POPULATION Orange County: 129,296
www.visitchapelhill.org/
Chapel Hill: 55,616
WEATHER Annual Average Temperature High: 71°F Annual Average Temperature Low: 47 °F Annual Average snowfall: 5.3 inches Annual Avg. Precipitation: 46.2 inches DID YOU KNOW? Chapel Hill derives it name from the highest point where a church (of England) was located in the late 1700s. Called New Hope Chapel Hill (where The Carolina Inn stands today), the name was shortened to Chapel Hill. Source: http://www.visitchapelhill.org/
Known as “the Southern Part of Heaven,” Chapel Hill is a picturesque town buzzing with cultural and artistic vitality. This quintessential college town offers an international ambiance, great schools and communities, dynamic downtown areas and beautiful natural settings. The town of Chapel Hill was founded to serve the University of North Carolina and grew up around it. Chapel Hill’s main street, Franklin Street, named in 1793 in honor of Benjamin Franklin is arguably the most vibrant downtown in the state. Stroll down its sidewalks and hear people from all walks of life speaking multiple languages. With its restaurants, clubs, bookstores, theatres, coffee houses and street musicians, Franklin Street has something for everyone. Chapel Hill has built a reputation as being a leader in North Carolina on social, economic and environmental issues. Through the town’s programs and the passionate involvement of its citizens, Chapel Hill is holistically addressing the issues of sustainability through social equity, economic vitality and environmental protection.
Cuisine: Chapel Hill, along with neighbor Durham, was recognized by Bon Appetit magazine as “America’s Foodiest Small Town.” Chapel Hill is rapidly becoming a hot spot for pop American cuisine. Among the restaurants noted nationally are Foster’s Market (Martha Stewart’s Living), Mama Dip's, Breadmens, Crook's Corner, Sunrise Biscuit Kitchen, Caffé Driade (Food Network’s “$40 A Day With Rachael Ray”), Sugarland (Food Network's “Kid in the Candy Store”), The Barbecue Joint (Food Network’s “$40 A Day With Rachael Ray”), and The Lantern Restaurant (Food & Wine Magazine, Southern Living Magazine, etc.) Crooks’s Corner has the reputation for being "the birthplace of Shrimp and Grits." The often copied dish became famous after Craig Claiborne wrote about it in The New York Times. Arts & Culture: UNC is home to two major art venues. Memorial Hall is home to Carolina Performing Arts and has hosted world-renowned performers of jazz, classical urban voices including The Bolshoi Ballet, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis as well as student performances and community groups. PlayMakers Repertory Company is North Carolina’s premier not-for-proHit resident professional theater company. Five different plays are performed from October to May ranging from Shakespeare to the best new American and British works. Museums: Chapel Hill is home to Ackland Art Museum, the Carolina Basketball Museum and the Kidzu Children’s Museum. The Ackland houses a permanent collection of more than 15,000 objects including the art of Asia, Africa, Europe and America, with works ranging from ancient times to the 21st century. The Basketball Museum is a new 8,000-sq.ft. state-of-the-art museum honoring the rich tradition of Carolina Basketball. Kidzu offers engaging, handson exhibits and programs to inspire young children, up to age eight, and the adults in their lives to learn through play. Nature: The North Carolina Botanical Garden is one of the largest natural botanical gardens in the Southeast consisting of more than 800 acres of preserved land with nature trials, plant collections and aquatic and herb gardens. A brand new Education Center recently opened at the garden. The center is an environmentally sustainable 29,000-sq. ft. structure that incorporates photovoltaic panels, geothermal wells and rainwater cisterns. The center is community classroom. UNC’s Coker Arboretum is a Hive-acre garden created in 1903 and is home to more than 500 species of trees, shrubs and herbaceous. Recreation & Sports: As home to the University of National Champions, Chapel Hill hosts a wide array of sports for spectators and fans alike. Each year UNC Athletics hosts several Faculty/Staff Family Day events, which include free game tickets, conversations with coaches and "meet and greet" sessions with student athletes from various sports teams. UNC’s Finley Golf Course has been selected by The Golf Channel as the nation's No. 7 college course in America. Traditionally recognized as one of the most beautiful courses in the Southeast, Finley received a facelift in 1999 by renowned golf course designer Tom Fazio that makes it one of the most challenging as well.
Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau
POPULATION Orange County: 129,296
http://www.visitchapelhill.org
Chapel Hill: 55,616
WEATHER Annual Average Temperature High: 71°F Annual Average Temperature Low: 47 °F Annual Average snowfall: 5.3 inches Annual Avg. Precipitation: 46.2 inches
Orange County, North Carolina includes the communities of Carrboro, Hillsborough and Chapel Hill. Centrally located between the mountains to the west and the ocean to the east, Orange County enjoys a favorable climate. Rural Orange County unearths a host of independent farms. Their products, many of them artisan and organic, can be discovered year round at local farmer’s markets. Local chefs also work to incorporate regional products into their seasonal menus.
DID YOU KNOW? Some of the county’s more exotic agricultural enterprises include a shitake mushroom and trufHle farm, and a miniature donkey and mule farm.
Source: http://www.visitchapelhill.org/
Carrboro is referred to as the “Paris of the Piedmont” with its high concentration of art galleries and related facilities and services. Hillsborough’s downtown historic district — listed on the National Register of Historic Places — features more than 100 homes, churches and buildings from the late 18th and 19th centuries.
Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau
Cuisine: With nearly 300 restaurants to choose from, visitors Hlock to Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsborough to feast on nouvelle cuisine, traditional barbecue, local farm dinners and Southern favorites from chicken and dumplings and sweet potato biscuits to shrimp and grits to honeysuckle sorbet. It will seem like you’re on a world tour with French, American, Mexican, Russian, Italian, Greek, and much more to choose from. Arts & Culture: The ArtsCenter presents jazz, folk-traditional and world music, plus theater and children’s programs. The ArtSchool also offers classes in the visual, literary and performing arts for all ages and levels of experience, and the two galleries present exhibits on a rotating basis. Deep Dish Theater Company and DSI Comedy Theater located in Chapel Hill and Carrboro respectively provide comedic entertainment to the area. Deep Dish offers meals with its performances, while DSI feeds the audience with their improvisational theater. Education: Orange County is home to two public school systems: Chapel HillCarrboro City Schools with more than 11, 000 students and 19 schools; and namesake Orange County Schools with more than 7,000 students and 13 schools. Museums: In addition to Chapel Hill museums, Orange County is home to the Orange County Historical Museum. Located on the site of North Carolina’s 1788 Constitutional Convention, the Orange County Historical Museum interprets the history of Orange County from pre-settlement period through the 1950s. Recreation & Sports: Orange County is also home to the Orange County Speedway. The fastest 3/8-mile paved oval in the nation with high banked, wide turns make for fast, close competitive racing action. Hillsborough is home to both the Cedar Grove Golf Course and the Occoneechee Golf Club. Orange County also has one of the most extensive systems of parks (dog, skate and
Dave Hunt
river), greenways and recreation centers in the state. Annual Events: •
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Carrboro Film Festival: Featuring Hilmmakers who have some connection with Orange County, the event is a day-long cavalcade of fabulous Hilms that are 20 minutes or less. West End Poets Festival: This unique event promotes established and aspiring writers and performers from across the state and all poetic forms.
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Celebration of the Automobile Car Show: Held at the Historic Occoneechee Orange Speedway, this event features tram rides around the track and celebrates its history as the only remaining dirt track from NASCAR’s inaugural season.
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Carolina Jazz Festival: For more than three decades this festival has promoted performance, education and scholarship.
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North Carolina Comedy Arts Festival: The largest comedy festival in the Southern United States was created to bring Chicago-style improvisations to the South.
Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau
POPULATION Durham County: 263,592
www.durham-nc.com/
City of Durham: 229,174
WEATHER Avg. Summer: High - 87째F Low - 66째F Avg. Winter High - 51째F Low - 31째F Annual Precipitation - 41.3 inches Annual Snowfall - 7.9 inches
DID YOU KNOW? Durham is known as the City of Medicine, USA, with healthcare as a major industry including more than 300 medical and health-related companies and medical practices with a combined payroll that exceeds $1.5 billion annually. Source: http://www.durhamchamber.org/
A community once grounded in tobacco and textiles, Durham has successfully transformed itself into one of knowledge-based industries, anchored by the world-renowned Research Triangle Park, 80 percent of which is located in Durham County. Durham County is a community of creative, active people of different backgrounds, different faiths and different ages, all with a common goal of living, learning and working together. Among its residents you can Hind professionals in Hields ranging from medical, research and biotechnology to performing, culinary arts and entertainment. It is truly a melting pot of talent and creative energy. A vibrant well-educated community with nationally acclaimed restaurants and entertainment such as live Broadway shows like Rent, Legally Blonde and The Color Purple, at the new Durham Performing Arts Center downtown. With Durham's recent downtown revitalization and streetscapes project, everyone is joining the welcome wagon to greet new professionals and young talent to this great city.
Durham Conven on & Visitors Bureau
Cuisine: Durham County’s distinctive dining is arguably the most sophisticated in the state, thanks to a thriving colony of nationally acclaimed chefs who call Durham home. Durham has more than 500 restaurants to please the palate with styles ranging from traditional favorites to more exotic fare, such as Caribbean, Ethiopian and Middle or Far Eastern. Food Network recently featured Only Burger on the “Great Food Truck Race” show. Durham also shares the title given by Bon Appetit magazine as “America’s Foodiest Small Town” with Chapel Hill. Arts & Culture: Durham County is home to several theaters and hosts a variety of performances. The newly opened state-of-the-art Durham Performing Arts Center has 2,800 seat theatre in the American Tobacco District of Downtown. Performances include Suntrust Broadway Series, superstar concerts, and family performances. The Carolina Theater is a renovated 1926 Beaux Arts-style
Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau
building that includes the magniHicent Fletcher Hall for live performances and two adjacent cinemas. Museum: The Museum of Life and Science is a state-of-the-art, engaging indoor/outdoor science-technology center ranked as one of the top familyfriendly museums in the Southeast. The museum features several amazing exhibits including Magic Wings ButterHly House, Explore the Wild, Catch the Wind and the Dinosaur Trail. The Dinosaur Trail features life-sized dinosaur replicas and a fossil dig site. Explore the Wild is the natural setting home to black bears, red wolves and lemurs. The Butter7ly House is a three-story tropical butterHly conservatory, the largest on the East Coast, featuring exotic Hlowers and tropical plants in a rainforest area and stream garden.
Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau
Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau
Education: Durham County is home to Duke, North Carolina Central University, NC School of Science & Math, Durham Technical Community College, many private schools and Durham Public Schools which has more than 32,000 students attending 53 schools across the county. Annual Events:
Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau
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For 34 years CenterFest Arts Festival has been the largest arts and community street festival in Durham and features more than 150 artists and street performers, a plethora of food and great music.
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The Durham Blues Festival is a three-day celebration of blues legends and newcomers. The event is the largest blues festival in North Carolina, drawing in crowds from more than 175 North Carolina cities, 25 states and Hive countries.
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The World Beer Festival features more than 400 world-class beers from more than 150 different breweries from around the world and locally.
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Durham is home to the North Carolina Gay Pride Parade, which is the largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, & transgendered event in a Hive-state area, attracting more than 8,500 festival participants.
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The Full Frame Documentary Film Festival is held annually and is the only international festival of its kind celebrating strictly the power and artistry of documentary cinema.
