The the capital of North Carolina, Raleigh is an astounding city which combines the excitement and temptations of a big city with the affordability, sincerity and attraction of a classic town. It is famous for its world-class museums, renowned research universities, historical heritage, fabulous Broadway shows and live concerts, numerous professional and amateur sport events, opportunities for outdoor recreation, status of a shopping heaven with 11 major retail areas and variety of entertainments. Because of the many oak trees on its streets Raleigh is also called the “City of Oaks”. So it is not surprising that Raleigh is regularly ranked as one of best places to live and to visit.
In the educational ratings Raleigh also always occupies the top positions. Authoritative Forbes scored Raleigh as one of the best places with the best education. In 2011 on the base of the percentage of residents who held college degrees Time ranked Raleigh, NC as the third most educated city in the US. The City of Oaks really deserves this honorable status as this area is particularly rich in educational resources. It is a home to seven North Carolina universities and colleges, such as North Carolina State University, two private women’s North Carolina colleges and two historically important schools that were originally established for higher learning for African Americans.
Together with Durham and Chapel Hill it forms the Research Triangle Park – a research complex founded in the 1959 by Duke University, North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Today RTP is the largest, continuously operating research park and one of fastest growing metropolitan areas in the US. Its territory covers 7,000 total acres and it is residence of more than 170 research and high tech companies.
North Carolina State University at Raleigh was founded in 1887 as the North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts and historically strong in agriculture, life sciences, design, engineering and textiles. Today NCSU it is the largest four-year institution in North Carolina which. NC State consists of 10 schools and colleges and enrolls more than 34,000 students, offers 106 bachelor’s degrees, 104 master’s degrees, 61 doctoral degrees and a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. NC State’s Centennial Campus is a state-of-the-art community where more than 130 corporate and governmental research partners as well as faculty staff and students work alongside conducting unique research in the best facilities. It is no wonder why NC State University is globally recognized for its science, technology, engineering and mathematics leadership.
Another institution which contributes into the high educational rank of Raleigh is Wake Technical Community College, commonly known as Wake Tech, is a two-year accredited institution of higher education and technical training school. It is the state’s second-largest community college which enrolls more than 64,000 students annually. It has five campuses, two training centers, community sites and online learning and offers 180 associate degrees, diplomas and certificates to prepare students for employment or university transfer.
Primary and secondary education in Raleigh is represented by a great number of public, charter and private schools. Raleigh is home to four magnet high schools, eleven charter schools and numerous private and religion-based schools. Of course the public educational resources are supported by a number of qualified private tutors serving on all levels from preschool and elementary to high and adult education. TutorZ.com willingly offers its tutoring referral service to Raleigh’s inhabitants.
There are also various alternative educational opportunities, such as Harris Energy & Environmental Center which features exhibits and films on electricity and nuclear energy for middle school students and up; NCSU Solar House which serves as part of the education activities of the N.C. Solar Center by demonstrating renewable energy possibilities, clean transportation technologies and energy efficient design principles; Poe Center for Health Education; Walnut Creek Urban Wetlands Educational Park, an educational center dedicated to exploring and learning about the value and significance of wetlands for water quality and wildlife habitat and and many other institutions which make the educational potential of Raleigh excellent.
The substantial educational basement boasts into a rich intellectual climate with an core of highly-skilled workers, well-developed infrastructure, a modest cost-of-living and unrivaled quality of life and makes Raleigh unsurpassed place to study, work and live.
