The capital of North Carolina and the largest city of the Research Triangle, Raleigh is the primary political and economic driver of the metro area. Indeed, business and politics are the main draws to Raleigh, which lacks the more trendy feel or active arts scene of Durham or Chapel Hill to the west. However, a concerted effort to expand the residential base and move events downtown has led to significantly expanded retail and restaurant options in the downtown core.
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As of 2020, the city had a population of about 468,000, with a metro area population of about 1.4 million. Raleigh is one of the few U.S. state capitals that was specifically established and planned to serve as a capital. Its location was chosen partly for being near the center of the state and partly because it was close to Isaac Hunter's Tavern, where North Carolina legislators and other government officials liked to stay. The story goes that the commissioners couldn't decide on an exact plot of land until Isaac Hunter and his friend Joel Lane had the idea of throwing a big party with plenty of local jam and whiskey.
Within the I-440 Beltline are mostly fashionable older neighborhoods and the NC State University area. The North Raleigh neighborhoods are aligned along the "spokes of the wheel"—major thoroughfares emanating from the I-440 loop and passing through the northern edge of the much larger I-540 loop. Downtown Raleigh provides easy travel and access through its grid of one-way streets. If you're just passing through, the major thoroughfare is Capital Boulevard (US 401), which splits into Dawson Street heading south and McDowell Street heading north. From the west, it is Hillsborough Street, interrupted midway by the state Capitol building.
1 City of Raleigh Museum, 220 Fayetteville St. Tu-F 10AM-4PM, Sa 1-4PM. Local history museum, an excellent place to start your visit to the City of Oaks. Free. (updated Jan 2018) 2 North Carolina State Capitol, 1 E. Edenton St. M–Sa 9AM–5PM. Built between 1833 and 1840 and to house the governor's office and cabinet offices. It's now a working capitol and a museum of North Carolina history, especially the period between the building's construction and the Civil War. Several rooms are restored with furniture and items from the era so you can see how they might have looked, including original legislative rooms, a collection of geological specimens, and a library.
1 Adventure Landing. 2 Sky Zone Raleigh. 3 Carolina Hurricanes, 1400 Edwards Mill Rd, ☏ +1 919-861-2323, toll-free: +1 866-NHL-CANES (645-22637). Raleigh's NHL hockey team plays at Lenovo Center. A good atmosphere and family-friendly crowds make this an excellent place to spend an evening during fall and winter. The 'Canes won the 2006 Stanley Cup, and have become famous for their fun "Storm Surge" celebrations after home wins. The Hurricanes have also been one of the NHL's best teams since 2019, and as a result of this success, tickets have risen in price moderately with Lenovo Center filling up close to capacity for most games.
Due to the large influx of residents from around the USA and the world as well as the large student population, there is a fairly large variety of cuisine available at a wide range of prices. And, being a Southern city, there are still plenty of options for traditional Southern food and a few modern interpretations of those traditional foods. Of course, no visit to North Carolina would be complete without trying some NC-style barbecue pork.
Southwest Raleigh, particularly the area along Hillsborough Street, resembles a college town, so there are plenty of places to find a drink. What is more, the city has a number of microbreweries. For cheaper places, try near the campus of North Carolina State University on Hillsborough Street. (A scene in "Bull Durham" was filmed in Mitch's Tavern.) The downtown area known as Glenwood South has a few more upscale bars and is located between Glenwood Ave and Harrington Street and between Peace Street and Hillsborough Street just northwest of downtown. The City Market area around Moore Square and the area around Fayetteville Street also offer a good mix.
Raleigh's crime rate is below average for an American city of its size (and one of the lowest in the Southern USA), but one still must be cautious and intelligent. In particular, stick to the busy and well-lit parts of downtown after dark, and avoid the neighborhoods immediately south or east of downtown after dark. The NC State University campus and vicinity are safe and heavily trafficked during the day and evening, but use the university's public safety escort service in the early hours of the morning. Throughout Raleigh, you should think before using an automated teller machine (ATM) after dark, unless it's in a mall or other heavily travelled, well-lit area.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
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In Jul, Raleigh typically sees ~33°C daytime highs and 17 rainy days.
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