Where Is Raleigh, NC? + How To Get There & Its History

Although Raleigh is the capital of North Carolina, not many people outside of the state really know where it is! If you’ve ever been asking yourself, where is Raleigh, North Carolina and how do I get there? Then you’re not alone.

Raleigh is a centrally located city in the state of North Carolina, 3 hours drive to the NC mountains in the West and 3 hours from the ocean to the East, 1.5 hour’s drive from the border with Virginia to the north, and 2 hours drive from the border with South Carolina to the, well, south.

We traveled a lot before moving to Raleigh in 2004, but had never heard of the city of Raleigh until we saw one of the finalists of American Idol, Clay Aiken, appear on the show who happened to grow up in Raleigh.

On the show they flashed to a scene of his homecoming at the then called RBC Center, now the PNC Arena (home of the Carolina Hurricanes), and that was the first time Raleigh became known to us. 

Fast forward 12-months from that time and Caroline was hired by a teaching program to teach at an elementary school in Raleigh, and in 2004 we found ourselves living in Raleigh – it’s amazing how life works some time!

Where is Raleigh located?

Raleigh is located in North Carolina, a state on the East Coast of the USA. It’s nestled roughly about halfway between New York City and Florida, in the northeast central region of North Carolina.

It is the second largest city in North Carolina after Charlotte, and is the largest city in the area known as Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill (the Research Triangle Region).

It sits where the Piedmont and Atlantic Coastal Plain regions meet, and is part of the Wake County.

For directions from your starting point, click on the map.

What County is Raleigh NC in?

Raleigh is the seat of Wake County. All up there are 12 municipalities within Wake County:

• Apex
• Cary
• Fuquay-Varina
• Garner
• Holly Springs
• Knightdale
• Morrisville
• Raleigh
• Rolesville
• Wake Forest
• Wendell
• Zebulon

One of the many things we love about living in Raleigh is its central location on the East Coast within a day’s drive of New York City and Florida (directly below Virginia and above South Carolina).

We love that Interstate 40 (I-40) runs past the outskirts of downtown providing an easy 2-hour drive to the coastal city of Wilmington on the east, and a 4-hour drive to the Blue Ridge Mountains and Asheville in the west.

If you’re considering relocating to Raleigh, here are essential things to know before moving to Wake County.

Getting to Raleigh

So how do I get to Raleigh, North Carolina? Getting here is easy. You can arrive by plane, train or automobile.

By Plane

Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) serves the Triangle region which consists of Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill. Located just off of I-40 it is approximately 20-minutes from Downtown Raleigh and roughly halfway between Raleigh and Durham.

There has been an increase in the amount of direct flights to and from Raleigh and the destinations it serves. RDU is an international airport, and flies direct to London, Paris and Cancun, as well as domestically to most major cities.

It consists of two main terminals (1 and 2) and currently operates more than 350+ daily flights with 50+ non-stop destinations, and 16 different airline carriers.

Getting to Raleigh by plane is easy, and we love our mid-size airport compared to the chaos of major cities. 

Typically, checking-in and getting through security is relatively smooth and easy, and RDU consistently ranks among one of the most efficient airports in the US.

Some of the domestic non-stop destinations to and from Raleigh include:

• Chicago
• Boston
• New York City
• Washington D.C.
• Dallas
• Houston
• Charlotte
• Cincinnati
• Orlando
• Minneapolis
• Salt Lake City
• San Francisco
• Los Angeles

Internationally we can fly non-stop to Europe, which is exciting for us as Australians living here as typically from Australia, Europe is a LONG-haul.

Fly non-stop to:

• London (American Airlines)
• Paris (Delta)
• Cancun
• Toronto
• Montreal

The 17 airlines currently operating out of RDU include the major and budget airlines:

• American Airlines
• Alaska
• Avelo
• Aero Mexico
• Air Canada
• Air France
• Breeze
• Bahamas Air
• Delta
• Frontier
• Icelandair
• Jet Blue
• Lufthansa
• Southwest
• Sun Country Airlines
• Spirit
• United Airlines

RDU Ground Transportation

There’s several options for getting from RDU into Raleigh including hotel shuttles, taxis, Uber, Lift, and of course rental cars.

