in and to watch; the Capital Area Soccer League (known as CASL, pronounced "castle") and local YMCAs offer youth soccer programs, and the WUSA's Carolina Courage played in SAS Soccer Park in neighboring Cary until the WUSA's suspension of operations in 2003. The North Carolina Department of Transportation Mountains-to-Sea bike route goes through Raleigh, as does the US Maine-to-Florida bicycle route #1.

Transportation
There are no airports within the Raleigh city limits. The Triangle region is served by Raleigh-Durham International Airport in northwest Wake County, near the Brier Creek section of Raleigh. Commonly referred to as "RDU", the airport has occupied its current location since 1942, when it was an Army airfield for use during World War II. The first commercial flights from RDU, on Eastern Airlines, began the following year.

Public transportation in Raleigh is provided by Capital Area Transit, known across the city as "CAT". Also servicing Raleigh are buses operated by the Triangle Transit Authority, a regional service that also serves Research Triangle Park, Cary, Durham and Chapel Hill. TTA plans a regional commuter rail system connecting Raleigh to RTP and Durham along currently-existing freight rail lines; pending approval by the Federal Transit Administration, the first trains are scheduled to begin operation in 2008. Amtrak also serves Raleigh via six daily trains, connecting Raleigh to Miami, New York City and Charlotte.

The main Interstate through the city is I-40, which enters Wake County near the airport and serves the south and east portions of Raleigh. I-440, a loop north of I-40 that circles downtown at a 4-mile (6-km) radius, was originally a U.S. 1 bypass of downtown and was designated an Interstate in 1991. Until the early 1970s, the Beltline was the outer boundary of the Raleigh city limits. I-540, Raleigh's newest freeway, connects I-40 near the airport to U.S. 1 in northeast Raleigh, and is eventually planned to entirely circle the city; extensions of the freeway are under construction on both ends. All three Interstates experience significant congestion; since Raleigh grew so quickly in the late 20th century, the city and state have struggled to keep up with the additional traffic on the freeways, and surface streets such as Glenwood Avenue (U.S. 70), Capital Boulevard (U.S. 1 and U.S. 401) and Wade Avenue have added importance to local commutes.

Sister cities

 * Hull, England
 * Compi&egrave;gne, France (twinning signed in 1989)
 * Kolomna, Russia
 * Rostock, Germany.