The Central Pines Regional Council (formerly Triangle J Council of Governments) is one of the 17 regional North Carolina Councils of Governments (Region J) established by the North Carolina General Assembly for the purpose of regional planning and administration. Headquartered in Durham, North Carolina, it serves Moore, Lee, Chatham, Orange, Durham, Wake, and Johnston counties. In 2023, TJCOG underwent a rebranding and name change, and is now known as CPRC.
The CPRC was originally established in 1959 by the Research Triangle Foundation as the Research Triangle Regional Planning Commission. The commission's original members were Durham, Orange and Wake counties, and the cities of Chapel Hill, Durham, and Raleigh.
When the North Carolina General Assembly established 18 regional planning councils in 1972, the Research Triangle Regional Planning Commission was reorganized as the planning council for Region J, which consisted of Durham, Orange, Wake, Chatham, Johnston and Lee counties. Moore County was added when the planning commission for Region H was abolished.
The following county and municipal governments are members of the Triangle J Council of Governments:
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Greater Raleigh Metropolitan Region (Raleigh–Cary, MSA; part of the Research Triangle) | ||
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Raleigh is the capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeast, the 41st-most populous city in the U.S., and the largest city of the Research Triangle metro area. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees, which line the streets in the heart of the city. The city covers a land area of 148.54 square miles (384.7 km2). The U.S. Census Bureau counted the city's population as 467,665 at the 2020 census. It is one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States. It is ranked as a sufficiency-level world city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network. The city of Raleigh is named after Sir Walter Raleigh, who established the now-lost Roanoke Colony in present-day Dare County.
Wake County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,129,410, making it North Carolina's most populous county. From July 2005 to July 2006, Wake County was the 9th-fastest growing county in the United States, with Cary and Raleigh being the 8th- and 15th-fastest growing communities, respectively.
Orange County is a county located in the Piedmont region of the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 148,696. Its county seat is Hillsborough. Orange County is included in the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Raleigh-Durham-Cary, NC Combined Statistical Area, which had an estimated population of 2,368,947 in 2023. It is home to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the flagship institution of the University of North Carolina System and the oldest state-supported university in the United States.
Moore County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 99,727. Its county seat is Carthage and its largest community Pinehurst. It is a border county between the Piedmont and the Atlantic Coastal Plain.
Durham County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 324,833, making it the sixth-most populous county in North Carolina. Its county seat is Durham, which is the only incorporated municipality predominantly in the county, though very small portions of cities and towns mostly in neighboring counties also extend into Durham County. The central and southern parts of Durham County are highly urban, consisting of the city as well as several unincorporated suburbs. Southeastern Durham County is dominated by the Research Triangle Park, most of which is in Durham County. The northern third of Durham County is rural in nature. Durham County is the core of the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Raleigh-Durham-Cary, NC Combined Statistical Area, which had an estimated population of 2,368,947 in 2023.
Chatham County is a county located in the Piedmont area of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is also the location of the geographic center of North Carolina, northwest of Sanford. As of the 2020 census, the population was 76,285. Its county seat is Pittsboro.
Scouting in North Carolina has a long history, from the 1910s to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live.
Garner is a town in Wake County, North Carolina, United States. The population is 31,159 as of the 2020 census. A suburb of Raleigh, the city limits are entirely within Wake County, though portions of unincorporated Wake County, as well as the Cleveland community in northern Johnston County, have Garner mailing addresses. It is part of the Research Triangle region of North Carolina and serves as a bedroom community for the region.
Cary is a town in Wake, Chatham, and Durham counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina and is part of the Raleigh-Cary, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area. According to the 2020 census, its population was 174,721, making it the seventh-most populous municipality in North Carolina, and the 148th-most populous in the United States. In 2023, the town's population had increased to 180,010.
Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Durham County. Small portions of the city limits extend into Orange County and Wake County. With a population of 283,506 in the 2020 census, Durham is the fourth-most populous city in North Carolina and the 70th-most populous city in the United States. The city is located in the east-central part of the Piedmont region along the Eno River. Durham is the core of the four-county Durham–Chapel Hill metropolitan area, which had an estimated population of 608,879 in 2023. The Office of Management and Budget also includes Durham as a part of the Raleigh–Durham–Cary, NC Combined Statistical Area, commonly known as the Research Triangle, which had an estimated population of 2,368,947 in 2023.
Morrisville is a town located primarily in Wake County, North Carolina, United States. According to the 2020 census, the population was 29,630. Morrisville is part of the Research Triangle metropolitan region, located midway between the cities of Raleigh and Durham. The Research Triangle region encompasses the Raleigh-Durham-Cary, NC Combined Statistical Area. The operational headquarters of Lenovo is located in the municipal limits.
Research Triangle Park (RTP) is the largest research park in the United States, occupying 7,000 acres (2,833 ha) in North Carolina and hosting more than 300 companies and 65,000 workers. It is owned and managed by the Research Triangle Foundation, a private non-profit organization.
The Research Triangle, or simply The Triangle, are both common nicknames for a metropolitan area in the Piedmont region of the U.S. state of North Carolina. Anchored by the cities of Raleigh and Durham and the town of Chapel Hill, the region is home to three major research universities: North Carolina State University, Duke University, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, respectively. The "Triangle" name originated in the 1950s with the creation of Research Triangle Park located between the three anchor cities, which is the largest research park in the United States and home to numerous high tech companies.
The Research Triangle Regional Public Transportation Authority, known as GoTriangle, provides regional bus service to the Research Triangle region of North Carolina in Wake, Durham, and Orange counties. The GoTriangle name was adopted in 2015 as part of the consolidated GoTransit branding scheme for the Triangle. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 1,735,700, or about 6,500 per weekday as of the second quarter of 2024.
North Carolina's 4th congressional district is located in the central region of the state. The district includes all of Alamance County, Durham County, Granville County, Orange County, and Person County, as well as a portion of Caswell County. With a Cook Partisan Voting Index rating of D+16, it is the most Democratic district in North Carolina.
U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a north–south United States Numbered Highway which runs along the East Coast of the U.S. between Key West, Florida, and the Canada–United States border near Fort Kent, Maine. In North Carolina, US 1 runs for 174.1 miles (280.2 km) across the central region of the state. The highway enters North Carolina from South Carolina, southwest of Rockingham. US 1 runs northeast, passing through or closely bypassing Southern Pines and Sanford in the Sandhills region. It next passes through Cary, the state capital of Raleigh, and Wake Forest. The highway continues north to Henderson, before leaving the state at the Virginia state line, near Wise. The route is mostly a multilane divided arterial road, with several freeway segments. It serves as a strategic highway, connecting the North Carolina Sandhills and Research Triangle regions northward to the Southside region.
This article is intended to give an overview of transportation in North Carolina.
Area codes 919 and 984 are telephone area codes in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for all or parts of eleven counties in the east-central area of the U.S. state of North Carolina. They service the cities of Raleigh, Durham, Cary, and Chapel Hill/Carrboro, and the surrounding suburban areas of the Research Triangle metropolitan area, as well as the outlying towns and nearby rural areas of Oxford to the north, Sanford to the south, Goldsboro to the southeast, and Mebane to the west.
Durham–Orange Light Rail Transit (DOLRT) was a planned 17.7-mile (28.5 km) light rail line in central North Carolina. It was intended to start operating in 2028 between North Carolina Central University (NCCU) in eastern Durham and the UNC Medical Center in Orange County. This line was being developed by regional transit agency GoTriangle, and was in the engineering phase of the federal grant approval process when it was discontinued.
