Research Triangle

All counties in the State of 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.[5] The northern Triangle counties of Person, Granville, Franklin, Vance and Warren are part of the Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments.

Location of the Raleigh–Durham–Cary CSA and its components:

  Durham–Chapel Hill Metropolitan Statistical Area

  Raleigh-Cary Metropolitan Statistical Area

  Henderson Micropolitan Statistical Area

As of September 14, 2018, the US Office of Management and Budget (OMB) delineated the Raleigh-Durham-Cary Combined Statistical Area as consisting of two metropolitan and one micropolitan statistical areas.[6] Those three statistical areas in turn are defined as consisting of a total of nine counties. The MSAs and their constituent counties are:

• Durham-Chapel Hill Metropolitan SA
  • Chatham County
  • Durham County
  • Granville County
  • Orange County
  • Person County
• Henderson Micropolitan SA
  • Vance County
• Raleigh-Cary Metropolitan SA
  • Franklin County
  • Johnston County
  • Wake County

Prior to September 2018, the OMB had used the name Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill Combined Statistical Area and it included several additional counties.[7] The Dunn Micropolitan Statistical Area (Harnett County) and Sanford Micropolitan Statistical Area (Lee County) were moved to the Fayetteville-Sanford-Lumberton Combined Statistical Area, while the Oxford Micropolitan Statistical Area (Granville County) 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.[8]

Duke Chapel at Duke University

Old Well at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Memorial Bell Tower at NC State

• Campbell University
• Central Carolina Community College
• Duke University
• Durham Technical Community College
• Louisburg College
• Meredith College
• North Carolina Central University
• North Carolina State University
• Piedmont Community College
• Shaw University
• Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and The College at Southeastern
• St. Augustine's College
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• Vance-Granville Community College
• Wake Technical Community College
• William Peace University

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 (representing Duke University in Durham), NC State Wolfpack (representing North Carolina State University in Raleigh), and North Carolina Tar Heels (representing the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) 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 (the last of which was originally located in the town of Wake Forest before moving to Winston-Salem in 1956), 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.

2006 Stanley Cup ceremony at the RBC Center (now PNC Arena)

The region has only one professional team of the four major sports, the Carolina Hurricanes of the NHL, based in Raleigh. Since moving to the Research Triangle region from Hartford, Connecticut, they have enjoyed great success, including winning a Stanley Cup. With only one top-level professional sports option, minor league sports are quite popular in the region. The Durham Bulls in downtown Durham are a AAA Minor League baseball affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays, and the Carolina Mudcats, based in Zebulon, 10 miles east of Raleigh, are the Advanced-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. In Cary, North Carolina FC plays in the second-level United Soccer League, and 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 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 (and only) 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.

North Carolina Memorial and Children's hospitals in Chapel Hill

Durham VA Medical Center in Durham

The Research Triangle region is served by these hospitals and medical centers:[12]

• Hospitals of the Duke University Health System
  • Duke Ambulatory Surgery Center (Durham)
  • Duke Children's Hospital and Health Center (Durham)
  • Duke Raleigh Hospital (formerly Raleigh Community Hospital)
  • Duke University Medical Center (Durham)
  • Duke Regional Hospital (formerly Durham Regional Hospital)
  • Person Memorial Hospital (Roxboro)
• Hospitals of the UNC Health Care system
  • Chatham Hospital (Siler City)
  • North Carolina Cancer Hospital (Chapel Hill)
  • North Carolina Children's Hospital (Chapel Hill)
  • North Carolina Memorial Hospital (Chapel Hill)
  • North Carolina Neurosciences Hospital (Chapel Hill)
  • North Carolina Women's Hospital (Chapel Hill)
  • Rex Hospital (Raleigh)
  • Johnston Medical Center (Smithfield)
• Hospitals of the WakeMed system
  • WakeMed Raleigh Campus (formerly Wake Memorial Hospital and Wake Medical Center)
  • WakeMed Cary Hospital (formerly Western Wake Medical Center)
• Other hospitals and medical centers
  • Central Regional Hospital,(Butner)
  • Durham VA Medical Center (Durham)
  • Franklin Regional Medical Center (Louisburg)
• Harnett Health System (Dunn)
  • Betsy Johnson Regional Hospital
  • Angier Medical Services
  • Good Hope Hospital
  • Betsy Johnson Cancer Research Clinic
  • Central Harnett Hospital
• Medical Schools
  • Duke University School of Medicine
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine
  • Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine

I-40

The Durham Freeway

The Triangle proper is served by three major interstate highways: I-40, I-85, and I-87 along with their spurs: I-440 and I-540, and seven U.S. Routes: 1, 15, 64, 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 (cosigned with US 1 on three-fourths of its northern route) 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 (NC 540), prior to its becoming a toll road from the NC 54 interchange to the current terminus at NC Highway 55 near Holly Springs. 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 2 miles (3.2 km) 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.

