Research Triangle


The Research Triangle, or simply The Triangle, are both common nicknames for a Combined Statistical Area in the Piedmont region of the U.S. state of North Carolina. Anchored by the cities of Raleigh and Durham and the town of Chapel Hill, the region is home to three major research universities: North Carolina State University, Duke University, and the University of [North Carolina at Chapel Hill], respectively. The "Triangle" name originated in the 1950s with the creation of Research Triangle Park located between the three anchor cities, which is the largest research park in the United States and home to several high tech companies.
Both Raleigh and Durham have their own separate Metropolitan statistical areas. However, the nine-county region, officially named the Raleigh–Durham–Cary, NC Combined Statistical Area by the Office of Management and Budget, comprises the Raleigh–Cary, Durham–Chapel Hill, and Henderson, NC metropolitan statistical areas. The 2020 census put the combined statistical area population at 2,106,463, making it the second-largest combined statistical area in North Carolina, behind the Charlotte area. The Raleigh–Durham television market includes a broader 24-county area which includes Fayetteville, North Carolina, and has a population of 2,726,000 persons. Most of the Triangle is part of North Carolina's first, second, fourth, ninth, and thirteenth congressional districts.
The region is sometimes confused with the Piedmont Triad, which is a North Carolina region adjacent to and directly west of the Triangle comprising Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and High Point, among other cities. Both the Research Triangle and the Piedmont Triad form part of the Piedmont Crescent, an urbanized region of the state that includes the city of Charlotte.

Definitions

The Research Triangle encompasses between 3 to 16 counties Depending, depending on the definition used.The three core counties of Wake, Durham, and Orange are home to research universities

Combined Statistical Area

As of September 14, 2018, the US Office of Management and Budget delineated the Raleigh-Durham-Cary Combined Statistical Area as consisting of two metropolitan and one micropolitan statistical areas. Those three statistical areas in turn are defined as consisting of a total of nine counties. The statistical areas and their constituent counties are:
Prior to September 2018, the OMB had used the name Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill Combined Statistical Area and it included several additional counties. The Dunn Micropolitan Statistical Area and Sanford Micropolitan Statistical Area were moved to the Fayetteville-Sanford-Lumberton Combined Statistical Area, while the Oxford Micropolitan Statistical Area was folded into the Durham-Chapel Hill Metropolitan Statistical Area. The Raleigh Metropolitan Statistical Area was also renamed the Raleigh-Cary Metropolitan Statistical Area.
The table below outlines the populations of the constituent counties of the Raleigh–Durham-Cary Combined Statistical Area as of the 2020 Census.
County2023 Estimate2020 CensusChange
Wake County--
Durham County--
Johnston County--
Orange County--
Chatham County--
Franklin County--
Granville County--
Vance County--
Person County--
Total--

Regional partnerships

The members of the Research Triangle Regional Partnership are:
All counties in North Carolina are in one of 16 regional councils which provide programs and services to local governments. The Triangle J Council of Governments includes Chatham, Durham, Johnston, Lee, Moore, Orange, and Wake Counties. The northern Triangle counties of Person, Granville, Franklin, Vance, and Warren are part of the Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments.

Cities

The Triangle region, as defined for statistical purposes as the Raleigh–Durham–Cary CSA, comprises nine counties, although the U.S. Census Bureau divided the region into two metropolitan statistical areas and one micropolitan area in 2003. The Raleigh-Cary metropolitan area comprises Wake, Franklin, and Johnston Counties; the Durham-Chapel Hill metropolitan area comprises Durham, Orange, Chatham, Granville, and Person Counties; and the Henderson micropolitan area comprises Vance County.
Some area television stations define the region as Raleigh–Durham–Fayetteville. Fayetteville is more than from Raleigh, but is part of the Triangle television market.
RankCity / townCounty2020 Census2010 CensusChange
1RaleighWake County / Durham County--
2DurhamDurham County / Wake County--
3CaryWake County / Chatham County--
4Chapel HillOrange County / Durham County / Chatham County--
5ApexWake County--
6Wake ForestWake County / Franklin County--
7Holly SpringsWake County--
8Fuquay-VarinaWake County--
9GarnerWake County--
10MorrisvilleWake County / Durham County--
11ClaytonJohnston County / Wake County--
12CarrboroOrange County--
13KnightdaleWake County--
14MebaneAlamance County / Orange County--
15HendersonVance County--

