Wake
County, North Carolina
is a warm and welcoming place to visit. Some come for the climate and the
related recreation, some on business or for the history, and some for the
exciting sports teams. Wake County has a daily income from tourism of $3.1
million.
Many are so attracted that they move here. Wake County, NC is consistently rated
as one of the best places to live and work in America. Employment is
consistently high. The
population of Wake County, North Carolina is 627,846 (in 2000). Wake
County and North Carolina work hard and successfully to attract new commercial
and industrial businesses and to expand and diversify the tax base. Tourism
alone contributes almost 22,000 Wake County jobs in the hospitality, retail, and
other service sectors.
A 1959 State of North Carolina initiative established the now world renowned
Research Triangle Park here. Education is prized and the percentage of
population with a bachelor's degree or higher is well above the average for the
State of North Carolina. A few of the local institutions of higher learning are:
North Carolina State University, Raleigh
Meredith College
Wake Technical Community College
Durham Technical Community College
Vance-Granville Community College
Duke University
Shaw University
The county edges
are still rural with the traditional farmhouses and small community churches,
schools, and stores that still serve the family infrastructure of people who
appreciate their family and their heritage. Local historical societies are well
established and have worked to preserve and showcase this heritage. However,
subdivisions and shopping centers abound and Wake County, NC boasts a variety of
museums and parks, shopping and restaurants.
Established in 1771, Wake County, North Carolina was named for London heiress
Margaret Wake, wife of the Royal Governor of the British colony of North
Carolina. In 1792, the City of Raleigh, which is located in the heart of Wake
County, was named the state capital. Despite the severe economic blow of the
Reconstruction after the Civil War, cotton and tobacco were still the base of
the economy until after WWII and Federal government limits on cotton and tobacco
production. Wake County, NC stayed primarily rural until mechanization reduced
the number of laborers needed for farming.
The Neuse River and the Cape Fear River drain the county, and provide varied
recreation such as fishing, swimming, picnicking, hiking, and camping. The Wake
County Parks and Recreation Department also provide many preserved
historical sites and buildings. North
Carolina Museum of Art, the Raleigh City Museum, the North
Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, and the North
Carolina Museum of History are favorite tourist spots in Wake County.