Triangle Transit bus

Chapel Hill Transit bus

A partnering system of multiple public transportation agencies currently serves the Triangle region under the joint GoTransit branding. Raleigh is served by GoRaleigh (formerly Capital Area Transit) municipal transit system, while Durham has GoDurham (formerly the Durham Area Transit Authority). Chapel Hill is served by Chapel Hill Transit, and Cary is served by GoCary (formerly C-Tran) 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.

Plans have been made to merge all of the area's municipal systems into Triangle Transit, and Triangle Transit also has proposed a regional rail system to connect downtown Durham, downtown Cary and downtown Raleigh with multiple suburban stops, as well as stops in the Research Triangle Park area. The agency's initial proposal was effectively cancelled in 2006, however, when the agency could not procure adequate federal funding. A committee of local business, transportation and government leaders currently are working with Triangle Transit to develop a new transit blueprint for the region, with various modes of rail transit, as well as bus rapid transit, open as options for consideration.[13]

(IATA: RDU, ICAO: KRDU, FAA LID: RDU)

RDU welcome sign

American Airlines Boeing 777 touches down at RDU

Southwest Airlines jet landing at RDU

Raleigh–Durham International Airport (RDU) has nonstop passenger service to 68 destinations with over 450 average daily departures, including nonstop international service to Canada, Europe, and Mexico.[14] It is located near the geographic center of The Triangle, 4+1⁄2 miles (7.2 km) northeast of the town of Morrisville in Wake County. The airport covers 5,000 acres (2,023 ha) and has three runways.[15]

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 (now Terminal 1) opened in 1981. American Airlines began service to RDU in 1985.

RDU opened the 10,000-foot (3,000 m) 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 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 (thus dispatching numerous higher fare-paying businesspeople to airlines with better reward destinations), 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 46,000 square feet (4,300 m²) 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.[16]

As of June 2022, the airport will have international flights to Cancun, London, Montreal, Paris, Reykjavik and Toronto. Cancun service is provided by American, Frontier and JetBlue, while the Canada flights are provided by Air Canada, Paris by Delta, Reykjavik by new to the market Icelandair, and London by American. 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.

In addition to RDU, several smaller publicly owned general-aviation airports also operate in the metropolitan region:

• Triangle North Executive Airport (IATA: LFN, ICAO: KLHZ, FAA LID: LHZ), Louisburg
• Raleigh Exec (ICAO: KTTA, FAA LID: TTA), Sanford
• Johnston County Airport (IATA: JNX, ICAO: KJNX, FAA LID: JNX), Smithfield
• Horace Williams Airport (IATA: IGX, ICAO: KIGX, FAA LID: IGX), Chapel Hill (Closed)
• Harnett Regional Jetport (IATA: HRJ, ICAO: KHRJ, FAA LID: HRJ), Erwin
• Person County Airport (ICAO: KTDF, FAA LID: TDF), Roxboro
• Siler City Municipal Airport (ICAO: K5W8, FAA LID: 5W8), Siler City

Several licensed private general-aviation and agricultural airfields are located in the region's suburban areas and nearby rural communities:

Lake Ridge Airport (8NC8) in Durham

• Bagwell Airport (FAA LID: NC99), Garner
• Ball Airport (FAA LID: 79NC), Louisburg
• Barclaysville Field Airport (FAA LID: NC44), Angier
• Brooks Field Airport (FAA LID: 8NC6), Siler City
• CAG Farms Airport (FAA LID: 87NC), Angier
• Charles Field Airport (FAA LID: NC22), Dunn
• Cox Airport (FAA LID: NC81), Apex
• Crooked Creek Airport (FAA LID: 7NC5), Bunn
• Dead Dog Airport (FAA LID: 8NC4), Pittsboro
• Deck Airpark Airport (FAA LID: NC11), Apex
• Dutchy Airport (FAA LID: 5NC5), Chapel Hill
• Eagle's Landing Airport (FAA LID: 9NC8), Pittsboro
• Field of Dreams Airport (FAA LID: 51NC), Zebulon
• Fuquay/Angier Field Airport (FAA LID: 78NC), Fuquay-Varina
• Hinton Field Airport (FAA LID: NC72), Princeton
• Kenly Airport (FAA LID: 7NC3), Kenly
• Lake Ridge Aero Park Airport (FAA LID: 8NC8), Durham
• Miles Airport (FAA LID: NC34), Chapel Hill
• North Raleigh Airport (FAA LID: 00NC), Louisburg
• Peacock Stolport Airport (FAA LID: 4NC7), Garner
• Raleigh East Airport (FAA LID: 9NC0), Knightdale
• Riley Field Airport (FAA LID: 1NC5), Bunn
• Ron's Field Ultralight Airport (FAA LID: 1NC1), Pittsboro
• Triple W Airport (ICAO: K5W5, FAA LID: 5W5), Raleigh
• Womble Field Airport (FAA LID: 3NC9), Chapel Hill

