Raleigh

Raleigh, North Carolina, named for Sir Walter Raleigh, is located in North Carolina’s famed Piedmont area. Three hours from the white sand beaches of the Atlantic, and three hours from the Great Smoky Mountains - if Raleigh’s schedule ever had a lull, more people would take advantage of that fact.

Contests and events in downtown Raleigh vie for attention with the BTI Center for the Performing Arts, which includes Fletcher Opera Theater, designed for opera, dance, and theatrical productions (featuring Carolina Ballet, the National Opera Company and the A. J. Fletcher Opera Institute); Kennedy Theater (featuring Burning Coal Theatre); The Lichtin Plaza (a 2 acre venue for festivals, concerts, and social functions); and the Meymandi Concert Hall featuring the North Carolina Symphony.

Sports fans revel in easy access to NCSU Wolfpack, Atheletics, Carolina Hurricanes, Carolina Courage, and the RBC Center; and for outdoor enthusiasts, there are Raleigh Parks & Recreation, Lake Wheeler, Lake Johnson, and Pullen Park. The Capital Area Greenway, by the Neuse River, offers public recreation trails providing walking, jogging, hiking, fishing, picnicking, and outdoor activities.

For history and science buffs, there are the NC Museum of Natural Sciences, NC Museum of History, and the Raleigh City Museum, the State Capitol (a National Historic Landmark), the North Carolina Executive Mansion, the North Carolina Solar Center, Historic Oak View County Park, or the Ray Price Legends of Harley Drag Racing Museum.

Raleigh is justly proud of its ‘trendy restaurants on treelined streets’, but the heart of Raleigh is the Research Triangle Park, the largest research park in the world. Being named #2 in “Best Place for Business and Careers”- Forbes, May 2006, and # 3 in “America’s Best Jobs in the Hottest Markets” - Money.com, 2007, doesn’t hurt Raleigh’s feelings one bit!!