Raleigh ( , ral-ee) 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. The city has a population of approximately 374,320 (January 1, 2008 estimate), making it the second most populous in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the 15th fastest growing city in the United States and according to City of Raleigh Planning Department's Growth Management Division, Raleigh is the 49th-largest city in the United States.

Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill make up the three primary cities of the Research Triangle metropolitan region. The regional name originated after the 1959 creation of the Research Triangle Park, located midway 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. The estimated population of the Raleigh-Durham-Cary CSA was 1,565,223 as of July 1, 2006, with the Raleigh-Cary Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) portion estimated at 994,551 residents.

While almost all of Raleigh is located within Wake County a small portion of the city extends into neighboring Durham County Durham_Annexation_Agreement_Lines.pdf" target="_blank">Raleigh Durham Annexation Agreement Lines . The towns of _Cary, Garner, Wake Forest, Apex, Holly Springs, Clayton, and Knightdale are some of Raleigh's nearby suburbs.