POPULATION Wake County: 940,122
http://www.visitraleigh.com/
Raleigh: 394,774
WEATHER Average annual high: 70.7 F Average annual low: 49.9 F Avg. annual precipitation: 44.19 inches Average annual snowfall: 4.5 inches
DID YOU KNOW? Raleigh was founded in 1792 as North Carolina’s capital city. It was named for Sir Walter Raleigh, who attempted to establish the first English colony on the shores of the New World in the 1580s.
Nestled among the native long-leaf pines in the heart of the Tar Heel State lies a band of progressive, prosperous communities with a quality of life second to none. Wake County is comprised of a family of communities that make the area among the nation’s best places to live, start a business, raise a family, and earn a world-class education. Wake County is overHlowing with things to do. World-class museums, Broadway shows, live concerts, historic sites, professional and amateur sports and a shopping Mecca of nine major retail spots. Raleigh remains one of the fastest growing areas in the country. A great economy, top educational institutions and outstanding healthcare facilities are some of the attributes that attract people to the triangle area. Not to mention a downtown pulsing with nightclubs, hipster hangouts and incredible eateries. The mild climate, diverse work force and proximity to Research Triangle Park combine to make Raleigh a great place to live.
Source: http://www.raleighnc.gov/
Cuisine: Sweet tea, mouth-watering barbecue, home-style vegetables, all brought to you with warm Southern service with Wake County dining. Italian bistros, Pan-Asian delights, Mediterranean wonders and spicy, irresistible Jamaican dishes add to Wake County’s diverse menu of options. Raleigh’s The Pit and PitMaster Ed Mitchell have been featured on Food Network’s “Throwdown with Bobby Flay” and CBS’s ‘The Early Show.” Education: Wake County is home to several public and private institutions of higher learning including: Meredith College, Peace College, Wake Technical Community College, Saint Augustine’s College, Shaw University and North Carolina State University. The Wake County Public School System remains the largest school district in the state, and the 18th largest in the nation with 143,250 students attending 163 schools. Arts & Culture: Visitors can see a Broadway show, view original plays in the theatre or outside in the park, listen to the N.C. Symphony or the Opera Company of North Carolina, or watch the Carolina Ballet. The Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts has several facilities for any size performance, including a state-of-the-art symphonic music hall. In addition, there are other outdoor venues such as the Koko Booth Amphitheater and Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion that host concerts and other special events throughout the year. Museums: Raleigh is home to The N.C. Museum of Art, the N.C. Museum of History, and the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences (Southeast's largest natural history museum). Exploris, the world's Hirst children's museum dedicated to global learning and awareness, is located in downtown Raleigh. Recreation & Sports: Wake County is home to the 2006 Stanley Cup Champions, the Carolina Hurricanes who play at the RBC Center. You can also relax outdoors at a Carolina Mudcats Double AA baseball game at Five County Stadium or watch the Carolina Rail Hawks, the USL First Division Professional Soccer team, take the Hield at WakeMed Soccer Park. Wake County also offers an array of outdoor recreations opportunities be it a canoeing or sailing excursion, taking a nature hike through the woods or playing a round of golf in the summer sun, Wake County is the perfect place to spend time outdoors. Nature: Wake County is not without the beauty and tranquility provided by parks and gardens. There are thousands of acres of parks (dog, skate and river), greenways and recreation centers across the county. The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Gardens was the Hirst public park in the US solely devoted to Dr. King and the civil rights movement. J.C. Raulston Arboretum at North Carolina State University is internationally recognized as one of the premier collections of trees and shrubs with over 5,000 different plants on display. Annual Events: •
The NC State Fair is a 10-day event that is NC’s largest event, attracting more than a million people.
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Artplosure's weekend-long spring arts festival is free and one of North Carolina's most acclaimed and well attended outdoor arts festivals, attracting more than 70,000 people annually.
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First Night Raleigh is an annual alcohol-free New Year's Eve celebration with performing artists, arts groups and an afternoon Children's Celebration before the Raleigh Acorn drops at midnight.
