Wake County, North Carolina
Wake County is a county in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2020, 1,129,410 people lived there.[1] Wake County has more people than any other county in North Carolina. The county seat is Raleigh, which is also the state capital. From 2005 to 2006, Wake County was the 9th fastest growing county in the United States.[2]
| Wake County, North Carolina | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of North Carolina | |
 North Carolina's location in the U.S. | |
| Statistics | |
| Founded | 1771 |
|---|---|
| Seat | Raleigh |
| Largest community | Raleigh |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
857.02 sq mi (2,220 km²) 834.59 sq mi (2,162 km²) 22.43 sq mi (58 km²), 2.62 |
| Population - Density |
|
| Time zone | Eastern: UTC-5/-4 |
| Website: www.wake.gov | |
| Named for: Margaret Wake | |
Cities and Towns
These cities and towns are in Wake County:
Connected Counties
These counties are connected to Wake County:
- Granville County, North Carolina - north
- Franklin County, North Carolina - northeast
- Nash County, North Carolina - east
- Johnston County, North Carolina - southeast
- Harnett County, North Carolina - southwest
- Chatham County, North Carolina - west
- Durham County, North Carolina - northwest
Education
Colleges and Universities
Wake County has seven colleges and universities. They are: Meredith College, North Carolina State University, Peace College, Saint Augustine's College, Shaw University, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and Wake Technical Community College.
Public and Private Schools
The Wake County Public School System runs the public schools in Wake County. The school system has over 134,000 students.[3] There are 20 high schools, 30 middle schools, 93 elementary schools and 8 specialized schools. There are also nine charter schools and 31 private schools in the county.
Transportation
Raleigh-Durham International Airport is in Wake County. Interstate 40 is a major interstate and part of it goes through the county. Several local bus services have routes throughout Wake County. Wake County also has two Amtrak stations, one in Raleigh and one in Cary.
Parks and Recreation
State parks
Wake County has three state parks: Falls Lake State Recreation Area, William B. Umstead State Park, and the Jordan Lake State Recreation Area. Falls Lake Park is in northern Wake County and contains the 12,000 acre Falls Lake and 26,000 acres of woods.[4] Umstead Park is between Raleigh and Cary. It has 5,579 acres of woods.[5] Part of Jordan Lake Park, is in Wake County near Apex, and it has the 13,940 acre Jordan Lake and 46,768 acres of woods. This park has bald eagles.[6]
County parks and recreation centers
There are 152 city parks, public swimming pools and public tennis courts in Wake County. There are 53 community centers.[7] Fifteen miles of the American Tobacco Trail is in the county. People can use the trail to walk, jog, and ride bikes or horses.
Hospitals
Wake County has three main hospitals, Rex Hospital, WakeMed, and Duke Raleigh Hospital. WakeMed also has many smaller hospitals throughout the county[8]
Wake County, North Carolina Media
18th-century portrait by Edmund Fanning of Margaret Wake Tryon, the wife of Governor William Tryon.
Neuse River in Wake County, NC
Falls Lake State Recreation Area
Jordan Lake State Recreation Area
Raleigh-Durham International Airport is located in the center of Research Triangle Park
Carolina Hurricanes hockey game at the RBC Center, now (PNC Arena)
Map of Wake County with municipal and township labels
References
- ↑ "WakeGov.com Population". Wake County Government. http://www.wakegov.com/planning/demographic/dd_Population.htm. Retrieved 2008-02-11.
- ↑ "10 fastest-growing U.S. counties - 9 - CNNMoney.com". money.cnn.com.
- ↑ "Newsobserver.com | Wake school enrollment in top 20". Archived from the original on 2008-06-13. Retrieved 2008-03-07.
- ↑ "Falls Lake State Recreation Area - NC State Parks". www.ncparks.gov.
- ↑ "William B. Umstead State Park - NC State Parks". www.ncparks.gov.
- ↑ "Jordan Lake State Recreation Area - NC State Parks". www.ncparks.gov.
- ↑ Wednesday, Chris H. Smith on; October 03; 2012. "WakeGOV: Page Not Found". www.wakegov.com. Archived from the original on 2008-01-29. Retrieved 2008-03-07.
{{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ↑ "Find a Location - Raleigh, North Carolina (NC) - WakeMed Health & Hospitals". www.wakemed.org. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2019-02-11.