919 Area Code 🌍☎️

Raleigh is the capital and second-most populous city in North Carolina with a population of 467,665 as of the 2020 census, covering 148.54 square miles and earning the nickname "City of Oaks" for its tree-lined streets. Named after Sir Walter Raleigh, sponsor of the lost Roanoke Colony, the city was chosen as the state capital in 1788 for its central location and incorporated in 1792 as one of the few planned U.S. cities built specifically to serve as a capital, with its original grid layout centered on Union Square. As the largest city in the Research Triangle - which includes Durham and Chapel Hill and has a combined population of over 2.37 million - Raleigh is home to North Carolina State University and benefits from the technology and science jobs created by the establishment of Research Triangle Park in 1959. The Raleigh-Cary metropolitan area has an estimated population of 1.51 million, making it the tenth-most populous city in the Southeast and 39th in the nation. Spared from significant Civil War battles, the city struggled economically during Reconstruction but revitalized through the development of the Research Triangle Park and its anchor institutions. Durham, North Carolina is the county seat of Durham County and the 4th-most populous city in North Carolina with 283,506 residents at the 2020 census, located in the Piedmont region along the Eno River as part of the larger Research Triangle area with over 2.37 million people. Founded in 1849 when a railway depot was established on land donated by Bartlett S. Durham, the city rapidly expanded after the Civil War due to the tobacco industry and became the founding place of the American Tobacco Company before incorporating in 1869. Durham has undergone significant revitalization to become a major educational and research center, anchored by Duke University and North Carolina Central University, which together form a vertex of Research Triangle Park, an 11-square-mile research facility south of the city. The city is home to notable landmarks including Duke Chapel, the Nasher Museum of Art, the Museum of Life and Science, and Bennett Place, the site of Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston's 1865 surrender to Union General William T. Sherman. Duke University and its health system are Durham's largest employers, making the city a national leader in healthcare and research industries served by the Raleigh-Durham International Airport. Chapel Hill is a town in Orange and Durham counties, North Carolina, with a population of 61,960 as of the 2020 census, ranking as the state's 17th-most populous municipality and anchoring the Research Triangle region alongside Raleigh and Durham with a combined 2023 population of 2.37 million. Founded in 1793 and chartered in 1851, the town developed around the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill after Christopher Barbee donated 221 acres to the institution in 1792, and its main street, Franklin Street, was named in honor of Benjamin Franklin. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and UNC Health Care constitute major economic drivers and cultural influences in the town, which covers 21.3 square miles and features multiple buildings and districts on the National Register of Historic Places. Chapel Hill's history reflects broader American struggles, including slavery practices documented by historian Kemp Plummer Battle, Civil War occupation by the 9th Michigan Cavalry in April 1865, and a 1937 race riot stemming from racial tensions and economic hardship. The town is visually distinguished by numerous murals created by local artists throughout its neighborhoods.