The major rental car companies offer courtesy shuttles to their offices which are located on airport property.

The GoTriangle Route 100 bus provides public bus service from RDU to its Regional Transit Center then to GoRaleigh Station downtown.

Parking at RDU

There are four options for parking at Raleigh-Durham Airport. 

1. Economy: (lots 3 & 4) $3/hour or $12/day with free shuttle to terminals
2. Express: $4.25/hour or $17/day. Shuttle service at vehicle
3. Central: $5.25/hr or $21/day. Short walk to terminals
4. Premier: $8/hr or $32/day. Steps from terminals

Read our complete guide to RDU International Airport

By Car

Getting to Raleigh by car is not a hassle either.

As mentioned above, Interstate 40 (I-40) that runs from Wilmington on the East Coast all the way west to California runs past downtown Raleigh and connects with greater Raleigh’s beltline (I-440). 

Another major interstate, I-95 that runs north to south from New York to Florida. From this interstate, downtown Raleigh can be reached within 30-minutes. 

There’s also I-85 that runs north-east into Virgina, and south-west to Charlotte that passes through North Raleigh. From the I-85, downtown can be reached within 30-minutes. 

Approximate drive times (non-stop) to Raleigh from other major cities:

• Charlotte, NC:     2.5 hrs
• Atlanta, GA:        6 hrs
• Nashville, TN:     8.5 hrs
• Washington D.C: 5 hrs
• New York City:     8 hrs
• Savannah, GA:   5 hrs
• Orlando, FL:        9 hrs
• Cincinnati, OH:    9 hrs

By Train

Raleigh Union Station (RUS) in the city’s downtown Warehouse District opened in 2018 and serves as the new Amtrak passenger station that has the capacity to served more than 231,000+ travelers in the year 2023.

It was built not just to accommodate current demand, but in the future will serve passenger rail, commuter rail, buses, taxis, bicycles and other forms of transportation.

• The Carolinian service from New York City to Charlotte that stops in Raleigh and Cary, once per day northbound and southbound. 
• The Piedmont service operates between Raleigh and Charlotte 3 times per day in both directions.
• Amtrak’s Silver Star service runs between NYC and Miami and stops in Raleigh and Cary.

By Bus

Getting to Raleigh by bus is possible via the Greyhound bus service. 

The Greyhound bus station in Raleigh is located on 2210 Capital Blvd, Raleigh, NC 27604, right in the heart of Raleigh downtown near the Capitol Building.

The only other bus option would be to get to Durham and change onto the Megabus to take you to Raleigh (about a 45 minute journey).

The address for the Megabus is: 515 West Pettigrew Street, Durham, NC.

Brief History of Raleigh

Founded in 1792, Raleigh is the the Capital of North Carolina and was officially named after the English explorer Sir Walter Raleigh who attempted to establish the first English colony on the shores of the new world in the 1580s.

A large city was planned and designed as a capital city and has a grid layout. It was the only city planned by a state as the seat of state government, and its location was planned because it’s in a central location in the state, making it easily accessible from other cities.

More than half of the US population lives within a day’s drive or an hour’s flight from Raleigh.

The city played a significant role in the Civil War, serving as a Confederate military center and later as a hub for freed African Americans.

Raleigh is more famous today for being home to several prestigious universities, including North Carolina State University, as well as being a major research and tech hub.

There are 11 principal colleges and universities in Raleigh, the main one being North Carolina State University (NCSU).

The first historically black university in the South, Shaw University, is also located in Raleigh.

One of the greatest technological research parks in all of the world, Research Triangle Park (RTP), is located here and features IBM, Cisco, Nortel Networks, Sony Ericsson, and Lenovo to name a few.

Additionally, Raleigh is known for its beautiful parks and green spaces, which is why its nickname is the “City of Oaks” for its many oak trees which line the streets.

There’s an excellent Greenway System, a network of recreation trails, that spans more than 180 miles around Raleigh.

Raleigh is receiving a significant population growth year on year, particularly with young professionals and families, especially since Raleigh continues to thrive as a center for education, innovation, and research.

Although the population is booming, it still has a small-town feel.

• Population of Raleigh: 476,587 (2022)
• 1.175 million (2022)1,111,761 (2019)