Education

Public secondary education in the Triangle is similar to that of the majority of the state of North Carolina, in which there are county-wide school systems. Based in Cary, the Wake County Public School System, which includes the cities of Raleigh and Cary, is the largest school system in the state of North Carolina and the 15th-largest in the United States, with average daily enrollment of 159,949 as of the second month of the 2016–17 school year. Other larger systems in the region include Durham Public Schools and rapidly growing Johnston County Schools.

Institutions of higher education

College sports

With the significant number of universities and colleges in the area and the relative absence of major league professional sports, NCAA sports are very popular, particularly those sports in which the Atlantic Coast Conference participates, most notably basketball.
The Duke Blue Devils, NC State Wolfpack, and North Carolina Tar Heels are all members of the ACC. Rivalries among these schools are very strong, fueled by proximity to each other, with annual competitions in every sport. Adding to the rivalries is the large number of graduates the high schools in the region send to each of the local universities. It is very common for students at one university to know many students attending the other local universities, which increases the opportunities for "bragging" among the schools. The four ACC schools in the state, Duke, North Carolina, North Carolina State, and Wake Forest University, are referred to as Tobacco Road by sportscasters, particularly in basketball. All four teams consistently produce high-caliber teams. Each of the Triangle-based universities listed has won at least two NCAA Basketball national championships.
Three historically black colleges, including recent Division I arrival North Carolina Central University and Division II members St. Augustine College and Shaw University also boost the popularity of college sports in the region.
Other colleges in the Triangle that field intercollegiate teams include Campbell University, Meredith College, and William Peace University.
The Triangle will host the World University Summer Games in 2029.

Professional sports

The region has only one professional team of the four major sports, the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League, based in Raleigh. Since moving to the Research Triangle region from Hartford, Connecticut, they have enjoyed great success, including winning a Stanley Cup, which is still their only championship victory as of May 2025. The North Carolina Courage began play in the National Women's Soccer League in 2017 after the owner of North Carolina FC bought the NWSL franchise rights of the Western New York Flash and relocated the NWSL franchise to the Triangle. The team has achieved broad success in the league, winning 2 NWSL championships and 3 NWSL Shields in the first five years in the Triangle. With limited top-level professional sports option, minor league sports are quite popular in the region. The Durham Bulls in downtown Durham are the only AAA Minor League baseball affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays, after the Carolina Mudcats left for Wilson in 2026 to become the Wilson Warbirds. Elsewhere, in Cary, North Carolina FC plays in the second-tier USL Championship
TeamLeagueSportVenue
Carolina HurricanesNHLHockeyLenovo Center
Durham BullsIL BaseballDBAP
North Carolina CourageNWSL SoccerWakeMed Soccer Park
North Carolina FCUSLC SoccerWakeMed Soccer Park
Carolina FlyersAUDLUltimateWakeMed Soccer Park / Cardinal [Gibbons High School |Cardinal Gibbons High School]

The area also had a team in the fledgling World League of American Football – however, the Raleigh–Durham Skyhawks, coached by Roman Gabriel, did not exactly cover themselves in glory; they lost all 10 games of their inaugural season in 1991. The team folded after that, being replaced in the league by the Ohio Glory, which fared little better at 1–9, ultimately suffering the same fate – along with the other six teams based in North America – when the league took a two-year hiatus, returning as a six-team all-European league in 1995. The Orange County Speedway in Rougemont hosts stock car racing events including the Pro All Stars Series, the CARS Super Late Model Tour and the CARS Late Model Stock Tour.

