The Research Triangle region, which includes Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill, is a vibrant metropolitan area of over one million people located in rolling, wooded central North Carolina. In addition to NC State, the region is home to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University. In the center of the region is the 6,800-acre Research Triangle Park, one of the most successful such parks in the nation, and the location of many public and nonprofit research agencies, as well as research centers of national and international corporations. Major employers include IBM, Glaxo-Wellcome, Pharmaceuticals, and the Environmental Protection Agency. There are also countless small high-technology and biotechnology companies in the area.

The Triangle offers many recreational and cultural opportunities, including:

• Swimming, canoeing, windsurfing, and fishing on numerous lakes.

• Hiking in nearby Umstead State Park and on trails around Falls Lake, as well as on the 38-mile Raleigh Greenway, a nationally-recognized trail system that winds through the city.

• Major cultural attractions such as the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh; the North Carolina Symphony Orchestra, whose principal home is Raleigh's beautifully renovated Memorial Auditorium; the American Dance Festival, the nation's premier showcase for modern dance, every summer in Durham; and Playmakers Theater in Chapel Hill, a respected regional theater.

• A host of other cultural attractions and activities, such as Artspace, a refurbished warehouse that houses 23 artists' studios open to the public and anchors the downtown Raleigh arts district; Raleigh Little Theater and Theater in the Park, both near the NC State campus; a thriving club scene; and annual Raleigh events such as the North Carolina State Fair in October, First Night Raleigh downtown on New Year's Eve, and the Artsplosure Spring Jazz and Arts Festival.

• Sporting events featuring some of the nation's best college basketball teams, and the Durham Bulls, one of the nation's most popular minor league baseball teams, the NHL Carolina Hurricanes, and numerous other nationally ranked college sports including football, baseball, and soccer.

Raleigh is the capital of North Carolina. It is a heavily wooded city whose flowering dogwoods and azaleas make spring especially beautiful. Its downtown features the 1840 Greek Revival state capitol; two 18th century plantation houses that predate the city; and the Oakwood neighborhood of restored nineteenth century Victorian residences.

The climate is mild, with average high temperatures ranging from the low fifties in December, January and February to the high eighties in July and August. As throughout the southeastern U.S., it gets hot in the summer! North Carolina's famous ocean beaches and mountain recreation areas are within a two to three hour drive.

The regional population is rapidly increasing due to a continuing influx of newcomers attracted by the educational and employment opportunities and the quality of life. In September 1994, Money Magazine named the Triangle area the best place to live in the U.S.

For more information about the Research Triangle region, take a look at the Raleigh News & Observer's Triangle Guide Online.

North Carolina State University

North Carolina State University, founded in 1887, is a major research university that is deeply rooted in the land-grant tradition. NC State is known for its internationally distinguished programs in science, technology and engineering. It maintains unusually close ties with industry across a wide variety of disciplines, and ranks among the top institutions in the U.S. in the level of industry-sponsored research.

NC State has over 27,000 students, including over 5,000 graduate students. Its main campus of 623 acres is just west of downtown Raleigh. To the south is the 1000-acre Centennial Campus, which is rapidly developing into a model academic town for the next century. The new campus mixes classrooms, university science and engineering research centers, and cooperating private and governmental research facilities.

For more information, see the NC State Home Page.