The Research Triangle, or simply The Triangle, are both common nicknames for a metropolitan area in the Piedmont region of the U.S. state of North Carolina. Anchored by the cities of Raleigh and Durham and the town of Chapel Hill, the region is home to three major research universities: North Carolina State University, Duke University, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, respectively. The "Triangle" name originated in the 1950s with the creation of Research Triangle Park located between the three anchor cities, which is the largest research park in the United States and home to numerous high tech companies.
Image: Raleigh Skyline
Image: SKYL038 Durham Overcast Skyline Discover Durham
Image: Old Well (42522262)
Raleigh is the capital of North Carolina and the largest city in the Research Triangle area.
The Piedmont is a plateau region located in the Eastern United States. It is situated between the Atlantic Plain and the Blue Ridge Mountains, stretching from New York in the north to central Alabama in the south. The Piedmont Province is a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Highlands physiographic division and consists of the Piedmont Upland, and the Piedmont Lowlands sections.
The Piedmont region in the Appalachian Highlands
The Piedmont Plateau, looking east from Rocky Ridge in Maryland, c. 1898
The James River winds its way among rolling Piedmont hills in central Virginia, though most hills in the Piedmont region are smaller than these.
