Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital of North Carolina, a state of the United States of America. It is the county seat of Wake County. As of the 2000 census, it had a population of 276,093, making it the second most populous city in North Carolina, behind Charlotte. Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill make up the three corners of the Research Triangle, so named in 1959 with the creation of the Research Triangle Park, a research park between Durham and Raleigh.
History
Raleigh was established in 1792 as both the new county seat and the new state capital. It was named for Sir Walter Raleigh, sponsor of the Colony of Roanoke, known as the "Lost Colony."
Raleigh is known as "The City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. It is a sister city to Hull, England, Compiègne, France (twinning signed in 1989), Kolomna, Russia, and Rostock, Germany.
Law and government
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 2003, consists of Mayor Charles Meeker and Council Members Michael Regan (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), Janet Cowell (at-large), and Neal Hunt (at-large)
See also: List of mayors of Raleigh, North Carolina
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 299.3 km² (115.6 mi²). 296.8 km² (114.6 mi²) of it is land and 2.5 km² (1.0 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.84% water.
Demographics
As of the census2 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. 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.
Colleges and universities
- Meredith College
- North Carolina State University
- Peace College
- Shaw University
- St. Augustine's College
- Wake Technical Community College
Hospitals
- Raleigh Community Hospital now DukeHealth Raleigh Hospital
- Wake Medical Center
- Rex Hospital
- Dorothea Dix Hospital
Attractions
- The Alltel Pavilion at Walnut Creek (http://www.alltelpavilion.com/) hosts major touring musical acts.
- The BTI Center for the Performing Arts (http://www.raleighconvention.com/bti.html) encompasses the Raleigh Memorial Auditorium, the Fletcher Opera Theater, and the Meymandi Concert Hall.
- The interactive museum Exploris (http://www.exploris.org) hosts an IMAX theater.
- The North Carolina Museum of Art (http://ncartmuseum.org/)
- The North Carolina Museum of History (http://ncmuseumofhistory.org/)
- The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences (http://www.naturalsciences.org/)
- The Raleigh City Museum (http://www.raleighcitymuseum.org/)
- Just north of the city is the Triangle Metro Zoo
Sports
The NHL Carolina Hurricanes moved to Raleigh in 1999 with the completion of the RBC Center. The team played two years in Greensboro, North Carolina on an interim basis following their move from Hartford, Connecticut, where they were known as the Hartford Whalers. However, in Raleigh college sports are supreme, with NCAA Division I-A rivals the North Carolina State University Wolfpack, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Tarheels, and Duke University Blue Devils being the most prominent teams in the area.
The area also features a variety of amateur participatory sports as well, with softball, flag football, basketball, and even dodgeball leagues operated privately or by the municipality.
Passenger transportation
- Air: Raleigh-Durham International Airport is just north of Raleigh on I-40 between Raleigh and Durham, North Carolina.
- Interstate highway: I-40
- Passenger Rail: Amtrak Carolinian, Piedmont and Silver Star offer daily service to Charlotte, Richmond, Washington DC and Miami
- Local Bus: Within Raleigh, the CAT (http://www.raleigh-nc.org/transit/) system. The Triangle Transit Authority operates buses that serve the region and connect to municipal bus systems in Durham and Chapel Hill.
- Bicycle: All public buses are equipped with bicycle racks. The NC-DOT Mountains-to-Sea bike route goes through Raleigh, as does the US Maine-to-Florida bicycle route #1. The NC-DOT Cape Fear Run bicycle route connects Apex to Wilmington and closely parallels the RUSA 600km brevet route (http://www.unc.edu/~alanj/600_kilometers.htm).
Churches and religious organizations
- Catholic Diocese of Raleigh- Outside Link (http://www.dioceseofraleigh.org)
- Parish listing- Outside Link (http://www.dioceseofraleigh.org/sites/communications/2004/quick_reference_guide.html#parishes)
- Deeper Devotion Student Ministries- Outside Link (http://www.deeperdevotion.com)
- Edenton Street United Methodist Church- Outside Link (http://www.esumc.org/)
- Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina- Outside Link (http://www.episdionc.com/)
- Holy Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church- Outside Link (http://www.htelc.org/)
- North Wake Church- Outside Link (http://www.northwake.com)
- Providence Baptist Church (Southern Baptist)- Outside Link (http://www.pray.org)
- Pullen Memorial Baptist Church (independent Baptist)- Outside Link (http://www.pullen.org/)
- Raleigh-Cary Jewish Federation- Outside Link (http://www.rcjf.org)
- Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary Outside Link (http://www.sebts.edu)
- TriangleChristian.com- Outside Link (http://www.trianglechristian.com)
- Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Raleigh- Outside Link (http://www.uufr.org)
- West Raleigh Presbyterian Church- Outside Link (http://www.wrpc.org/)
- Islamic Center of Raleigh- Outside Link (http://www.islam1.org/)
External links
- Official website of Raleigh, NC (http://www.raleigh-nc.org/)
- Raleigh Chamber of Commerce (http://www.raleighchamber.org/)
- Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitor's Bureau (http://raleighcvb.org/)
