Raleigh is the capital of the State of North Carolina and the county seat of Wake County, USA. 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). The estimated population on January 1, 2008 was 374,320. Since 2006, Raleigh's population has surpassed that of Minneapolis,Tampa, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and St. Louis, and it is the 15th 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 name "The Triangle" originated after the 1959 creation of the Research Triangle Park, located between the cities of Raleigh 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. The estimated population of the Raleigh-Durham-Cary CSA was 1,635,974 as of July 1, 2007, with the Raleigh-Cary Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) portion estimated at 994,551 residents.

Most of Raleigh is located within Wake County, with a very small portion extending into Durham County. The towns of Cary, Garner, Wake Forest, Apex, Holly Springs, Clayton, and Knightdale are some of Raleigh's primary nearby suburbs.