Welcome to RALEIGH

Raleigh is the capital of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. It is the second most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's estimated population on July 1, 2008 was 392,552 (a 42% increase from the 2000 Census), making Raleigh the 8th fastest growing city in the United States.

Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill make up the three historically primary cities of the Research Triangle metropolitan region. The regional nickname of "The Triangle" originated after the 1959 creation of the Research Triangle Park, located between the cities of Raleigh, Chapel Hill and Durham. The Research Triangle region encompasses the U.S. Census Bureau's Combined Statistical Area (CSA) of Raleigh-Durham-Cary in the central Piedmont region of North Carolina. As of July 1, 2008 the estimated population of the Raleigh-Durham-Cary CSA was 1,690,557, while the Raleigh-Cary Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) was estimated at 1,088,765, making it the nation's fastest growing metropolitan area.

Most of Raleigh is located within Wake County, with a very small portion extending into Durham County[9]. The towns of Cary, Garner, Wake Forest, Apex, Holly Springs, Fuquay-Varina, Knightdale, Wendell, and Rolesville are some of Raleigh's primary nearby suburbs and satellite towns.

Attractions

Botanical garden

Botanical gardens grow a wide variety of plants primarily to categorize and document for scientific purposes. Botanists and horticulturalists tend the flora and maintain the garden's library and herbarium of dried and documented plant material. Botanical gardens may also serve to entertain and educate the public, upon whom many depend for funding. However, not all botanical gardens are open to the public: for example the Chelsea Physic Garden. According to the Botanic Gardens Conservation International, "Botanic gardens are institutions holding documented collections of living plants for the purposes of scientific research, conservation, display and education."

From the late 18th century onward, European botanical gardens sent plant-collecting expeditions to various parts of the world and published their findings. Voyages of exploration routinely included botanists for this purpose. Subsequent scientific work studied how these exotic plants might be adapted to grow in the garden's locale, how to classify them, and how to propagate rare or endangered species. The Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, near London, has continuously published journals and more recently catalogues and databases since this time.

Educational projects at botanical gardens range from introductions to plants that thrive in different environments to practical advice for the home gardener. Many have plant shops, selling flower, herb, and vegetable seedlings suitable for transplantation. Some gardens such as the UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research and the Chicago Botanic Garden have plant breeding programs and introduce new plants to the horticultural trade.

The Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek

The Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek is an outdoor amphitheatre in Raleigh, North Carolina that specializes in hosting large concerts. The amphitheatre is part of a 77-acre complex located on the west bank of Walnut Creek, southeast of Raleigh near the I-40/US 64/I-440 (Beltline) interchange. It was built by the City of Raleigh with private sector participation at a cost of $13.5 million and opened in 1991; the inaugural act was The Connells. Seating capacity is about 6,847, of which about half are under cover; the open lawn can accommodate another 13,653.

The venue was formerly known as Alltel Pavilion, Hardees Walnut Creek, and simply Walnut Creek Amphitheatre. The venue is operated by Live Nation, a concert company, under lease from the City of Raleigh.

North Carolina State Fair

The North Carolina State Fair is an annual fair and agricultural exposition held in Raleigh, North Carolina, and organized by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture.

The North Carolina State Fair was first held by the North Carolina Agricultural Society at a site east of Raleigh in 1853; it has been celebrated continuously since then, with the exceptions of 1861 to 1869 (during the Civil War and Reconstruction), 1926 to 1927 (when the Agricultural Society disbanded and the state Agriculture Department took over operations), and 1942 to 1945 (during World War II). In the 1870s and 1880s, the mills in Winston-Salem would close so that workers could attend the state fair in Raleigh.

The fair has been held at its present site on the western edge of Raleigh since 1928. The highlight of the 344 acre (1.4 km²) fairgrounds complex is Dorton Arena, a 7,500-seat arena constructed with a unique large suspended roof.

Held for 10 days in mid-October, the fair annually attracts over 800,000 North Carolinians. As of 2008, the fair has added an additional day and now lasts 11 days. This marks the first extension of the fair's length in 22 years.