Raleigh NC Quick Facts
Quick facts about Raleigh, North Carolina. Courtesy of visitraleigh.com, you will find interesting and useful facts about Raleigh's mayor, climate, and distance to major cities. MAYOR: Charles Meeker
POPULATION: Raleigh: 350,000
SIZE: 110.5 square milesGEOGRAPHY: 434 feet above sea level, Raleigh lies in east-central North Carolina, where the hilly Piedmont region meets the flat coastal plain.
VISITORS: 11.5 million annually to Greater Raleigh
SALES TAX: 4.5 percent state tax; 2.5 percent county tax
- Raleigh was founded in 1792 as North Carolina's capital city. It was named for Sir Walter Raleigh, who attempted to establish the first English colony on the shores of the new world in the 1580s.
- The only state capital to have been planned and established by a state as the seat of state government.
- Largest city in a metropolitan area known as the Research Triangle.
- The city's founding fathers called Raleigh the "City of Oaks," and dedicated themselves to maintaining the area's wooded tracts and grassy parks.
- Home of the N.C. State Fair, North Carolina's largest event.CLIMATE: Summers range from the mid-60's to the mid-80's; fall averages in the 70's; Winters hit the high 20's to mid 50's. Mean annual rainfall (inches): 44.23.Annual Avg. Temp. (°F) --- 71 (h), 50 (l)
Annual Avg. Snowfall (inches) --- 4.5
Avg. Relative Humidity (%) --- 71.3
Avg. Annual Precipitation --- 44.19 in.DISTANCE TO MAJOR CITIES (IN MILES)Asheville --- 241
Atlanta --- 424
Charlotte --- 143
Chicago --- 784
Nashville --- 515
New York --- 489
Orlando --- 588
Washington, D.C. --- 251
Wilmington, N.C. --- 123
