Raleigh, North Carolina

Whether you're looking for world-class educational opportunities for your children or yourself, we've got it all.

The high quality of education found throughout Wake County is a primary reason that the Triangle area continues to be heralded as one of the best places to live in the country. And, the relocation of people to Raleigh from other parts of the nation and around the world results in high expectations and even higher standards for school performance.

Our public schools earn high marks across the board, outperforming school districts across the state and nation in end-of-course and proficiency tests, SAT scores and other performance-measuring criteria. In fact, the Wake County Public School System is a national role model with its goal of having 95 percent of its students performing at or above grade level. With a reputation like that, it’s no surprise Money magazine ranked the Wake County Public School System among the best 100 school systems in the nation.

All of this focus on education has paid off. Almost 90 percent of Wake County public school graduates plan to pursue higher education. And what better place to do so than in their own backyard?

Raleigh and Wake County are Meccas of higher education. We are the home of North Carolina State University, Shaw University, St. Augustine's College, Meredith College, Peace College, and Wake Technical Community College.

North Carolina State University, located in West Raleigh, is one of the nation’s premier research institutions and a national leader in engineering, architecture, biotechnology, and veterinary medicine. The university also has a close relationship with many area tech companies and its work in signal processing, communication, and microchip technology is at the forefront in national research.

The entire Triangle region boasts 18 colleges, universities, and community colleges, including internationally renowned Duke University in Durham and the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, so it should come as no surprise to anyone that the Triangle has one of the largest concentrations of PhDs in the country.

Healthcare: Quality of Living
Another big advantage of the area’s universities is its medical schools and the excellent health care they offer. Wake County and Triangle institutions rank among the nation's best, with some of the foremost medical experts and programs in the country located right at our doorstep.

Major health care providers include WakeMed, Rex Healthcare, and Duke Health Raleigh Hospital in Wake County. Nearby Duke University Medical Center and UNC Hospitals consistently finish high on US News and World Report's list of America's best hospitals.

In total, the Triangle ranks sixth in physicians per capita nationwide. Helping families stay healthy through outstanding medical care is one more reason why newcomers of all ages flock to our region.

Career/Business Opportunities
With thousands of bright minds graduating from the area’s many universities each year, we attract some of the biggest names in knowledge-based industries to call Raleigh home.

Our residents can choose to work in a vast variety of settings and industries. While our three biggest industries are government, education, and health care, we are internationally known for our thriving high-tech industries such as information technology, telecommunications, biomedicine, pharmaceuticals, and computer software and hardware. Employment is available at high-tech entrepreneurial companies, major corporations, and a vast array of small and mid-sized companies as well.

While Research Triangle Park gets a lot of the attention, North Carolina State University’s Centennial Campus also has lured major corporate relocations and generated thousands of local jobs. Centennial Campus is a unique technology community that blends public, academic, and private sector research and is the only public-private partnership of its kind in the US.All of this economic success pays off for our residents – literally. Our citizens enjoy some of the highest effective buying incomes in the nation that helps support our exceptional quality of life and modest tax rates.

Climate and Recreation: Variety Vacationland
In fact, the friendliness of the people is one of the things people love most about the area. That, and our location offer the best of both worlds. Raleigh is only a three hours drive to the majestic Blue Ridge Mountains to the West and two hours from the legendary Outer Banks and Atlantic Coast to the East. North Carolina is known for its mild weather and natural beauty. We enjoy an average annual temperature of about 60 degrees Fahrenheit, but we also have four distinct seasons. We get an occasional snow that keeps the kids happy in winter, incredible flowers and lush greenery in the spring and summer, and a brilliant display of color in the fall.

Good weather means year-round outdoor recreation and what better place to enjoy the great outdoors than Wake County, well known for preserving its open space. You can play golf in February and enjoy a swim at nearby Jordan or Falls Lake into early October. Miles of award winning hiking trails, biking, boating, skiing, tennis, golf, and great sports programs offer fun for the whole family.

But if your idea for fun involves a more urban form of hiking, we can accommodate you as well.

Shopping, Dining, and Nightlife
You can get a little retail therapy at both small boutiques and some of the largest malls in the state. Raleigh is a shopper’s paradise with an abundance of stores that range from Belk’s to Brooks Brothers to Saks Fifth Avenue.

When it comes to nightlife, you’ll find some of the hottest places around to dance the night away or listen to some of the nation’s best live music. Groups and musicians that range from Nickel Creek to James Taylor to Ben Folds Five have strong ties to the Triangle and our eclectic mix of pubs, breweries, and nightclubs are just some of the reasons we’ve been ranked one of the nation’s best cities for singles.

And what’s a night on the town without a memorable dinner among friends? How does our famous slow-cooked barbecue or fresh seafood from the coast sound? Our restaurants offer every type of food from Southern favorites to vegetarian delicacies to various cultural cuisines. In fact, many local chefs have earned national reputations for their culinary feats that keep the locals lining up for more.

Arts and Culture: Taking Center Stage
Raleigh has been nicknamed the “Smithsonian of the South” for its variety of world-class museums that are among the biggest and best in the Southeast. The state’s museums of art, history, and natural sciences, along with Exploris, the world’s first global experience center, offer programs and exhibits for people of all ages.

You'll also have fun immersing yourself in a treasure trove of performances at the state-of-the-art Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts and the national acts that come to Alltel Pavilion at Walnut Creek. Our area is also home to the NC Symphony, the Opera Company of North Carolina, and the Carolina Ballet that has earned critical acclaim from critics from The New York Times to the Washington Post.

Whether you're into the performing arts, visual art, or arts and crafts, we've got something for you and our rich local tradition of blues, jazz, gospel, and bluegrass will keep your toes tapping to the rhythm of our rich region.

Pavarotti’s tenor, Monet’s masterpieces, and Rodin’s Thinker have all been a part of Raleigh’s rich cultural attractions. The only thing missing is you.

Raleigh, NC History
In 1792, Raleigh was created to be North Carolina’s seat of government. To fully appreciate this uniquely blessed city, one must contemplate the history and delightfully complex composition of the state that created Raleigh. Home to the Native American Iroquoian, Siouan and Algonquian tribes, it is also the birthplace of Virginia Dare, the first child born of English parents in the new world during the first attempt by the English to settle the western hemisphere. One of the original 13 colonies, North Carolina was the first to officially call for independence with the Halifax Resolves in 1776.

- Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce

Learn more about Raleigh, North Carolina

Learn more about other area towns:
Angier , Apex , Cary Fuquay-Varina , Garner , Holly Springs , Knightdale , Rolesville , Smithfield-Selma , Wake Forest and Zebulon