With space to breathe and room to grow, this #1 Best Performing Large City is anchored by a strong economy and a business-friendly mindset.

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In the heart of the historic Research Triangle region of North Carolina, there is a concentration of highly educated people who enjoy the benefits of a low-stress, high-reward lifestyle, with opportunities available across all sectors and welcoming communities that make it easy to call home.

An increasing number of people and companies are recognizing the benefits of living in a region with ample space to grow and fewer stresses from dense cities with overburdened infrastructure. Greater Raleigh is not your traditional urban city. Grounded by three surrounding cities — Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill — this trio can give you a wonderful life and a prosperous career.


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Capital City
Access to federal, state and local lawmakers

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NC State University
Leading public research university with 37,500 + students

Group of four researchers in a laboratory, examining a sample under a microscope. One woman is looking through the microscope, while others observe and take notes. Laboratory equipment and supplies are visible on the workbenches.

RTP
7,000-acre research park
60,000+ employees

The word 'RALEIGH' in orange capital letters, with the letter 'A' stylized as a bottle with a label.
Aerial view of a cityscape with modern glass buildings, including a large digital billboard showing a hockey player and the text 'Stanley Cup Playoffs'.

Dynamic Economic Hub
#2 Best Business Climate, Business Facilities, 2024 

City skyline with skyscrapers and a modern building with a mural of trees on its facade, taken during daytime under a partly cloudy sky.

Business Powerhouse
#1 Place to Start a Business,
LendingTree, 2023

Nighttime city street with colorful mural on green brick wall reading 'all are welcome' and 'relax' inside a white circle, buildings, trees, and light trails from passing cars in the background.

A Home for All
#2 Best Performing City in the U.S., Milken Institute, 2024

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Photo Credit: Jillian Clark

People sitting at tables on an outdoor rooftop patio in an urban area during evening, with tall city buildings and string lights overhead.

Photo Credit: Brian Strickland/visitRaleigh.com

A woman studying at a library table, writing in a notebook with a yellow pen, surrounded by shelves of legal books.

Photo Credit: Ted Richardson/visitRaleigh.com