The Hat Lounge is located in the Research Triangle , commonly referred to as "The Triangle" , is a region in the Piedmont of North Carolina in the United States, anchored by the cities of Raleigh , Durham , and Chapel Hill . The eight-county region, officially named the Raleigh-Durham-Cary CSA , comprises two Metropolitan and one Micropolitan Statistical Area: Raleigh-Cary and Durham metropolitan area . The region's population was 1,314,589 at the 2000 census . The research universities of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , North Carolina State University , and Duke University are located in this region. The "Triangle" name was cemented in the public consciousness in the 1950s with the creation of Research Triangle Park , home to numerous high-tech companies and enterprises. Although the name is now used to refer to the geographic region, "The Triangle" originally referred to the universities, whose research facilities, and the educated workforce they provide, have historically served as a major attraction for businesses located in the region. The Triangle's population is among the most educated in the United States, with one of the highest number of Ph.D.s per capita. The region should not be confused with "The Triad" , which is the region directly west of the Triangle. Most of the Triangle is represented by, and closely associated with, the second , fourth and thirteenth congressional districts.

Cities

The Triangle region, as defined for statistical purposes as the Raleigh-Durham-Cary CSA , comprises 8 counties, although the U.S. Census Bureau divided the region into 2 metropolitan statistical areas and 1 micropolitan area in 2003. Some local television networks define the region as Raleigh-Durham-Fayetteville. Although Fayetteville, North Carolina , is nearly 50 miles from Raleigh's city limits , it is in the designated market area .

Education

Public secondary education in the Triangle is similar to that of the majority of the state of North Carolina, in which there are county-wide school systems (the exception is Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools within but apart from Orange County). The Wake County Public School System , which includes the cities of Raleigh and Cary, is the largest school system in the region and the largest school system in the State of North Carolina, with enrollment reaching 134,002 on the 20th day of the 2006-07 school year. Other large systems in the region include Durham County (second largest), Orange County (third largest), and rapidly growing Johnston County.

College sports

The competition among North Carolina State, North Carolina, Duke and Wake Forest University, located west of the Triangle region in Winston-Salem, is sometimes referred to as Tobacco Road by sportscasters. Three historically black colleges , including new Division I member North Carolina Central University and Division II members St. Augustine College and Shaw University also boost the popularity of college sports in the region.

Rameses , mascot of the North Carolina Tar Heels .

With the significant number of universities and colleges in the area, NCAA sports are very popular. The Atlantic Coast Conference member University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Tar Heels are situated in Chapel Hill, and fellow ACC rivals, the North Carolina State University Wolfpack, and the Duke University Blue Devils, are no more than a 30 minute drive away. In addition, Wake Forest University in nearby Winston-Salem brings the total number of ACC schools to four. The Pirates of East Carolina University reside 75 miles (121 km) away in Greenville, North Carolina . The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill won the NCAA basketball championship in 1957, 1982, 1993, and 2005. North Carolina State won the NCAA basketball championship in 1974 and 1983. And Duke University won the NCAA basketball championship in 1991, 1992, and 2001. The arrival of head coach Everett Case at North Carolina State in 1946 is generally regarded as the beginning of rapid growth in the continuing popularity of basketball in North Carolina.

 

 

Commerce

Anchored by leading technology firms, government and world-class universities and medical centers, the area's economy has performed exceptionally well. Significant increases in employment, earnings, personal income and retail sales are projected over the next 15 years.

The region's growing high-technology community includes such companies as IBM , SAS Institute , Cisco Systems , Nortel Networks , NetApp and Credit Suisse First Boston . In addition to high-tech, the region is consistently ranked in the top 3 in the U.S. with concentration in life science companies. Some of these companies include GlaxoSmithKline , Biogen Idec , BASF , Merck & Co. , Novo Nordisk , Novozymes , and Wyeth . Durham-based Research Triangle Park and North Carolina State University's Centennial Campus in Raleigh support innovation through R&D and technology transfer among the region's companies and research universities (including Duke University and The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill).