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EspañolTHE TRIANGLE (NORTH CAROLINA)
Counties in the Research Triangle area are red and counties sometimes included are in orange.
The 'Research Triangle', commonly referred to as '"The Triangle"', is a region in the Piedmont of North Carolina in the United States, anchored by the cities of Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill. The region is comprised of two Metropolitan Statistical areas, Raleigh-Cary, NC, and Durham, NC. Its estimated total population as of 2005 was 1,509,560. The research universities of Duke University, North Carolina State University, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are located in this region. The "Triangle" name was cemented in the public consciousness in the 1950s with the creation of Research Triangle Park, home to numerous high-tech companies and enterprises. Although the name is commonly used to refer to the cities, "The Triangle" originally referred to the universities, whose research facilities and the educated workforce they provide are the major attraction for businesses located in the Park. The Triangle's population is among the most educated in the United States, with one of the highest number of Ph.D.s per capita.[1] The region should not be confused with "The Triad", which is the region directly west of the Triangle. Most of the Triangle is represented by, and closely associated with, the second, fourth and thirteenth congressional districts.
Counties
★ Chatham
★ Durham
★ Franklin
★ Granville
★ Harnett
★ Johnston
★ Lee
★ Moore
★ Orange
★ Person
★ Wake
Total land area: 4,548 square miles
2004 Population: 1,467,434 (Source: US Bureau of the Census Released April 2005)
Cities
The Triangle region, as defined for statistical purposes as the 'Raleigh-Durham-Cary-Dunn CSA' is generally considered to comprise 7 counties, although the U.S. Census Bureau divided the region into 2 metropolitan statistical areas and 1 micropolitan area in 2003. Some local television networks define the region as 'Raleigh-Durham-Fayetteville', including Fayetteville, North Carolina, which is nearly 50 miles from Raleigh's city limits because it is in the designated market area.
Primary cities
★ Raleigh ''367,995''
★ Durham ''249,845''
★ Cary ''121,457''
★ Chapel Hill ''51,519''
Suburbs with more than 10,000 inhabitants
★ Apex ''31,000+
★ Carrboro''16,500+
★ Clayton ''13,000+
★ Garner ''24,500+
★ Morrisville ''14,000+
★ Sanford
★ Smithfield
★ Wake Forest ''2006 - 20,000+
★ Holly Springs ''2006 - 15,000+''
★ Fuquay-Varina ''2005 - 12000+''
Suburbs with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants
★ Angier ★ Bahama ★ Bear Creek ★ Bennett ★ Benson ★ Bonlee ★ Bonsal ★ Broadway ★ Buies Creek ★ Bunn ★ Bynum ★ Carbonton ★ Centerville ★ Coats ★ Corinth ★ Dunn ★ Efland ★ Erwin ★ Fuquay-Varina | ★ Fearrington ★ Feltonville ★ Four Oaks ★ Franklinton ★ Friendship ★ Goldston ★ Gorman ★ Green Level ★ Gulf ★ Haywood ★ Hillsborough ★ Kenly ★ Knightdale ★ Lillington ★ Lizard Lick ★ Louisburg ★ Mebane ★ Micro ★ Middlesex | ★ Moncure ★ New Hill ★ Pine Level ★ Pittsboro ★ Princeton ★ Rolesville ★ Rougemont ★ Roxboro ★ Saxapahaw ★ Selma ★ Siler City ★ Silk Hope ★ Wendell ★ West Smithfield ★ Willow Springs ★ Wilson's Mills ★ Youngsville ★ Zebulon |
Education
The secondary education setup in the Triangle is similar to that of the majority of the state of North Carolina, in which there are countywide school systems (the exception is Chapel Hill-Carrboro Schools alongside Orange County Schools). The largest in the region is the Wake County Public School System, which includes the cities of Raleigh and Cary. The other larger systems in the region rank as such: Durham County, Orange County, and rapidly growing Johnston County.
