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Raleigh & Durham Background
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.
The City of Raleigh estimates its population to be 342,194 as of July 1, 2005.
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." The site was chosen as being within ten miles
of Isaac Hunter’s Tavern, a tavern popular with the legislators of the time. No city or town existed on the site
before it was chosen to house the capital.
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 and 7 council members (5 district
representatives and 2 at large).
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 299.3 km˛ (115.6 mi˛). 296.8 km˛ (114.6 mi˛)
of it is land and 2.5 km˛ (1.0 mi˛) of it is water. The total area is 0.84% water.
Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there are 276,093 people, 112,608 households, and 61,371 families residing in the city. The
population density is 930.2/km˛ (2,409.2/mi˛). There are 120,699 housing units at an average density of 406.7/km˛ (1,053.2/mi˛).
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.
Crime
Raleigh has a very low homicide rate. In 2004 only 8 murders were reported within city limits.
Like many urban areas, Raleigh has prostitution in its working class neighborhoods. There are several red light districts in
Southeast Raleigh. It is rare not to find prostitution on the various intersections of Bragg St, for example.
Raleigh has 469.2 motor vehicle thefts per year per 100,000 residents. The average for metro areas in North Carolina is 528.4 motor
vehicle thefts per year per 100,000 residents.
Attractions
- The Alltel Pavilion at Walnut Creek hosts major touring musical acts.
- The Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts encompasses the Raleigh Memorial Auditorium, the Fletcher Opera Theater, the
Kennedy Theatre, and the Meymandi Concert Hall.
- The interactive museum Exploris hosts an IMAX theater.
- The North Carolina Museum of Art
- The North Carolina Museum of History
- The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
- The Raleigh City Museum
- Triangle Metro Zoo
- Pullen Park, near the campus of North Carolina State University houses a circa-1912 Carousel and offers train and boat rides.
Sports
The NHL Carolina Hurricanes moved to Raleigh in 1999 with the completion of the RBC Center. However, in Raleigh, college sports
reign supreme, with NCAA Division I-A rivals the North Carolina State University Wolfpack, University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill Tar Heels, and Duke University Blue Devils being the most prominent teams in the area, sometimes referred to as Tobacco Road
by sportscasters. The three universities have combined for eight NCAA Men’s Basketball National Championships since 1974. North
Carolina Central University, which is located in Durham, won the 1989 NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Championship.
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.
The area also features a variety of amateur participatory sports as well, with soccer, softball, flag football, basketball, and
even dodgeball leagues operated privately or by the municipality.
Transportation
Air: Raleigh-Durham International Airport is just northwest of Raleigh on I-40 between Raleigh and Durham, North Carolina.
Interstate highway: I-40, I-440 Beltline, I-540
Note that the Beltline makes a loop around the city. Visitors and even long-time residents are frequently confused by the terms
"Inner Beltline", "Outer Beltline", and "Outer Loop". The Inner and Outer Beltline are the same road. Inner and Outer refer to
the positions of the lanes of traffic. The Inner Beltline runs clockwise; the Outer is counter-clockwise. The Outer Loop refers
to I-540, which does not completely encircle Raleigh.
United States Highways:
- US-1 (known in parts of Raleigh as Capital Boulevard)
- US-64
- US-70 (known in parts of Raleigh as Glenwood Avenue)
- US-264
- US-401 (known in parts of Raleigh as Capital Boulevard)
Passenger Rail: Amtrak Carolinian, Piedmont and Silver Star offer daily service to Charlotte, Richmond, Washington DC and Miami
Local Bus: Within Raleigh, the CAT system. The Triangle Transit Authority operates buses that serve the region and connect to municipal
bus systems in Durham and Chapel Hill; this authority is planning a regional rail system to run through Durham, the RTP, Cary and Raleigh.
Bicycle: Most public buses are equipped with bicycle racks. A small minority of roads are equipped with bicycle lanes.
Capital Boulevard is a significant road in Raleigh. Its southern terminus is near the capitol building in downtown Raleigh, where it
splits into McDowell Street (one-way heading north) and Dawson Street (one-way heading south). The northern terminus of Capital Boulevard
is at the Raleigh city limits (where the street changes its name). Because this road was the major route of traffic to and from the
government buildings of the state capital, a great deal of light industry, commercial work, and service industry grew up along it. In
recent years, this development has expanded northward. The portion of Capital Boulevard between downtown Raleigh and the I-440 beltline
is a limited access highway. Major highways US-1 and US-401 follow Capital Boulevard until 401 splits off north of the I-440 beltline
and becomes Louisburg Road.
Source: wikipedia.org
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