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AT&T Raleigh Winterfest is a two-month long extravaganza featuring an outdoor skating rink with natural ice. This family-friendly celebration of fun-Hilled activities at the AT&T Raleigh Winterfest Ice Rink.
RTP FACTS • 7,000 acres
www.rtp.org/
• 170+ companies The Triangle • 42,000+ high-tech employees • 22.5 million square feet of developed space • 1,500+ start-up companies created since 1970
The term “Triangle” was Hirst coined to refer to an area anchored by three major universities: Duke University in Durham (and later North Carolina Central University), the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University in Raleigh. The three joined in the 1950’s to help create Research Triangle Park, centered in Southeast Durham.
DID YOU KNOW? RTP is the largest research park in the United States. Of the several hundred research and science parks operating in the United States today, RTP is the oldest continuously operating one.
Research Triangle Park One of the oldest and largest science parks in North America, The Research Triangle Park (RTP) is a 7,000 acre development that is home to more than 170 companies . Located at the core of the Raleigh-Durham -Cary CSA (Combined Statistical Area), RTP is a globally prominent hightechnology research and development center that serves as an economic driver for the region.
Source: www.rtp.org/
TRANSPORTATION: Dean Zanello
Car: North Carolina has the largest state-maintained highway system in the nation. Three interstate highways intersect the Research Triangle area, giving the area excellent access to many East Coast destinations. Location and Distance to Major Cities Atlanta ≈ 380
New York ≈ 503
Charlotte ≈ 140
Orlando ≈ 624
Chicago ≈ 830
Washington, DC ≈ 270
Nashville ≈ 510
Wilmington, NC ≈ 158
Bus: The Triangle Transit Authority provides daytime inter-city service between Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill, and also serves Morrisville, Cary, RDU Airport and Research Triangle Park. Triangle Transit has a distance-based fare system, where the farther you travel, the more you pay. Fares usually range from $1.50 to $2.00.
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Durham: Durham Area Transit - Average cost of riding a city bus, $1.00 and free for youth 12 & under and seniors. Transfers are free.
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Chapel Hill/Orange County: Chapel Hill Transit provides free public transportation service throughout the Chapel Hill, Carrboro and UNC community. The Town of Carrboro and the University of North Carolina are partners in the operation of the transit system.
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Raleigh: Capital Area Transit (CAT) offers bus service throughout Raleigh. One-way fare is $1.00 and 50 cents for passengers age 65 or older, 12 or younger and persons with disabilities.
Local and national service is available from Carolina Trail ways/ Greyhound Bus Lines.
Logan Mock-Bunting/Getty Images
Rail: Amtrak offers direct service to 56 cities from Raleigh. The Silver Star provides daily service to Richmond, Washington, New York, Miami and many points in between. The Carolinian travels daily between Charlotte and New York City, with stops in Raleigh, Richmond, Washington, DC, Baltimore and Philadelphia. The Piedmont makes daily trips between Raleigh and Charlotte. Airport: Airline Services: RDU International Airport is located between I -40 and U.S. 70. The airport is co-owned by the cities of Durham and Raleigh, along with Durham and Wake counties. RDU is located at the western edge of Wake County, midway between the cities of Durham and Raleigh. More than nine-million travelers annually visit RDU via 350 daily arrivals and departures. There are nine major airlines and seven regional carriers offering service from RDU to 35 destinations.
Todd E. Gaul ,Shakuri Hills Festival
P;<=>?@A;B 64,772 WC?@DCE Avg. Summer: High - 88°F Low - 67°F Avg. Winter High - 49°F Low - 29°F Annual Precipitation - 41.3 inches Annual Snowfall - 6 inches DAF G;= HB;I? Chatham County and the Carolina Tiger Rescue is home to the largest captive population of binturongs (Asian bearcats) in the United States.