Institutions of higher education
★ Campbell University
★ Central Carolina Community College
★ Duke University
★ Durham Technical Community College
★ Meredith College
★ North Carolina Central University
★ North Carolina State University
★ Peace College
★ Piedmont Community College
★ Shaw University
★ St. Augustine's College
★ University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
★ Vance-Granville Community College
★ Wake Technical Community College
College sports
Due to the number of colleges and universities in the area, NCAA sports are very popular. The Atlantic Coast Conference member North Carolina State University Wolfpack is situated in West Raleigh, and fellow ACC rivals, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Tar Heels, and the Duke University Blue Devils, are no more than a 30 minute drive away. In addition, Wake Forest University in nearby Winston-Salem brings the total number of ACC schools to four. The Pirates of East Carolina University reside 75 miles (121 km) away in Greenville, North Carolina. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill won the NCAA basketball championship in 1957, 1982, 1993, and 2005. North Carolina State won the NCAA basketball championship in 1974 and 1983. In 1946, the arrival of head coach Everett Case at North Carolina State marked the beginning of the rapid growth of basketball in North Carolina.
The competition among North Carolina State, North Carolina, Wake Forest, and Duke is sometimes referred to as Tobacco Road by sportscasters. Three historically black colleges, including new Division I member North Carolina Central and Division II members St. Augustine College and Shaw University also provide a basis for the strength of college sports in the area.
Commerce
Anchored by leading technology firms, government and world-class universities and medical centers, the area's economy has performed exceptionally well. Significant increases in employment, earnings, personal income and retail sales are projected over the next 15 years.
The region's growing, vibrant high-technology community includes such companies as IBM, SAS Institute, Cisco Systems, Nortel Networks, Network Appliance (NetApp) and Credit Suisse First Boston. In addition to high-tech, the region is consistently ranked in the top 3 in the U.S. with concentration in life science companies. Some of these companies include GlaxoSmithKline, Biogen Idec, BASF, Merck & Co., Novo Nordisk, Novozymes, and Wyeth. Durham-based Research Triangle Park and North Carolina State University's Centennial Campus in Raleigh support innovation through R&D and technology transfer among the region's companies and research universities (including Duke University and The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill).
Area major employers
★ BASF
★ Bayer
★ Cisco Systems
★ Credit Suisse Group
★ Duke University
★ DuPont
★ Eaton
★ Environmental Protection Agency
★ General Electric
★ GlaxoSmithKline
★ IBM
★ Lenovo
★ Nortel Networks
★ North Carolina State Government (including the University of North Carolina system)
★ Red Hat
★ Research Triangle Institute
★ SAS Institute
★ Sony Ericsson
★ Syngenta
★ Teleflex Medical
★ United States Forest Service
★ Verizon
★ Progress Energy
Area hospitals and medical centers
★ Dorothea Dix Hospital
★ Durham Regional Hospital
★ Duke University Medical Center
★ Raleigh Community Hospital
★ Rex Hospital
★ University of North Carolina Hospitals
★ Wake Medical Center
★ Western Wake Medical Center
Transportation
The Triangle is served by three major interstate highways: I-85, I-40 and I-95, their spurs: I-440 and I-540, and six secondary highways: U.S. Route 1, US 64, US 70, U.S. Route 401, and US 15 and US 501 which are multiplexed through most of the region as U.S. Route 15/501.
Two of the three interstates diverge from one another in Orange County with I-85 heading northeastward through northern Durham towards Virginia, while I-40 goes southeastward through southern Durham, straight through the heart of the region and serving as the main freeway through Raleigh. The spurs of I-440 and I-540, however are primarily located in Wake County around Raleigh. I-440 begins at the interchange of US 1 and I-40 southwest of downtown Raleigh and arcs its way around downtown with the formal designation as the Cliff Benson/Raleigh Beltline (co-signed with US 1 on three-fourths of its route) and ends at its junction with I-40 in southeast Raleigh. I-540 only has a quarter of its route open, but has already become known as the Outer Loop. It does currently serve as a northern arc for those who live in North Raleigh. I-95 serves the eastern edge of the region, crossing south-to-north through Johnston County.