Economy

The region's growing high-technology community includes such companies as IBM, Lenovo, SAS Institute, Cisco Systems, NetApp, Red Hat, EMC Corporation, and Credit Suisse First Boston. In addition to high-tech, the region is consistently ranked in the top three 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 Pfizer. 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.
The area fared relatively well during the late-2000s recession, ranked as the strongest region in North Carolina by the Brookings Institution and among the top 40 in the country. The change in unemployment during 2008 to 2009 was 4.6% and home prices was 2%. The Greensboro metropolitan area was listed among the second-weakest and the Charlotte area among the middle in the country.

Major employers

Major hospitals, medical centers and medical schools

The Research Triangle region is served by these hospitals and medical centers:

Freeways and primary designated routes

The Triangle proper is served by four major interstate highways: I-40, I-42, I-85, and I-87 along with their spurs: I-885, I-440, and I-540, and seven U.S. Routes: 1, 15, 64, 70 in North Carolina|70], 264, 401, and 501. US Highways 15 and 501 are multiplexed through much of the region as US 15-501. I-95 passes 30 miles east of Raleigh through Johnston County, with I-87 connecting I-95 at Rocky Mount, NC to Raleigh via the US 64–264 Bypass.
The two interstates diverge from one another in Orange County, with I-85 heading northeast through northern Durham County toward Virginia, while I-40 travels southeast through southern Durham, through the center of the region, and serves as the primary freeway through Raleigh. The related loop freeways I-440 and I-540 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 as a multiplex with US 1 northward around downtown with the formal designation as the Cliff Benson/Raleigh Beltline and ends at its junction with I-40 in southeast Raleigh. I-540, sometimes known as the Raleigh Outer Loop, extends from the US 64–264 Bypass to I-40 just inside Durham County, where it continues across the interstate as a state route, prior to it becoming a toll road from the NC 54 interchange to the current terminus at I-40 and I-42 near Garner. I-95 serves the extreme eastern edge of the region, crossing north–south through suburban Johnston County.
U.S. Routes 1, 15, and 64 primarily serve the region as limited-access freeways or multilane highways with access roads. US 1 enters the region from the southwest as the Claude E. Pope Memorial Highway and travels through suburban Apex where it merges with US 64 and continues northeast through Cary. The two highways are codesignated for about until US 1 joins I-440 and US 64 with I-40 along the Raleigh–Cary border. Capital Boulevard, which is designated US 1 for half of its route and US 401 the other is not a limited-access freeway, although it is a major thoroughfare through northeast Raleigh and into the northern downtown area.
North Carolina Highway 147 is a limited-access freeway that connects I-85 with Toll Route NC 540 in northwestern Wake County. The older, toll-free portion of the four-lane route—known as the Durham Freeway or the I.L. "Buck" Dean Expressway—traverses downtown Durham and extends through Research Triangle Park to I-40. The Durham Freeway is often used as a detour or alternate route for I-40 through southwestern Durham the Chapel Hill area in cases of traffic accident, congestion or road construction delays. The tolled portion of NC 147, called the Triangle Expressway—North Carolina's first modern toll road when it opened to traffic in late 2011—continues past I-40 to Toll NC 540. Both Toll NC 147 and Toll NC 540 are modern facilities which collect tolls using transponders and license plate photo-capture technology.

Public transit

A partnering system of multiple public transportation agencies currently serves the Triangle region under the joint GoTriangle branding. Raleigh is served by GoRaleigh municipal transit system, while Durham has GoDurham . Chapel Hill is served by Chapel Hill Transit, and Cary is served by GoCary public transit systems. However, GoTriangle, formerly called Triangle Transit, works in cooperation with all area transit systems by offering transfers between its own routes and those of the other systems. Triangle Transit also coordinates an extensive vanpool and rideshare program that serves the region's larger employers and commute destinations.

