Rated one of the nation’s most livable areas and hottest places for business by sources from Money, Fortune and Entrepreneur magazines to the Places Rated Almanac, the Triangle metropolitan area is home to 1.3 million people. The Triangle has one of the highest PhD-per-capita rates in the country, thanks in part to its three major research universities—Duke, North Carolina State University, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, located respectively in Durham, Raleigh, and Chapel Hill.

In the middle of the three cities is Research Triangle Park (RTP). The world’s largest university-related research and production district, with more than 100 major research companies, RTP has spawned innovations ranging from Astroturf to AZT.

Durham offers many outdoor recreational opportunities and top sports teams, including Duke basketball and Durham Bulls baseball, made famous by the movie "Bull Durham." Near the Duke campus are the offbeat Ninth Street shopping district and Brightleaf Square, an old tobacco warehouse-turned-shopping and restaurant gallery. And if you feel like learning about something besides business, take a break and discover Durham to learn why the Bull City is the place for you!