The US Highways of 1, 15, and 64 spend a vast amount of their journeys through the region as limited-access freeways or as large highways with access roads. US 1 comes into the region from the southwest as Claude E. Pope Memorial Highway and then into Apex where it merges with US 64 and continues northeast towards Raleigh. The co-designation of the two highways lasts for a little more than 2 miles where US 1 joins I-440 and US 64 with I-40. Capital Boulevard, which is US 1 for half of its route and US 401 the other, is the other major thoroughfare through Raleigh.
North Carolina Highway 147, also known as the Durham Freeway, is a limited-access freeway that connects I-85 with I-40 in Durham County. The four-lane highway traverses through downtown Durham and goes through Research Triangle Park. The freeway is often designated as a detour route or used as an alternate route for I-40 in the Chapel Hill area, in case of accident or road construction.
There are currently multiple public transportation systems in the Triangle. Raleigh is served by the Capital Area Transit (CAT) municipal transit system, while Durham has the Durham Area Transit Authority (DATA) system. Chapel Hill is served by Chapel Hill Transit, and Cary is also served by its own public transit systems. However, the Triangle Transit Authority (TTA) works in cooperation with all area transit systems by offering transfers between its own routes and those of the other systems. There are plans on board to merge all of the area's individual systems into the TTA. TTA has also proposed a regional rail system to connect downtown Durham and downtown Raleigh with multiple stops in the RTP area, though this was effectively cancelled in 2006 when federal funding could not be made available [2]
Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU)
Main articles: Raleigh-Durham International Airport
The General Assembly of North Carolina chartered the Raleigh-Durham Aeronautical Authority in 1939, which would be changed in 1945 to the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority. The first new terminal opened in 1955. Terminal A opened in 1981. American Airlines began service to RDU in 1985.
RDU opened the 10,000 foot runway 5L-23R in 1986. American Airlines opened its North-South Hub operation at RDU in the new Terminal C in June 1987, greatly increasing the size of RDU's operations with a new terminal including a new apron and runway. American brought RDU its first international flights to Bermuda, Cancun, Paris and London.
In 1996, American Airlines ceased its hub operations at RDU due to Pan Am and Eastern. Pan Am and Eastern were Miami's main tenants until 1991, when both carriers went bankrupt. Their hubs at MIA were taken over by United Airlines and American Airlines. This created a difficulty in North Carolina competing with USAirway's hub in Charlotte and Delta's hub in Atlanta for passengers traveling between smaller cities in the North and South. Midway Airlines gave it a try, starting service in 1995 with the then somewhat novel concept of 50 seat CRJs providing service from its RDU hub primarily along the east coast. Midway, started in Chicago a few years before that, had some success after moving its operations to the midpoint of the eastern United States at RDU, however, the carrier ultimately couldn't overcome three weighty challenges: the arrival of Southwest Airlines, the refusal of American Airlines to renew the frequent flyer affiliation it had with Midway (thus dispatching numerous higher fare paying businesspeople to airlines with better reward destinations), and the final blow of 9-11. Midway Airlines filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy the very next day.
RDU's first international carrier, Air Canada, introduced service to Toronto in 1996.
Canadian Regional began service to Toronto in 1997.
The nation's largest low-fare carrier, Southwest Airlines, started service at RDU in 1999.
In February 2000, RDU is ranked as the nation's second fastest growing major airport in the United States, by Airports Council International, based on 1999 statistics. Passenger growth hit 24% over the previous year, putting RDU second only to Washington Dulles International Airport.
In 2001 RDU opened Terminal A south concourse for use by Northwest and Continental Airlines. The addition adds 46,000 square feet and 5 aircraft gates to the terminal.
