A popular nickname for Raleigh is City of Oaks. Monikers for North Carolina are the Old North State and Tar Heel State, the latter referring to the state’s history of producing such materials as turpentine, tar and pitch from pine trees.
Research website numbeo ranks Raleigh in the top 2% compared to the 250 cities evaluated on its overall quality of life index at June 2020. Raleigh scored well on index factors such as purchasing power (strongest 3%), pollution (cleanest 8%), property price to income ratio (lowest 9%), health care (best 19%), safety (safest 32%) and traffic commute time (fastest 40%). On the negative side, Raleigh rates relatively poorly for cost of living (most expensive 32%),
The outdoor park for the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh is one of America’s biggest such parks. Raleigh’s North Carolina Museum of Art offers extensive collections of American, European and ancient art showcasing masterpieces from famous artists such as Monet and Rodin.
Raleigh is vulnerable to hurricanes like Hurricane Florence in 2018 and also tornadoes, with severe damage resulting mostly from falling trees.
Guinness World Records points to The Raleigh Beer Garden in Raleigh, North Carolina as having the most beer brands (203) available on tap. That world record was officially verified on November 21, 2015.
Raleigh serves as headquarters for four large corporations recognized as belonging to the Forbes Global 2000 world’s biggest companies: utility holding company Progress Energy; construction resources supplier Martin Marietta Materials; regional bank holding firm First Citizens BancShares; and open source software provider Red Hat.
From an international trade perspective, North Carolina exported US$34.357 billion worth of goods around the globe in 2019. Its most valuable exports include civilian aircraft including parts (6.8% of North Carolina’s global total), immunological products (4.8%), drugs and medicines (3.3%), airplane or helicopter parts (2.3%), blood fractions including antisera (also 2.3%), chemical woodpulp, soda or sulphate (2.2%), weaponry including bombs, mines and missiles (1.9%), internal combustion piston engines (1.8%), supported catalysts with precious metal components (1.4%), and gears excluding toothed wheels (1.2%) according to United States Census Bureau data.
The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for Raleigh was 7.8% at July 2020, up from 3.4% one year earlier.
Capital Facts for Raleigh, United States: Quick Reference
Geography
Capital landmarks: Carter Finley Stadium, Joel Lane Museum House, Mordecai Historic Park, Museum of Natural Sciences, PNC Arena, Reynolds Coliseum and the Videri Chocolate Factory
Famous People
Below, you will find 10 of the most famous people born in Raleigh, United States.
- John Wall, professional NBA basketball all-star (born Sep. 6, 1990)
- Clay Aitken, pop singer (born Nov. 30, 1978)
- Josh Hamilton, professional MLB baseball all-star (born May 21, 1981)
- Anne Henning, Olympic speed-skating gold medalist (born Sep. 6, 1955)
- Louis Bacon, hedge fund founder & billionaire entrepreneur (born Jul. 25, 1956)
- Chris Archer, professional MLB baseball pitcher (born Sep. 26, 1988)
- Webb Simpson, 2012 U.S. Open-winning golfer (born Aug. 6, 1985)
- PJ Tucker, professional NBA basketball player (born May 5, 1985)
- Tim Sweeney, Epic Games video game developer (born Dec. 1970)
- Emily Wolfe, rock singer (born May 11, 1990)
Note: Data for our Famous People tab was sourced from Google searches of published Wikipedia articles specific to each person’s name.
Population
Demonym for a Raleigh resident: Raleighite
Population: 481,958 (Raleigh) at September 25, 2020
Density: 3,289 people per square mile (1,270 per square kilometer)
Population: 10,611,900 (North Carolina) at September 25, 2020
Density: 218 people per square mile (84 per square kilometer)
Financial
GDP: US$83.666 billion in 2018 (Raleigh)
GDP per person: $69,145
Note: The above GDP metrics are on a current basis and are in U.S. dollars.
Official currency used in Raleigh: U.S. dollars
Research
Research Sources:
Brookings Institution, Global Metro Monitor Report (includes GDP data).
Dilemma X, U.S. Census Bureau metropolitan population estimates July 1, 2016.
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Total Gross Domestic Product for Topeka, KS (MSA).
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Unemployment Rate in Raleigh, NC (MSA).
Forbes Global 2000, The World’s Biggest Public Companies.
Guinness World Records, Most different beer brands on tap.
Nations Online, Capital Cities of the USA.
Numbeo, Quality of Life Index by City.
Official Government Website, City of Raleigh official website.
United States Census Bureau, Foreign Trade: State by 6-Digit HS Code and Top Countries.
United States Census Bureau, State Population Totals Tables: 2010-2016.
United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics: Seasonally Adjusted Metropolitan Area Estimates.
U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Gross Domestic Product by Metropolitan Area, 2015 (Tables Only).
Wikimedia Commons, Raleigh city flag.
Wikipedia, North Carolina.
Wikipedia, Raleigh, North Carolina.
World Population Review, Raleigh, North Carolina Population.
Raleighites celebrate Independence Day as a national holiday each July 4.
Raleigh’s land area occupies 146.54 square miles (379.55 square kilometers). The state capital’s population was 481,958 Raleighites at September 25, 2020.
At the state level, North Carolina has a land area measuring 48,711 square miles (126,161 square kilometers) home to a population of 10.6 million people.
Raleigh’s population density is more concentrated averaging 3,289 residents per square mile (1,270 per square kilometer).
Zooming out to North Carolina’s state boundaries, population density dilutes to an average 218 inhabitants per square mile (84 per square kilometer).
