Wake County, North Carolina

county in North Carolina, United States

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
Raleigh skyline
Wake County Courthouse
Map of North Carolina highlighting Wake County
Location within the U.S. state of North Carolina
Map of the United States highlighting North Carolina
North Carolina's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 35°47′23″N 78°39′02″W / 35.789846°N 78.650624°W / 35.789846; -78.650624
Country United States
State North Carolina
Founded1771
Named forMargaret Wake
SeatRaleigh
Largest communityRaleigh
Area
 • Total857.02 sq mi (2,219.7 km2)
 • Land834.59 sq mi (2,161.6 km2)
 • Water22.43 sq mi (58.1 km2)  2.62%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total1,129,410
 • Density1,353.25/sq mi (522.49/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts2nd, 13th
Websitewww.wake.gov
The North Carolina State Capital Building is in Wake County

Cities and Towns

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These cities and towns are in Wake County:

Connected Counties

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These counties are connected to Wake County:

Education

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Colleges and Universities

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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

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The Wake County Public School System runs the public schools in Wake County. The school system has over 155,000 students.[3] There are 27 high schools, 33 middle schools, 104 elementary schools and 8 specialized schools. There are also nine charter schools and 31 private schools in the county.

Transportation

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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

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State parks

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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]

 
Jordan Lake

County parks and recreation centers

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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

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Wake County has three main hospitals, Rex Hospital, WakeMed, and Duke Raleigh Hospital. WakeMed also has many smaller hospitals throughout the county[8]

References

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  1. "WakeGov.com Population". Wake County Government. Archived from the original on 2007-11-13. Retrieved 2008-02-11.
  2. "10 fastest-growing U.S. counties - 9 - CNNMoney.com". money.cnn.com.
  3. "District Facts / Overview".
  4. "Falls Lake State Recreation Area - NC State Parks". www.ncparks.gov.
  5. "William B. Umstead State Park - NC State Parks". www.ncparks.gov.
  6. "Jordan Lake State Recreation Area - NC State Parks". www.ncparks.gov.
  7. 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}}: |last3= has numeric name (help); Cite uses generic title (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. "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.