Air

Raleigh–Durham International Airport (RDU)

Raleigh–Durham International Airport has nonstop passenger service to 68 destinations with over 450 average daily departures, including nonstop international service to Canada, Europe, and Mexico. It is located near the geographic center of The Triangle, northeast of the town of Morrisville in Wake County. The airport covers 5,000 acres and has three runways.
In 1939 the General Assembly of North Carolina chartered the Raleigh–Durham Aeronautical Authority, which was 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 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, Cancún, Paris and London.
In 1996, American Airlines ceased its hub operations at RDU due to Pan Am and Eastern Airlines. 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 competing with US Airways' hub in Charlotte and Delta Air Lines' hub in Atlanta, Georgia for passengers traveling between smaller cities in the North and South. Midway Airlines entered the market, starting service in 1995 with the then somewhat novel concept of 50-seat Canadair Regional Jets providing service from its RDU hub primarily along the East Coast. Midway, originally incorporated in Chicago, had some success after moving its operations to the midpoint of the eastern United States at RDU and its headquarters to Morrisville, NC. The carrier ultimately could not overcome three weighty challenges: the arrival of Southwest Airlines, the refusal of American Airlines to renew the frequent flyer affiliation it had with Midway, and the significant blow of September 11, 2001. Midway Airlines filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy on August 13, 2001, and ceased operations entirely on October 30, 2003.
In February 2000, RDU was 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, ranking RDU second only to Washington Dulles International Airport. RDU opened Terminal A south concourse for use by Northwest and Continental Airlines in 2001. The addition added and five aircraft gates to the terminal. Terminal A became designated as Terminal 1 on October 26, 2008. In 2003, RDU also dedicated a new general aviation terminal. RDU continues to keep pace with its growth by redeveloping Terminal C into a new state-of-the-art terminal, now known as Terminal 2, which opened in October 2008.
As of June 2022, the airport will have international flights to Cancun, London, Montreal, Paris, Reykjavik and Toronto. Cancun and London service is provided by American, Frontier and JetBlue, while the Canada flights are provided by Air Canada, Paris by Delta, and Reykjavik by Icelandair. Icelandair is the first international carrier outside of Air Canada to service the airport. Delta Air Lines currently considers the airport to be a "focus city", or an airport that is not a hub, but is of importance to the carrier. The COVID-19 pandemic significantly shrunk the operation, but by September 2022, Delta will be serving 21 destinations on aircraft ranging from the CRJ700 to the 767.

Public general-aviation airports

In addition to RDU, several smaller publicly owned general-aviation airports also operate in the metropolitan region:
Several licensed private general-aviation and agricultural airfields are located in the region's suburban areas and nearby rural communities:
  • Bagwell Airport, Garner
  • Ball Airport, Louisburg
  • Barclaysville Field Airport, Angier
  • Brooks Field Airport, Siler City
  • CAG Farms Airport, Angier
  • Charles Field Airport, Dunn
  • Cox Airport, Apex
  • Crooked Creek Airport, Bunn
  • Dead Dog Airport, Pittsboro
  • Deck Airpark Airport, Apex
  • Dutchy Airport, Chapel Hill
  • Eagle's Landing Airport, Pittsboro
  • Field of Dreams Airport, Zebulon
  • Fuquay/Angier Field Airport, Fuquay-Varina
  • Hinton Field Airport, Princeton
  • Kenly Airport, Kenly
  • Lake Ridge Aero Park Airport, Durham
  • Miles Airport, Chapel Hill
  • North Raleigh Airport, Louisburg
  • Peacock Stolport Airport, Garner
  • Raleigh East Airport, Knightdale
  • Riley Field Airport, Bunn
  • Ron's Field Ultralight Airport, Pittsboro
  • Triple W Airport, Raleigh
  • Womble Field Airport, Chapel Hill

    Heliports

These licensed heliports serve the Research Triangle region:
  • Betsy Johnson Memorial Hospital Heliport, Dunn—publicly owned; medical service
  • Duke University North Heliport, Durham—privately owned; public medical service
  • Garner Road Heliport, Raleigh—publicly owned; state government service
  • Holly Green Heliport, Durham—private
  • Sky-5 Heliport, Raleigh—private, owned by Sky-5 Inc.
  • Sprint MidAtlantic Telecom Heliport, Youngsville—private; corporate service
  • Wake Medical Center Heliport, Raleigh—publicly owned; medical service
  • Western Wake Medical Center Heliport, Cary—publicly owned; medical service
A number of helipads also serve a variety of additional medical facilities, as well as private, corporate and governmental interests, throughout the region.