America West began service at RDU with flights to Phoenix and Las Vegas in 2002. America West merged with US Airways in 2005.
In 2003, RDU also dedicated the new general aviation (GA) terminal.
RDU is keeping pace with these changes by redeveloping Terminal C into a new state-of the-art terminal.
Once home to an American Airlines East Coast hub and once headquarters to Midway Airlines.
Airport-Rail Link Study
The Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority worked with the Triangle Transit Authority to complete a joint study. The study explored how the airport would connect to the regional rail system planned by the TTA.
Based on the study results, the Airport Authority and the TTA committed to providing access to the airport for rail passengers and will provide a bus shuttle until demand necessitates a direct rail link. When the rail opens in 2008, passengers will be able to catch a TTA shuttle at the rail system’s station located in Research Triangle Park.
Once the rail system is launched, the Airport Authority, along with the TTA, will monitor its usage and incorporate the possibility of a direct rail link to the airport in all future planning.
Shopping
''Notable shopping centers and malls:''
★ Cameron Village (Raleigh)
★ Carolina Premium Outlets (Smithfield)
★ Cary Towne Center (Cary)
★ Crabtree Valley Mall (Raleigh)
★ Crossroads Plaza (Cary)
★ Northgate Mall (Durham)
★ North Hills (Raleigh)
★ South Square Mall - defunct (Durham)
★ The Streets at Southpoint (Durham)
★ Triangle Towne Center (Raleigh)
★ University Mall (Chapel Hill)
''Notable retailers:''
★ A Southern Season - the nation's largest gourmet retailer (Chapel Hill)
Entertainment
'Film Events:'
★ ''Ava Gardner Festival'' - Smithfield http://www.avagardner.org
★ ''Flicker Film Festival'' - Carrboro
★ ''Full Frame Documentary Film Festival'' - Durham
★ ''Hi Mom Film Festival'' - Durham
★ ''Nevermore Film Fest'' - Durham
'Music Venues:'
★ Alltel Pavilion at Walnut Creek - Raleigh
★ Cat's Cradle - Carrboro
★ The Clayton Center - Clayton
★ Koka Booth Amphitheatre at Regency Park - Cary
★ Paul A. Johnston Auditorium - Smithfield
★ RBC Center - Raleigh
'Theatre and Dance Events:'
★ ''American Dance Festival'' - Durham
Media
There are several newspapers and periodicals that serve the Triangle market:
★ The News & Observer, based out of Raleigh is the region's largest newspaper.
★ The Herald-Sun, Durham's major newspaper.
★ The Raleigh Chronicle , the online-only daily newspaper.
★ The Independent Weekly, the weekly independent paper out of Durham.
★ The Carolina Journal, a monthly free newspaper out of Raleigh.
★ The Raleigh Downtowner , the monthly free magazine focused on downtown Raleigh.
★ The Raleigh Hatchet , a free monthly magazine.
★ The Blotter , a free monthly literary magazine.
★ Fifteen-501, a magazine for the Durham-Chapel Hill area taking its name from U.S. Highway 15-501.
Television
The Triangle is home to UNC-TV, which is based out of UNC in Chapel Hill. The Raleigh-Durham-Fayetteville Designated Market Area for television stations represents the Triangle and includes the following television stations:
★ WUNC-TV (4), the PBS affiliate and flagship station of the UNC-TV television network.
★ WRAL-TV (5), the CBS affiliate, licensed to Capitol Broadcasting Company.
★ WTVD-TV (11), the ABC affiliate, owned by ABC/Disney.
★ WNCN-TV (17), the NBC affiliate, owned by Media General.
★ WLFL-TV (22), the CW affiliate, owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group.
★ WRDC-TV (28), the My Network TV affiliate, owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group.
★ WRAY-TV (30), an independent, owned by Multi-Cultural Broadcasting.
★ WUVC-TV (40), the Univision affiliate.
★ WRPX-TV (47), the Pax/ION affiliate.
