Raleigh

Raleigh, North Carolina
State capital
City of Raleigh
Downtown Raleigh in October 2008
Flag Seal
Nickname(s): "City of Oaks"
Location in Wake County and the state of North Carolina.
Raleigh Location within the contiguous United States of America
Coordinates: 35°46′N 78°38′W / 35.767°N 78.633°W / 35.767; -78.633Coordinates: 35°46′N 78°38′W / 35.767°N 78.633°W / 35.767; -78.633
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
Counties	Wake, Durham
Chartered	December 31, 1792
Named for	Sir Walter Raleigh
Government
• Type	Council–Manager
• Mayor	Nancy McFarlane (I)
• Council	Members Russ Stephenson (D) Mary Ann Baldwin (D) Richard Thompson (D) David Cox (D) Corey Branch (D) Kay Crowder (D) Bonner Gaylord (I)
Area
• State capital	144.8 sq mi (375 km2)
• Land	142.8 sq mi (369 km2)
• Water	2.0 sq mi (2.5 km2)
Elevation	315 ft (96 m)
Population (2016 estimate)
• State capital	451,066 (42nd)
• Density	3,158.7/sq mi (1,170.04/km2)
• Urban	1,012,994
• MSA	1,337,331 (44th)
• CSA	2,117,103(29th)
Demonym(s)	Raleighite
Time zone	EST (UTC−05:00)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC−04:00)
ZIP code(s)	27511, 27518, 27529, 27545, 27560, 27587, 27591, 27601, 27603, 27604, 27605, 27606, 27607, 27608, 27609, 27610, 27612, 27613, 27614, 27615, 27616, 27617, 27703
Area code(s)	919, 984
FIPS code	37-55000
GNIS feature ID	1024242
Major airport	RDU
Website	raleighnc.gov

Raleigh (/ˈrɑːli/; RAH-lee) is the capital of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. 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 covers a land area of 142.8 square miles (370 km²). The U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's population as 451,066 as of July 1, 2015. It is also one of the fastest-growing cities in the country. The city of Raleigh is named after Sir Walter Raleigh, who established the lost Roanoke Colony in present-day Dare County.

Raleigh is home to North Carolina State University and is part of the Research Triangle area, together with Durham (home of Duke University) and Chapel Hill (home of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill). The "Triangle" nickname originated after the 1959 creation of the Research Triangle Park, located in Durham and Wake Counties, partway between the three cities and their universities. The Research Triangle region encompasses the U.S. Census Bureau's Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill Combined Statistical Area (CSA), which had an estimated population of 2,037,430 in 2013. The Raleigh Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) had an estimated population of 1,214,516 in 2013.