Raleigh

Raleigh (; RAH-lee) is the capital city of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees, which line the streets in the heart of the city. The city was originally laid out in a grid pattern with the North Carolina State Capitol at the center, in Union Square. The name of the Research Triangle (often shortened to the "Triangle") originated after the 1959 creation of Research Triangle Park (RTP), located in Durham and Wake counties. The Research Triangle encompasses the U.S. Census Bureau's Raleigh-Durham-Cary Combined Statistical Area (CSA), which had an estimated population of 2,037,430 in 2013. The Raleigh Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 1,390,785 in 2019, and is one of the fastest-growing cities in the US. It was named after Sir Walter Raleigh, who established the lost Roanoke Colony in present-day Dare County, North Carolina. The original town boundaries were formed by the Holme plan, based on Thomas Holme's 1682 General Meade's plan for North Carolina's capital, which was based on the city of Philadelphia. The first nominal capital of the colony from 1705 until 1722, when Edenton took over the role. New Bern, a port town on the Neuse River 35 mi (56 km) from the Atlantic Ocean, was the largest city and the capital of North North Carolina during the American Revolution.

History

Raleigh is the primary city name, but also Brentwood are acceptable city names or spellings, Wake Crossroads, Wilders Grove on the other hand no longer accepted or obsolete and are no longer used as a designation. The official name is City of Raleigh. Raleigh was named for Sir Walter Raleigh, sponsor of Roanoke, the "lost colony" The city was incorporated on December 31, 1792, and a charter granted January 21, 1795. In 1799, the N.C. Minerva and Raleigh Advertiser was the first newspaper published in Raleigh. The city's first water supply network was completed in 1818, although due to system failures, the project was abandoned. The first institution of higher learning in Raleigh, Peace College, was established in 1857. In 1831, a fire destroyed the North Carolina State House, and reconstruction began with quarried gneiss being delivered by the first railroad in the state. North Carolina seceded from the Union during the American Civil War. Near the end of the Civil War, Governor Zebulon Baird Vance arranged his evacuation to avoid capture as Union General William Sherman's forces approached the city. On the morning of April 13, 1865, Mayor William H. Harrison went to meet with General Hugh Judson Kilpatrick and propose surrender. Kilpatrick agreed to accept the surrender to protect Raleigh from destruction and Raleigh's cavalry occupied the governor's mansion. As significant as the destruction during the war was, the city was spared the significant destruction in the war during the Confederate invasion of North Carolina in 1865. The U.S. flag was removed from the state capitol, replacing it with a United States Flagpole above the dome of the capitol. The state capital is now called Raleigh.

Geography

Raleigh is located in the northeast central region of North Carolina, where the Piedmont and Atlantic coastal plain regions meet. Most of Raleigh features gently rolling hills that slope eastward toward the state's flat coastal plain. PNC Plaza, formerly known as RBC Plaza, is the largest and tallest skyscraper in the city of Raleigh. The city is divided into several major geographic areas, each of which use a Raleigh address and a ZIP code that begins with the digits 276. The area inside of the beltline includes the entirety of the central business district known as Downtown Raleigh, as well as several more residential areas surrounding it. Midtown Raleigh is a relatively new term used to describe the residential and commercial area lying on the northside of the I-440 Beltline. The term was coined by the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, developer John Kane and planning director Mitchell Silver to promote the area. The center of the area, especially around the North Hills area, is experiencing rapid development at the junction of Six Forks Road and the Beltline and has several high-rise buildings built since 2010. The Neuse River flows through the northeastern corner of the city. It is located 24 mi (39 km) southeast of Durham, 63 mi (101 km) northeast of Fayetteville, 131 mi (211 km) northwest of Wilmington, 165 mi (266 km) north of Charlotte, and 155 mi (249 km) southwest of Richmond, Virginia. It also includes North Hills Park and part of the Raleigh Greenway System.