★ WRAZ-TV (50), the Fox affiliate, which is operated by Capitol Broadcasting Company.
★ WFPX-TV (62), the Pax/ION affiliate for Fayetteville.
The market is also host to the state's first online TV station:
RTP-TV - Research Triangle Park Television which has programs of local interest broadcast over the Internet as well as Fox50 (WRAZ) through paid air-time.
The city of Raleigh is also home to the Triangle bureau of News 14 Carolina.
Radio
The Triangle is home to North Carolina Public Radio, a public radio station/NPR provider that brings in listeners around the country. Raleigh and a large part of the Triangle area is Arbitron radio market #43. Stations include:
'FM stations:' ★ 88.1 FM WKNC College Radio from N.C. State University ★ 88.5 FM WRTP Christian ("His Radio WRTP") ★ 88.7 FM WXDU Public Radio from Duke University ★ 88.9 FM WSHA Public Radio from Shaw University ★ 89.7 FM WCPE Classical & Opera Music ★ 90.7 FM WNCU Public Radio from N.C. Central University ★ 91.1 FM W216BN Christian ("His Radio WRTP") ★ 91.5 FM WUNC Public Radio from UNC-Chapel Hill ★ 92.5 FM WYFL Christian Programs from Bible Broadcasting Network ★ 93.9 FM WKSL Rhythmic AC (93.9, Kiss FM") ★ 94.7 FM WQDR Country (94.7 QDR") ★ 96.1 FM WBBB Rock ("96 Rock") ★ 96.7 FM WKRX Country (WKRX, Roxboro) ★ 96.9 FM WYMY Spanish ("La Ley 96.9") ★ 97.5 FM WQOK Hip Hop ("K-97.5") ★ 98.9 FM W255AM Christian ("His Radio WRTP") ★ 99.9 FM WCMC Country ("99.9, Genuine Country") ★ 100.7 FM WRVA Classic Rock ("100.7, The River") ★ 101.5 FM WRAL Adult Contemporary ("Mix 101.5") ★ 102.5 FM WKXU Country ("Kicks 102.5") ★ 102.9 FM WWMY Oldies ("Y-102.9") ★ 103.9 FM WNNL Urban Gospel ("103.9, The Light") ★ 104.3 FM WFXK Urban AC ("Foxy 104") ★ 105.1 FM WDCG Contemporary Hit Radio ("G-105") ★ 106.1 FM WRDU Country ("Rooster Country") ★ 106.7 FM WKVE Contemporary Christian ★ 107.1 FM WFXC Urban AC ("Foxy 107") ★ 107.7 FM W299AQ Christian ("His Radio WRTP") ★ 107.9 FM WVDJ-LP Community Radio | 'AM stations:' ★ 540 AM WETC Spanish ★ 570 AM WDOX Talk, Sports & Music ("570 WDOX") ★ 620 AM WDNC Sports and Local ESPN Radio affiliate ("620, The Bull") ★ 680 AM WPTF News, Talk & Sports ("News/Talk 680, WPTF") ★ 750 AM WAUG Urban Programming from St. Augustine's College ★ 850 AM WRBZ Sports ("850, The Buzz") ★ 1030 AM WDRU Christian ("The Truth, 1030") ★ 1240 AM WPJL Christian ★ 1360 AM WCHL News, Talk & Sports ★ 1410 AM WRJD Urban Gospel ★ 1490 AM WDUR Stunting ★ 1530 AM WLLQ Spanish ★ 1550 AM WCLY Urban Gospel ★ 1590 AM WHPY Christian |
Map of the Triangle
TriangleRegionNumbered.PNG
Rankings
★ 1 High Tech Region (Raleigh-Durham) -- "Daring To Compete: A Region-to-Region Reality Check," Silicon Valley Leadership Group, September 16, 2005
★ Top 10 Utility Company (Duke Power) - Site Selection, September 2005
★ 12 Top Real Estate Market (Raleigh-Durham) -- Expansion Management, August 2005
★ 10 Top Venture Capital State (North Carolina) -- Moran Stahl & Boyer LLC, Site Selection, July 2005
★ 2 of the Top Business Opportunity Metros (Durham MSA, Raleigh-Cary MSA) -- 2005 Mayor's Challenge "Top Business Opportunity Metros", Expansion Management, July 11, 2005
