Raleigh Quick Facts Founded in 1792 as the capital city of North Carolina The population of Raleigh is 286,834 and of Wake County is 610,284 The city was named for Sir Walter Raleigh who attempted to form the first English colony in the "new world" in the 1580s. Nicknamed the "City of Oaks" Raleigh's Climate Annual Average High Temperature: 70 degrees Annual Average Low Temperature: 47 degrees Annual Average Rainfall: 41.43 inches Hottest Month is July: Avg. temperature is 88 degrees Coldest Month is January with the average temperature being 29 degrees Raleigh Taxes Sales tax is 6% in North Carolina 1% prepared food and beverage tax is added to the regular sales tax for all prepared food and drinks sold in Wake County 6% local hotel occupancy tax is added to all hotel and motel room rates within Wake County WAKE COUNTY FACTS: Includes Raleigh and 11 other Wake County municipalities. Often referred to as Greater Raleigh. Home to Raleigh-Durham International Airport and a portion of internationally renowned Research Triangle Park. Accessed by I-40 and four major U.S. Highways. I-85 and I-95 pass nearby. Home to seven colleges and universities. DISTANCE TO MAJOR CITIES (IN MILES) Asheville -- 241 Atlanta -- 424 Charlotte -- 143 Chicago -- 784 Nashville -- 515 New York -- 489 Orlando -- 588 Washington, D.C. -- 251 Wilmington, N.C. -- 123   Transportation Capital Area Transit (Raleigh Public Transportation) 828-7228 Raleigh Trolley 828-7228 Triangle Transit Authority 549-9999 Greyhound Bus Lines/ Carolina Trailways 834-8410 Amtrak/NC Department of Transportation Railway Division 1-800-872-7425 (Reservations Required) Taxi fares range from $2.85 to $3.70 for the first mile and from $1.50 to $2.00 each additional mile. A trip from downtown Raleigh to RDU Airport averages $22.50 Important Phone Numbers Emergency 911 Raleigh Fire and Rescue (non-emergency) 829-1911 Raleigh Police (non-emergency) 890-3335 Wake County Sheriff (non-emergency) 856-6900 NC Highway Patrol 733-3861 Raleigh and Wake County Contact Information Raleigh's Official Homepage   Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau 800-849-8499 Capital Area Visitor Center 733-3456 Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce 664-7000 Apex Chamber of Commerce 362-6456 Cary Chamber of Commerce 467-1016 Fuquay-Varina Chamber of Commerce 552-4947 Garner Chamber of Commerce 772-6440 Holly Springs Town Hall 552-6221 Knightdale Chamber of Commerce 266-4603 Knightdale home page   Morrisville Chamber of Commerce 380-9026 Wake Forest Chamber of Commerce 556-1519 Wendell Chamber of Commerce 365-6318 Zebulon Chamber of Commerce 269-6320 Call Tanya Pearson... For all things Real Estate               919.264.2868