Raleigh Travel Guide

Located on the Fall Line, which is the geographical boundary line where the Appalachians begin to rise up above the coastal Piedmont plateau, Raleigh is one of the few cities built specifically to serve as a state capital. Back in 1788, state legislators had a favored gathering spot called Isaac Hunter’s Tavern; present day Raleigh is a mere ten miles away from the Tavern site Today, Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill—each a separate municipality—are anchor points for one of the fastest growing major metropolitan areas in the United States. Referred to as both “The Triangle” and as “Raleigh-Durham,” this metro area is served the Raleigh-Durham International Airport, and is home to more than 1.5 million people. Three major universities—Duke, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and North Carolina State University—were originally called the ‘Triangle,’ but in the ‘50s, the name began to be applied to the three cities after the Research Triangle Park was created. The research and academic presence in the area is strong; the Triangle has the highest number of PhD’s per capita in the US. A host of high-tech companies are located here, and Forbes Magazine in February 2007 rated the Triangle as the best US city in which to find a job. Raleigh-Durham International welcomed 9.4 million passengers in 2006. In addition to the high tech industry and academia, visitors will find museums, art galleries, beautiful arboretums and gardens, and great food and lodging.