★ 1 City (Greater Raleigh-Durham) for Biotechnology -- "The Greater Philadelphia Life Sciences Cluster", Milken Institute, June 2005
★
★ 2 City (Greater Raleigh-Durham) for Life Sciences Human Capital -- "The Greater Philadelphia Life Sciences Cluster", Milken Institute, June 2005
★
★ 4 City (Greater Raleigh-Durham) for Life Sciences Workforce -- "The Greater Philadelphia Life Sciences Cluster", Milken Institute, June 2005
★ 17 Best Running City in America (Raleigh) -- Runner's World, MSN, June, 2005
★ 5 U.S. Life Sciences Clusters (Greater Raleigh-Durham) -- Milken Institute, June 2005
★ 1 South's State of the Year (North Carolina) -- Southern Business & Development, June 20, 2005
★ One of Top 10 University Markets that Has Its Act Together (Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill) -- Southern Business & Development, Summer 2005
★ 2 Best Place (Raleigh-Durham) for Business & Careers -- Forbes, May 5, 2005
★ 5 Best Knowledge Worker Metro (Raleigh-Cary MSA) -- "Knowledge Worker Quotient", Expansion Management, May 2005
★ 8 Most Unwired City (Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill) -- Intel's 3rd Annual "Most Unwired Cities" survey, May 2005
★ 9 Top State (North Carolina) in Nanotechnology -- Small Times, March 2005
★ 9 Top Business State (North Carolina) -- 2004 Governor's Cup, Site Selection, March 2005
★ Top Small Business Towns in the U.S. (Henderson, # 23; Sanford, # 36; Southern Pines, # 49; Dunn, # 82) -- Site Selection, March 2005
★ 8 Hottest Labor Market (Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill) -- American City Business Journal, TBJ, March 11, 2005
★ 1 Best Place to Work (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, RTP), # 4 (NIEHS) and # 1 Academic Institution (UNC-Chapel Hill) for Postdocs -- "Best Places to Work for Postdocs: 2005", The Scientist, February 14, 2005
★ 4 Top Pro-Business State (North Carolina) -- "Pollina Corporate Top 10 Pro-Business States for 2005: Keeping Jobs in America", Pollina Corporate Real Estate, Inc., 2005
★ 4 Best State (North Carolina) in Health Care and Availability -- "Health Care Cost Quotient", Expansion Management, February, 2005
★ 34 Top Metro (Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill) for Job Growth & High Tech Output -- Outlook, February, 2005
★ 10 State (North Carolina) for Call Centers (# 10 for Startups) -- BizMiner, Business Xpansion Journal, Nov/Dec 2004
★ 7 State (North Carolina) for Health Establishments -- BizMiner, Business Xpansion Journal, Nov/Dec 2004
★ 17 America's Hottest Cities (Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill) -- Expansion Management, November 2004
★ 5 Best U.S. Location (North Carolina) for Biotechnology -- Business Facilities, November 2004
★ 5 Best Business Climate (North Carolina) -- Site Selection, November 2004
★ 1 of America's Most Entrepreneurial Campuses (UNC-Chapel Hill) -- Forbes, October 22, 2004
★ 3 Best Places to Live in America -- Forbes, 2003 [1]
See also
★ I-85 Corridor
★ Piedmont Crescent
References
1. http://www.joelkotkin.com/Demographics/WSJ%20What%20Brainpower%20Says%20About%20Property%20Trends.htm
2. Regional Transit Needs: Next Steps
External links
★ Google maps
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