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 467,665 people, 188,412 households, and 104,848 families residing in the city. In the American Community Survey of 2019, the city of Raleigh's population was estimated at 474,708. In 2000, the racial composition of the city was: 63.31% White, 27.80% Black or African American, 7.01% Hispanic or Latino American, 3.38% Asian American, 0.36% Native American, and 0.1% Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander. The racial makeup of Raleigh in 2019 was 52.5% non-Hispanic White, 28.3% Black/African American, 4.3%. Asian American (1.2% Indian, 08% Chinese, 07% Vietnamese, 04% Filipino, 01% Japanese), 2.6% two or more races, 1.4% some other race, and 1.88% two and more races. The median household income in Raleigh was $46,612 in 2000, and the median family income was $60,000. In 2019, an estimated 10.9% of the local population were at or below the poverty line, and an estimated 7.1%. of the total population and 7.5%. of families were living below the Poverty Line. The average household size in Raleigh in 2000 was 2.30 persons and the average family size was 2,97 persons. An estimated 8.3. of the population was 65 years of age or older.

Economy

Raleigh's industrial base includes financial services, electrical, medical, electronic and telecommunications equipment, clothing and apparel, food processing, paper products, and pharmaceuticals. Raleigh is part of North Carolina's Research Triangle, one of the country's largest and most successful research parks. The city is a major retail shipping point for eastern North Carolina and a wholesale distributing point for the grocery industry. Social Blade, a website that tracks social media statistics and analytics, and Temple Run developer Imangi Studios are based in Raleigh. Raleigh was number one on the 2015 Forbes list of the best place for businesses and careers. According to Raleigh's 201718 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are: Advance Auto Parts, Bandwidth, Truist Financial, Building Materials Holding Corporation, Capitol Broadcasting Company, Carquest, First Citizens BancShares, Golden Corral, Martin Marietta Materials, PRA Health Sciences, Red Hat, Vontier, Waste Industries, and Lulu. The North Carolina Air National Guard, a unit of the Air National Guards, is also headquartered in Raleigh, as is the North Carolina Gamecock Museum, a museum that specializes in the history and culture of the Gamecock family of Native Americans. In April 2014 Steven P. Rosenthal of Northland Investment Corp. referred to Raleigh as "a real concentration of brain power. You have a lot of smart people living in the same place. That will drive the economy." According to the city's 2013 Comprehensive annual financial report, Raleigh's top employers are: Red Hat.

Arts and culture

The Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek hosts major international touring acts. The Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts complex houses the Raleigh Memorial Auditorium, the Fletcher Opera Theater, the Kennedy Theatre, and the Meymandi Concert Hall. Theater performances are also offered at the Raleigh Little Theatre, Long View Center, Ira David Wood III Pullen Park Theatre and Stewart and Thompson Theaters at North Carolina State University. The North Carolina Museum of Art maintains one of the premier public art collections located between Washington, D.C., and Atlanta. Unlike most prominent public museums, the museum acquired a large number of the works in its permanent collection through purchases with public funds. The museum's outdoor park is one the largest such art parks in the country. The city's downtown is also home to many local art galleries such as Art Space in City Market, Visual Art Exchange, and 311 Gallery, on Martin Street, and Bee Hive Studios on Hargett Street. It is home to several professional arts organizations, including the North Carolina Symphony, the Opera Company of North Carolina, Theatre in the Park, Burning Coal Theatre Company, and Broadway Series South. The numerous local colleges and universities significantly add to the options available for viewing live performances. In 2008, a new theatre space was opened in the restored auditorium of the historic Murphey School. In 2011, the Downtown Raleigh Amphitheater opened (now sponsored as the Red Hat Amphitheaters) which hosts numerous concerts primarily in the summer months.

Sports

The Carolina Hurricanes are the only major league (NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB) professional sports team in North Carolina to have won a championship. North Carolina State University is located in southwest Raleigh where the Wolfpack competes nationally in 24 intercollegiate varsity sports as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Raleigh area has hosted the Professional Golfers' Association (PGA) Nationwide Tour Rex Hospital Open since 1994. The North Carolina Tigers compete as an Australian rules football club in the United States Australian Football League. Raleigh is also home to one of the Southeast's premier Hardcourt Bike Polo clubs.Because of the area's many billiards rooms, Raleigh is home to the Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill American Poolplayers Association. There are leagues available in formats for players of any skill level. The Carolina Courage of the Women's United Soccer Association (2000-2001 in Chapel Hill, 2001-2003 in suburban Cary), which won that league's championship Founders Cup in 2002, is based in Raleigh. The city played host to the 2011 NHL All-Star Game. The University of North Carolina's football team plays in CarterFinley Stadium. The men's basketball team shares the PNC Arena with the Carolina Hurricanes hockey club. The UNC-Raleigh Wolfpack women's basketball, volleyball, and gymnastics as well as men's wrestling events are held on campus at Reynolds Coliseum. The women's baseball team plays at Doak Field, and the men's soccer team plays on the North Carolina FC pitch.

