Raleigh
Raleigh is a metropolitan area in United States
Inhabitants: 1,510,000 (World Rank 296)
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Flag United States
Raleigh (pronounced IPA: /ˈrɔːliː/ raw-lee or IPA: /ˈrɑːliː/ rah-lee) is the capital of the State of North Carolina and the county seat of Wake County, USA. Raleigh is known as the “City of Oaks” for its many oak trees. It has a 2006 estimated population of approximately 356,321, making it the second most populous in North Carolina, after Charlotte. The estimated population on January 1, 2008 was 374,320 making Raleigh the 15th fastest growing city in the United States.
Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill make up the three primary cities of the Research Triangle metropolitan region. The regional name originated after the 1959 creation of the Research Triangle Park, located midway between the cities of Raleigh and Durham. The Research Triangle region encompasses the U.S. Census Bureau's Combined Statistical Area (CSA) of Raleigh-Durham-Cary in the central Piedmont. The estimated population of the Raleigh-Durham-Cary CSA was 1,635,974 as of July 1, 2007, with the Raleigh-Cary Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) portion estimated at 994,551 residents.
While almost all of Raleigh is located within Wake County, a small portion of the city extends into neighboring Durham County. The towns of Cary, Garner, Wake Forest, Apex, Holly Springs, Clayton, and Knightdale are some of Raleigh's nearby suburbs.
In 2008, Forbes magazine named Raleigh no. 1 out of the "Top 200 Best Places For Business And Careers."