Source: http://visitpittsboro.com/
visitpittsboro.com/ Within Chatham County's 709 square miles are picturesque towns, rolling farmland, Jordan Lake and an increasingly diverse economy. Among its assets are industrial and commercial businesses and a range of agricultural-based enterprises, including specialty farms whose products support businesses throughout the Triangle area. The county has one of North Carolina’s most vibrant arts communities as well as The North Carolina Arts Incubator. It is home to Central Carolina Community College and within easy access to major Triangle universities, medical centers and Research Triangle Park. In Chatham County you will Hind plentiful sights and activities to appeal to a variety of ages and diverse interests. Explore Jordan Lake, Fearrington Village, delightful B&Bs, vibrant blooms, challenging golf courses, food tours, wineries and wildlife sanctuary tours. Revel in endless opportunities for birding, biking, dining, hiking, shopping and more.
Pittsboro-Siler City Convention & Visitors Bureau
Cuisine: Chatham County provides a variety of cuisines for palates and plentiful options to meet every budget, from quick bites, to casual to upscale dining. Chatham County prides itself on farm to fork dishes, from local and regional farms, plus local beer and wine. Southern nouvelle, American, Greek with a local twist, barbecue, roadside diners and much more at locally-owned eateries. Arts: The North Carolina Arts Incubator is located in Hive buildings nestled in the heart of Historic Downtown Siler City and currently features 24 artists working in a variety of media from pottery to glass to Hiber. In addition to working studios, the Incubator boasts a quality gallery store and the newly dedicated special exhibitions gallery. Recreation/Sports: Chatham County is home to 14,000 acres of water and 108 holes of incredible golf. Course range from offering Hive-star golf, environmentally conscious golf, to challenging golf to simply fair-priced golf. Residents and visitors can splash the day away with a canoeing, kayaking, sailing, swimming, or Hishing adventure. Land lovers can explore, hike, bike, picnic, bird watch, and more. The region is a veritable health and Hitness playground with 198 miles of bicycle trails.
Pittsboro-Siler City Convention & Visitors Bureau
Agritourism: More than 50 small farms, four Farmers’ Markets and six signature gardens make Chatham County a blooming and bountiful place to be. Strawberries, squash, hostas, orchids, gourmet cheese, curries and Christmas trees are just a few of the home-grown and produced items. With fresh Hlowers, fresh produce and fresh air are all part of the scene, agrotourism is alive and well in Chatham County.
Education: Central Carolina Community College is located in Chatham County and a public two-year college and a member of the NC Community College System. Chatham County Schools has 7,800 students in its 17 schools. Pittsboro-Siler City Convention & Visitors Bureau
Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau
Nature: Carolina Tiger Rescue is a refuge, providing animals a safe, comfortable home for the remainder of their lives. Zoos generally do not acquire animals from the public. There are currently 72 animals of six different species: tigers, caracals, servals, ocelots, binturongs and kinkajous. Visitors to Carolina Tiger Rescue are escorted by a trained staff or volunteers. Travel: Chatham Transit Network (CTN) is the County's community transportation provider, offering public transportation around Chatham County, in the towns of Siler City and Pittsboro, to Chapel Hill and back, and to medical appointments. Chapel Hill Transit (CHT) operates a weekday bus route (the PX route) from Pittsboro to UNC-Chapel Hill. The fare for the CTN and CHT Hixed routes is $3 each way, or $65 for a 30-day pass.
Carolina Tiger Rescue
Annual Events: •
The annual Oktoberfest celebration includes fall foods, grilled bratwursts, award-winning ales, live music and children's activities.
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Heritage Day at Jordan Lake celebrates natural and cultural heritage each year with hands-on activities, demonstrations. Archery, making corn shuck dolls, live music and Brunswick stew are always part of the day's festivities.
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The Annual Fall Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival of Music & Dance features local crafts, delicious food, various children’s activities, environmental sustainability workshops and much more in a familyfriendly environment.