| Raleigh-durham, North Carolina |
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The Research Triangle, commonly referred to as '''"The Triangle"''', is a , 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 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 Network s 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
Suburbs with more than 10,000 inhabitants
Suburbs with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants
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
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 College s, 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
Area hospitals and medical centers
TRANSPORTATION The Triangle is served by three major , 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 1 Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) See Also: 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:''
''Notable retailers:''
ENTERTAINMENT Film Events:
Music Venues:
Theatre and Dance Events:
MEDIA There are several newspapers and periodicals that serve the Triangle market:
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:
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:
AM stations:
MAP OF THE TRIANGLE RANKINGS
SEE ALSO REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS |
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