Rail

serves the region with the Silver Meteor, Silver Star, Palmetto, Carolinian, and Piedmont routes.
Station\RouteSilver MeteorSilver StarPalmettoCarolinianPiedmont
Selma XX
Fayetteville XX
Southern Pines X
Raleigh XXX
Cary XXX
Durham XX

Shopping

Super-regional enclosed malls

Film festivals and events:
Notable performing arts and music venues:
Theatre and dance events:
Music festivals:
Movie theatres:

Gardens and parks

The area is part of the Raleigh–Durham–Fayetteville television designated media area and is the 25th-largest in the country with 1,135,920 households included in that area and the second largest television market in North Carolina. It is part of the Raleigh–Durham Nielsen Audio radio market and is the 42nd-largest in the country with a population of 1,365,900.
The Raleigh–Durham–Fayetteville market is defined by Nielsen as including Chatham, Cumberland, Dunn, Durham, Granville, Halifax, Harnett, Hoke, Johnston, Lee, Moore, Northampton, Orange, Robeson, Vance, Wake, Warren, Wayne, and Wilson Counties, along with parts of Franklin County.

Print

Numerous newspapers and periodicals serve the Triangle market.

Paid and subscription

  • The News & Observer, the major daily Raleigh newspaper and the region's largest, with a significant regional and statewide readership
  • The Herald-Sun, the major daily Durham newspaper
  • Garner News, the weekly community newspaper for suburban Garner in southern Wake County
  • The Apex Herald, the weekly community newspaper for suburban Apex in western Wake County
  • Holly Springs Sun, the weekly community newspaper for suburban Holly Springs in southwestern Wake County
  • Butner-Creedmoor News The Weekly community newspaper for southern Granville County and surrounding areas
  • Cleveland Post, the weekly community newspaper for suburban Cleveland and nearby northwestern Johnston and southern Wake Counties
  • Fuquay-Varina Independent, the weekly community newspaper for suburban Fuquay-Varina in southwestern Wake County
  • The Wake Weekly, a weekly community newspaper serving suburban Wake Forest, northern Wake County and southern Franklin County
  • The Chatham Journal, the weekly community newspaper for suburban Pittsboro and surrounding Chatham County
  • Clayton News-Star">Clayton, North Carolina">Clayton News-Star, a weekly community newspaper for suburban Clayton and western Johnston County
  • The Daily Record, the daily community newspaper for suburban Dunn and surrounding Harnett County
  • The Courier-Times, the semiweekly community newspaper for suburban Roxboro and Person County
  • Triangle Business Journal, a weekly regional economic journal
  • Cary Magazine, a bi-monthly magazine for Cary and western Wake County
  • Chapel Hill Magazine, a bi-monthly magazine that serves 12,500 households and 1,600 businesses of Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Hillsborough and northern Chatham County
  • Triangle Free Press, a non-profit volunteer based print and digital newspaper that focuses on stories about the working class' struggle for a just society

    Free

  • The Independent Weekly, a free weekly regional independent journal published in Durham
  • The Carolina Journal, a monthly free regional newspaper published in Raleigh
  • The Raleigh Downtowner, a free monthly magazine for downtown Raleigh and environs
  • The Raleigh Hatchet, a free monthly magazine
  • The Daily Tar Heel, the free weekday student newspaper at UNC-Chapel Hill
  • Technician, the free weekday student newspaper at NC State University in Raleigh
  • The Chronicle, a free daily newspaper for Duke University and its surrounding community in Durham
  • The Blotter, a free monthly regional literary journal
  • Fifteen-501, a free magazine for the Durham–Chapel Hill area
  • Acento Latino, a free Spanish-language weekly regional newspaper published in Raleigh
  • Midtown Magazine, a free bi-monthly lifestyle magazine published in Raleigh

