Raleigh, North Carolina

Raleigh
State capital city
Clockwise from top left: NC State bell tower, Confederate Monument at the North Carolina State Capitol (now removed), houses in Boylan Heights, houses in Historic Oakwood, statue of Sir Walter Raleigh, skyline of the downtown, Fayetteville Street, and the warehouse district
Flag Seal Logo
Nickname(s):  City of Oaks, Raleigh Wood, Oak City[1][2]
Location in Wake County and the state of North Carolina
Raleigh Location within North Carolina Show map of North Carolina Raleigh Location within the United States Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 35°51′15″N 78°45′43″W / 35.85417°N 78.76194°W / 35.85417; -78.76194
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
Counties	Wake, Durham
Chartered	December 31, 1794
Named for	Sir Walter Raleigh
Government [3]
• Type	Council–manager
• Body	Raleigh City Council
• Mayor	Mary-Ann Baldwin (D)
Area [4]
• Total	149.6 sq mi (387.5 km2)
• Land	148.5 sq mi (384.7 km2)
• Water	1.1 sq mi (2.8 km2)  0.72%
Elevation [5]	331 ft (101 m)
Population  (2020)[6]
• Total	467,665
• Rank	41st in the United States 2nd in North Carolina
• Density	3,148.3/sq mi (1,215.6/km2)
• Urban	1,106,646 (US: 43rd)
• Urban density	1,994.6/sq mi (770.1/km2)
• Metro [7]	1,413,982 (US: 42nd)
Demonym	Raleighite
Time zone	UTC–05:00 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC–04:00 (EDT)
ZIP Codes	276XX 27601, 27603, 27604, 27605, 27606, 27607, 27608, 27609, 27610, 27612, 27613, 27614, 27615, 27616, 27617
Area code(s)	919, 984
FIPS code	37-55000[8]
GNIS feature ID	2404590[5]
Major airport	Raleigh–Durham International Airport
Website	raleighnc.gov

Raleigh (pronounced /ˈrɔːli/, RALL-lee^[9]) is the capital and the 2nd most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina as well as the county seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees.^[10] The area is also nicknamed "The Triangle".

Raleigh is part of the Research Triangle area, together with Durham and Chapel Hill. The "Triangle" nickname began after the 1959 plan and construction of the Research Triangle Park, in Durham and Wake Counties. It is in the middle of the three cities and their universities.

The Research Triangle area makes up the U.S. Census Bureau's Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill Combined Statistical Area (CSA). It had an estimated population of 2,242,324 in 2020.^[11]

1. ↑ Delongowski, Carly (January 21, 2021). "Why is Raleigh nicknamed the City of Oaks?". RAL Today. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
2. ↑ Wells Shannon, Mary (August 26, 2022). "The Best Nicknames for Southern Cities". Southern Living. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
3. ↑ "City Council: Raleigh's Governing Body". City of Raleigh. May 6, 2016. Archived from the original on May 6, 2016. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
4. ↑ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Raleigh, North Carolina
6. ↑ "QuickFacts: Raleigh city, North Carolina". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
7. ↑ "2020 Population and Housing State Data". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
8. ↑ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
9. ↑ Wells, John C. (2009). "Ralegh, Raleigh". Longman Pronunciation Dictionary. London: Pearson Longman. ISBN 9781405881180.
10. ↑ "Population & Census Information". City of Raleigh. Archived from the original on 2009-07-21. Retrieved 2009-08-21.
11. ↑ "Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas Population Totals: 2020-2022". United States Census Bureau. February 24, 2022. Retrieved August 13, 2022.