A Brief History of Raleigh NC

Raleigh was chosen as the site of a new state capital in 1788, and was officially established in 1792 as both the new county seat and the new state capital. It was named in November 1792 for Sir Walter Raleigh. The site was chosen apparently for being within close proximity to Isaac Hunter's Tavern, which was popular with legislators at the time.

Despite being spared destruction in the Civil War, Raleigh grew very little from its original 1792 size until the introduction of streetcar lines in the 1920s, the establishment of the Research Triangle Park in the 1950s, and a freeway known as the Beltline in the 1960s. IBM became an influential force in Raleigh in the 1960s, and greatly influenced the city's growth.