    Online only

  • The Cary Citizen, a free daily news source for the greater Cary and western Wake County area
  • The Raleigh Telegram, a free daily news source for the greater Raleigh area
  • The Wake Forest Gazette, a free weekly news site for items of local Wake Forest interest
  • The Johnston County Report, a free daily news source for Johnston County and the surrounding areas

    Television

Broadcast

The Triangle is part of the Raleigh–Durham–Fayetteville Designated Market Area for broadcast television. –16, the area was the 25th-largest in the country. This area includes these television stations:
Raleigh is home to the Research Triangle Region bureau of the regional cable TV news channel Spectrum News 1 North 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:
  • 88.1 FM WKNC College Radio from N.C. State University
  • 88.5 FM WRTP Christian
  • 88.7 FM WXDU College Radio from Duke University
  • 88.9 FM WRKV Contemporary Christian from Educational Media Foundation
  • 89.3 FM WXYC College Radio from UNC-Chapel Hill
  • 89.7 FM WCPE Classical & Opera Music
  • 90.5 FM WVRD Christian
  • 90.7 FM WNCU NPR/Jazz from N.C. Central University
  • 91.1 FM W216BN Christian
  • 91.5 FM WUNC NPR affiliate from UNC-Chapel Hill
  • 92.5 FM WYFL Christian Programs from Bible Broadcasting Network
  • 93.3 FM WERO CHR
  • 93.5 FM WRLY-LP Community Radio
  • 93.9 FM WNCB Country
  • 94.3 FM W232CH christian contemporary
  • 94.7 FM WQDR-FM Country 9
  • 95.3 FM W237BZ Classic Hip-Hop
  • 96.1 FM WBBB Adult hits
  • 96.5 FM W243DK Sports
  • 96.7 FM WKRX Country
  • 96.9 FM WPLW-FM CHR
  • 97.5 FM WQOK Hip Hop
  • 97.9 FM W250BP
  • 98.1 FM WQSM CHR
  • 98.9 FM W255AM Christian
  • 99.3 FM W257CS Sports
  • 99.9 FM WCMC Sports
  • 100.7 FM WRDU Classic Hits
  • 101.1 FM WYMY Spanish
  • 101.5 FM WRAL Adult Contemporary
  • 101.9 FM WKRP-LP Community Radio
  • 102.3 FM WKJO Classic Hits
  • 102.5 FM WKXU Classic Hits
  • 102.9 FM WKIX Classic Hits
  • 103.3 FM WAKG Country
  • 103.5 FM WCOM-LP Community Radio, Variety
  • 103.9 FM WNNL Urban Gospel
  • 104.3 FM WFXK Urban Adult Contemporary
  • 104.7 FM W284CP Top-40
  • 105.1 FM WDCG CHR
  • 106.1 FM WTKK Talk
  • 106.7 FM WKVK Contemporary Christian
  • 107.1 FM WFXC Urban Adult Contemporary
  • 107.7 FM W299AP Christian
  • 107.9 FM W300CE Christian
AM stations:
  • 540 AM WETC Catholic radio
  • 570 AM WQDR Classic rock
  • 620 AM WDNC Sports
  • 680 AM WPTF News, Talk & Sports
  • 750 AM WAUG Urban Programming from St. Augustine's College
  • 850 AM WKIX Oldies
  • 1000 AM WRTG Spanish
  • 1030 AM WDRU Christian
  • 1130 AM WPYB Country
  • 1240 AM WPJL Christian
  • 1310 AM WTIK Spanish
  • 1360 AM WCHL
  • 1410 AM WRJD Spanish Christian
  • 1430 AM WRXO Country
  • 1490 AM WDUR South Asian
  • 1530 AM WLLQ Spanish
  • 1550 AM WCLY Adult album alternative
  • 1590 AM WHPY Christian

    Map of the Triangle