The capital ofNorth Carolina and the largest city of theResearch 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 ofDurham orChapel 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. Also, visitors will find many of the state's cultural institutions here, namely a major performing arts center downtown and three state museums, and a college town atmosphere in the neighborhood around the campus of North Carolina State University, the state's largest university.
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. The next morning, the hungover commissioners voted 5–1 for a plot owned by Joel Lane himself.
The new city was established as the state capital in 1792 and was named for Sir Walter Raleigh.
The Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau operates the35.77398-78.639761Raleigh Visitor Information Center. The Visitor Information Center (VIC) is at 500 Fayetteville Street between the Raleigh Marriott City Center and The Raleigh Convention Center.☏+1 919-834-5900 or☏+1-800-849-8499. The VIC is open Monday through Saturday, 9AM to 5PM and offers brochures, event calendars, coupons, maps, and other visitor information. Stop by and pick up a brochure or visit the website to view a visitor guide online or order one to be mailed before your trip.
Raleigh has a four-season humid subtropical climate as with much of the US Southeast. Summers are hot and humid with on average 48 days over90 °F (32 °C). Heat indices average around94 °F (34 °C) during the day and72 °F (22 °C) at night in the summer months given the humidity, but it's not unheard of for heat indices to climb upwards to106 °F (41 °C) and not go below77 °F (25 °C) on some particularly hot and humid days.
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(updated May 2023)Amtrak provides train services to Raleigh; thePiedmont runs three times per day fromCharlotte, a trip of just over three hours. There are also two daily long-distance routes: theCarolinian andSilver Star lines, both of which head north throughRichmond,Washington, D.C. andPhiladelphia toNew York City. Southbound, the Carolinian follows the Piedmont south to Charlotte and the Silver Star heads south throughColumbia andSavannah toFlorida. The new35.7773-78.64752Raleigh Union Station, at 510 W Martin St, has completely replaced the old station.
(updated May 2023)
Within theI-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. To the east, it continues as New Bern Avenue (US 64).
The I-440 Beltline was once denoted with "Inner" and "Outer" labels, but they have been phased out in favor of "East" and "West." I-440 West used to be the Outer Beltline, and I-440 East used to be the Inner Beltline. I-440's concurrency with I-40 through the souther portion of Raleigh has also been removed; therefore, the Beltline no longer loops back on itself.
Raleigh is known for particularly aggressive parking enforcement and towing, so be sure to follow all parking signs and rules. Most parking meters have been converted to electronic pay stations that accept coins and MasterCard/Visa. Most metered areas are only enforced on Monday-Friday from 8AM-5PM. Some parking garages are free on evenings and weekends as well, but "special event" rates are common during major downtown events regardless of the time or day.
For information on routes, schedules and fares, checkGoTriangle.org, for a helpful trip planner.
Regional Passes are available by GoTriangle and can be purchased at the Regional Transit Center (901 Slater Road, Durham), and one-day passes can be purchased on buses. (Tell the driver you want to purchase a day pass before inserting money into the farebox.) Regional Passes will work on GoTriangle, GoRaleigh, GoDurham, and GoCary buses.
GoRaleigh offers a lower cost alternative to the Regional Day Pass what will work only on GoRaleigh buses called the GoRaleigh Day Pass. GoRaleigh Day Pass can be purchases directly from the bus driver or at the GoRaleigh Station in Downtown Raleigh.
There are 36 licensed taxi operators in Raleigh of varying quality. Spanish speakers will appreciate Amigo taxi☏+1 919-862-6162.
(updated Jan 2018)(updated Jan 2018) (updated Sep 2025) (updated Feb 2018) (updated Feb 2018)(updated Feb 2018)
(updated Oct 2023) (updated Jun 2021)(updated Mar 2020) (updated Sep 2025) (updated Apr 2023) (updated Sep 2021)(updated Aug 2020)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. There are actually two major styles in the state: Lexington-style (named afterLexington, NC) which uses only the pork shoulder and is served with a tomato and vinegar sauce and Eastern-style which uses the "whole hog" and is served with a vinegar-based sauce. Both styles are available around Raleigh and some restaurants include both types of sauce on the table.
| This page uses the following price ranges for a typical mealfor one, including soft drink: | |
| Budget | <$10 |
| Mid-range | $10–30 |
| Splurge | $30+ |
(updated Mar 2024)
(updated Jan 2019) (updated Aug 2020)Thanks to relaxed regulations first in Durham and later in Raleigh, the Triangle area has a lively food truck scene with a wide variety of cuisines available in street food form from burgers and pizza to Chinese dumplings and Belgian waffles, and of course, barbecue. Many have since expanded to brick and mortar locations as well and a few popular restaurants have launched their own trucks. At lunchtime, trucks can usually be found near office parks with few restaurants nearby or on college campuses (there is almost always at least one truck serving weekday lunch on NC State's Centennial Campus). In the evening they often serve dinner at local breweries (seeDrink below). Downtown Raleigh hosts occasional food truck "rodeos" featuring over 50 trucks from as far asCharlotte. Seetheir website[dead link] for upcoming dates and links to truck websites. A partial list of trucks that occasionally serve Raleigh is given below.
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. Those not from the American South should be sure to order "sweet tea". Sweet tea, along with Sundrop and Cheerwine, has long been considered a native beverage, and is served in most restaurants. The sweetness will vary in accordance with the locale, but is nevertheless much sweeter than any tea served elsewhere in the nation.
(updated Aug 2020)
There are many hotels in the Raleigh area:
(updated Mar 2020) (updated May 2017) (updated Feb 2025)(updated Feb 2025)(updated Feb 2025)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.
Raleigh has only a few consulates. If the country you're looking for isn't listed here, tryCharlotte,Atlanta, orWashington, D.C.
Germany (Honorary),4350 Lassiter at North Hills Avenue, Suite 300,☏+1 919-743-7351,raleigh@hk-diplo.de.Cannot process visa or passport applications. For those, try the honorary consulate inCharlotte or the consulate inAtlanta. 
Guatemala,6050 Six Forks Rd,☏+1 984 200-1601,consraleigh@minex.gob.gt. 
Mexico,336 E Six Forks Rd,☏+1 919-754-0046,fax:+1 919-752-1726. 
Netherlands (Honorary),☏+1 919-645-1100,fax:+1 919-645-1101,nlconsul@trico-properties.com. 
Sweden,940 NW Cary Parkway, Suite 102A,Cary,☏+1 919-219-7434,raleigh@consulateofsweden.org.Thursdays by appointment.Serves North and South Carolina. | Routes through Raleigh |
| Greensboro←Cary← | W  E | →END |
| Washington, D.C.←Rocky Mount← | N  S | →Cary→Savannah |
| Durham←Cary← | W  E | →Benson→Wilmington |
| Richmond←Henderson← | N  S | →Cary→Columbia |
| Lexington←Cary← | W  E | →Rocky Mount→Nags Head |
| Greensboro←Durham← | W  E | →Selma→Morehead City |
| END← | W  E | →Zebulon→Greenville |
| Thiscity travel guide toRaleighis ausable article. It has information on how to get there and on restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but pleasefeel free to improve itby editing the page. |
