Raleigh City - North Carolina Capital

The capital of the State of North Carolina is what is popularly known as the "City of Oaks", Raleigh, as county seat of the Wake County also has portions of its territory in the Durham County. It is next to Charlotte for being the most populous city in North Carolina, with approximately 375,000 residents. It also placed itself as fifteenth fastest growing city in the United States. Raleigh, together with Chapel Hill and Durham, forms the Research Triangle metropolitan region after the establishment of the Research Triangle Park in 1959.

The seven geographic areas of Raleigh include the Old, East, West, North, Midtown, South and Southeast Raleigh. The historical treasures of the city can be seen at the Old Raleigh. One of its historic structures includes Sir Walter Raleigh Hotel, the oldest surviving hotel in the city and was constructed between 1923 and1924. The Fayetteville Street which connects the State Capitol to the Raleigh Convention Center and a number of other neighborhoods including Country Club Hills, Coley Forest, Belvidere Park and Historic Oakwood are also in the Old Raleigh. Located near Interstate 440 or Raleigh Beltline is East Raleigh where the neighborhoods include New Hope, Wilder's Grove and Brentwood.

West Raleigh in Hillsborough Street, a source for social life among students from North Carolina State University and Meredith College, is also home for such establishments and landmarks such as Pullen Park, Pullen Memorial Baptist Church, Cameron Village and North Carolina Museum of Art. North Raleigh on the other hand is a fast-growing suburban area and has been popular for having an almost Class A population, with most of the neighborhoods housed in newly built subdivisions. North Raleigh also has large shopping areas. Midtown Raleigh was once part of the North Raleigh. It is bordered by Lead Mine Road (West), Wake Forest Road (East) and Milbrook Road (North). Among its popular landmarks include the North Hills Mall, the first enclosed mall in Raleigh, and Crabtree Valley Mall, the largest enclosed mall in the Research Triangle, at 1,300,000 square feet. The least developed area is the South Raleigh.

It also has the least dense population. Among its neighborhoods include Lake Wheeler, Riverbrooke and Enchanted Oaks. Southeast Raleigh is bordered by downtown on the west, Garner on the southwest and the rural area of Wake County. The Rock Quarry Road is where the Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion is located and is one of the region's most popular concert venues.

Raleigh's inclusion in the Research Triangle reflects that its population one of the most highly-educated one, most of which coming from public universities like the North Carolina State University and Wake Technical Community College and other private educational institutions. Raleigh's museums: North Carolina Museum of Art, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, North Carolina Museum of History and others are just validation of their care for culture, performing arts and the visual arts.