Parks and recreation

Raleigh is the home of Raleigh Kubb, both a competitive and non-competitive kubb club. The city's park system includes the historic Pullen Park, the oldest public park in North Carolina. The J. C. Raulston Arboretum, an 8-acre (32,000 m2) arboretUM and botanical garden in west Raleigh administered by North Carolina State University, maintains a year-round collection that is open daily to the public without charge. The Raleigh Parks and Recreation Department offers a wide variety of leisure opportunities at more than 200 sites throughout the city, which include: 8,100 acres (33 km²) of park land, 78 mi (126 km) of greenway, 22 community centers, a BMX championship-caliber race track, 112 tennis courts among 25 locations, 5 public lakes, and 8 public aquatic facilities. It is also home to the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, which has a collection of more than 2,000 works of art, many of which are on display in the Raleigh Museum of Nature and Science. It also has a museum of natural history, which is on display for the first time in the city's history. The museum is located in a former tobacco mill, which was converted into a museum in the 1970s and 1980s. It was the first of its kind in the state, and is now home to more than 1,000 pieces of art. It's also the only museum of its type in the United States.

Government

Historically, Raleigh voters have tended to elect conservative Democrats in local, state, and national elections. Raleigh City Council consists of eight members; all seats, including the Mayor's, are open for election every two years. Five of the council seats are district representatives and two seats are citywide representatives elected at-large. Raleigh operates under a council-manager government. The city's one-party system of the late 19th century was a holdover from their one- Party System. The current mayor is Mary-Ann Baldwin, who was elected in 2010. The mayor's term is set to expire in 2015. The City Council has a term limit of five years. The Mayor's term ends in 2016, and the City Council will have a term of three years after that. The council's term limits are set to end in 2017, and they will be extended to five years in 2018. The Council's term limit is set at five years, and it will be increased to six years in 2020. The maximum term for a City Council member is four years, with a maximum of two years for two seats. The minimum term for an At-Large Council Member is two years, but it can be as long as five years if it is chosen by a majority of the Council. The At- Large Council Members are elected for a four-year term, with the maximum length of the term being three years. They are elected at large for a two-year period. The at-Large council members are elected to a four year term.

Education

As of 2011, Time ranked Raleigh as the third most educated city in the US based on the percentage of residents who held college degrees. This statistic can most likely be credited to the presence of universities in and around Raleigh. Public schools in Raleigh are operated by the Wake County Public School System, the largest public school system of the Carolinas. Raleigh is home to several magnet high schools and several schools offering the International Baccalaureate program. The State of North Carolina provides for a legislated number of charter schools. There are four early college high schools. Raleigh also has two alternative high schools, as well as a number of private and religion-based schools, including a school for the blind. The city has a population of 2.2 million. It is located in the state of North Carolina, which is the third largest state in the U.S. behind Florida and North Rhode Island. It has an estimated population of 3.3 million, making it one of the most densely populated cities in the United States. The population of Raleigh is 2.1 million, with the majority of its residents living in the Raleigh area. It also has a large population of non-whites, with more than half of the city's residents living outside the city limits. Raleigh has a high percentage of people who have a bachelor's degree or higher, and a low percentage of those with a master's degree. The majority of people in Raleigh have a high school diploma or higher.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina = 26.2. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 90. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 49. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Raleigh = 4.9 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 467,665 individuals with a median age of 33.6 age the population grows by 34.33% in Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 3,148.33 residents per square mile of area (1,215.57/km²). There are average 2.33 people per household in the 151,138 households with an average household income of $50,960 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 7.20% of the available work force and has dropped -4.98% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 22.84%. The number of physicians in Raleigh per 100,000 population = 231.5.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Raleigh = 45.2 inches and the annual snowfall = 4.6 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 103. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 213. 89 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 31.5 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 36, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina which are owned by the occupant = 49.44%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 20 years with median home cost = $207,700 and home appreciation of -4.67%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $7.89 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,478 per student. There are 16 students for each teacher in the school, 622 students for each Librarian and 429 students for each Counselor. 7.08% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 30.83% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 14.31% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).