These licensed heliports serve the Research Triangle region:

NC92 helipad at Duke University Medical Center

• Betsy Johnson Memorial Hospital Heliport (FAA LID: NC96), Dunn—publicly owned; medical service
• Duke University North Heliport (ICAO: NC92, FAA LID: NC92), Durham—privately owned; public medical service
• Garner Road Heliport (FAA LID: 3NC2), Raleigh—publicly owned; state government service
• Holly Green Heliport (FAA LID: 83NC), Durham—private
• Sky-5 Heliport (FAA LID: 2NC3), Raleigh—private, owned by Sky-5 Inc. (WRAL-TV)
• Sprint MidAtlantic Telecom Heliport (FAA LID: 11NC), Youngsville—private; corporate service
• Wake Medical Center Heliport (FAA LID: 0NC4), Raleigh—publicly owned; medical service
• Western Wake Medical Center Heliport (FAA LID: 04NC), Cary—publicly owned; medical service

A number of helipads (i.e. marked landing sites not classified under the FAA LID system) also serve a variety of additional medical facilities (such as UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill), as well as private, corporate and governmental interests, throughout the region.

Amtrak serves the region with the Silver Meteor, Silver Star, Palmetto, Carolinian, and Piedmont routes.

• Triangle Town Center and Commons (Raleigh; 1,431,091 ft²) (opened 2002)
• The Streets at Southpoint (Durham; 1,336,000 ft²) (opened 2002)
• Crabtree Valley Mall (Raleigh; 1,326,000 ft²) (opened 1972)
• Cary Towne Center (Cary; 914,252 ft²) (opened 1979, closed 2021)
• Northgate Mall (Durham; 857,099 ft²) (opened 1960, enclosed 1972, closed 2020)

• Crossroads Plaza (Cary; 1,300,000 ft²)
• Village District (Raleigh; 656,000 ft²)
• Carolina Premium Outlets (Smithfield; 440,000 ft²)
• University Place (Chapel Hill; 366,000 ft²)
• Carr Mill Mall (Carrboro; 86,000 ft²)

• Tanger Outlet Center (Mebane; 317,000 ft²)
• North Hills Mall & Plaza (Raleigh)

Numerous newspapers and periodicals serve the Triangle market.

• The News & Observer, the major daily Raleigh newspaper and the region's largest, with a significant regional and statewide readership (especially to the east of the Triangle)
• 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
• The 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
• The 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

• 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 (during the regular academic year) student newspaper at UNC-Chapel Hill
• Technician, the free weekday (during the regular academic year) student newspaper at NC State University in Raleigh
• The Chronicle, a free daily newspaper for (but independent of) 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 (named for nearby U.S. Route 15-501)
• Acento Latino, a free Spanish-language weekly regional newspaper published in Raleigh

• 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 Triangle is part of the Raleigh–Durham–Fayetteville Designated Market Area for broadcast television. As of 2015–16, the area was the 25th-largest in the country. This area includes these television stations:

• WUNC-TV (4, Chapel Hill), PBS member station and flagship station of the PBS North Carolina television network, owned by the University of North Carolina system
• WRAL-TV (5, Raleigh), NBC affiliate owned by Capitol Broadcasting Company
• WTVD (11, Durham), ABC O&O owned by ABC Owned Television Stations
• WNCN (17, Goldsboro), CBS affiliate owned by Nexstar Media Group
• WLFL (22, Raleigh), CW affiliate owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group
• WTNC-LD (26, Durham), UniMás O&O owned by TelevisaUnivision
• WRDC (28, Durham), MyNetworkTV affiliate owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group
• WRAY-TV (30, Wilson), TCT O&O owned by Tri-State Christian Television
• WUVC-DT (40, Fayetteville), Univision O&O owned by TelevisaUnivision
• WRPX-TV (47, Rocky Mount) and WFPX-TV (62, Fayetteville), both Ion Television O&Os owned by Scripps Networks
• WRAZ-TV (50, Raleigh), Fox affiliate owned by Capitol Broadcasting Company

Raleigh is home to the Research Triangle Region bureau of the regional cable TV news channel Spectrum News 1 North Carolina.

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: