Updated 5/26/2022

Serving as a major player in the Southeastern tech scene, the Raleigh/Durham market, also known as The Research Triangle, is known for its continued growth and notable startup community. The cluster of communities is anchored by a handful of world-class research institutions, namely Duke University, the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and North Carolina State.

This academic community in conjunction with ample venture capital, create the perfect environment for entrepreneurial success. Because of this startup-friendly climate, the flexible office market in Raleigh/Durham is flourishing. If you are looking for a space to call home in The Research Triangle, the experts at Workthere will make it their mission to ensure a flawless, hassle-free process, leaving you more time to focus on what matters.

The Key Features for Businesses in Raleigh/Durham Include:

  1. A very low cost of living/doing business, making for an excellent quality of life for the residents of Raleigh/Durham.
  2. Access to some of the best tech talent in the country (Duke, UNC, Etc.). Raleigh’s population is growing along with its workforce, adding 63 new workers per day, with a large majority having a bachelor’s degree or higher.
  3. The Raleigh-Durham International Airport offers non-stop access to nearly 61 destinations across the world.
  4. Research Triangle Park has been a hub for innovation for over 60 years with 280 companies employing 50,000 workers across the 7,000-acre plateau.
  5. Raleigh contains a variety of creative tech companies comprising of industries such as Life Sciences, Cleantech, Software & IT, and consumer goods as well as a multifariousness of startups.

Downtown

Located in the center of the Raleigh market and packed within a mere 1.2 square miles, Downtown Raleigh is at the core of the area’s tech scene. While the city center is home to many large companies such as IBM, Cisco, Anthem and more, there is also no shortage of entertainment options. The core of Raleigh has a lot of offers including North Carolina’s Museum of Nature Sciences, North Carolina Art Museum, PNC Arena, and North Carolina’s State Capital.

Downtown serves as the center for the dining and bar scenes in Raleigh. According to Southern Living, Raleigh is considered one of the top 10 Tastiest Towns in the south, with a multitude of great restaurants in walkable locations around town.

Downtown is connected via the GoRaleigh bus system.

West Raleigh

Located on the west side of Capital Boulevard, West Raleigh is home to a variety of office users. Anchored by North Carolina State University, the area has an atmosphere rich in culture, making it an excellent place to live and work. The university is known for its world-class science, technology, engineering and mathematics programs, contributing to the greater Raleigh/Durham area’s already exceptional labor pool.

West Raleigh is known as the “Smithsonian of the South” because of its large museum presence including the North Carolina Museum of Art, Gregg Museum of Art & Design, Raleigh Little Theatre, Theatre in the Park and the Raleigh Municipal Rose Garden. The area is also home to Pullen Park, which was founded in 1867.

West Raleigh is home to the PNC Arena, the venue of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes. The arena has also hosted music acts such as Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen and Beyoncé.

The area is connected via the GoRaleigh bus system.

East Raleigh

Situated east of Downtown Raleigh, East Raleigh is home to some of the city’s oldest neighborhoods. Known for its quaint antebellum homes, the Historic Oak View County Park offers an excellent view of the history of the area. The park is home to an 1855 Greek Revival house as well as a variety of other historic pieces.

East Raleigh is also home to a multitude of culinary experiences as well as two popular liquor distilleries, Raleigh Rum Company and Oak City Amaretto.

The area is popular among government tenants as well as law and business services firms.

East Raleigh is connected via the GoRaleigh bus system.

Cary

Cary is a suburb of Raleigh, located between the urban core and Research Triangle Park, but is also the third-largest city in The Research Triangle. The area is renowned for its exceptional quality of life. More than two-thirds of Cary residents hold a college degree and the city ranked 5th on Money Magazines Best Places to Live.

There is no shortage of public green space in Cary, with more than 30 public parks and more than 70 miles of public greenway.

The area, known for its tree-lined streets and quant office parks, is becoming a notable player in the North Carolina technology scene with SAS, IBM, Siemens and Capgemini all having locations in Cary.

The city and surrounding areas are connected via the GoCary bus system.

Downtown Durham

Home to Duke University, Downtown Durham is a popular hub for arts and culture in North Carolina. The city was previously a major hub for the tobacco industry making for a significant amount of historic tobacco warehouses being repurposed into office, retail and living space. There is no shortage of excellent culinary options, breweries and pubs, many within the walkable downtown area.

Within the Downtown Durham area, there has been an ongoing revitalization. This has created a more modern and artsy feel on the city streets.

Durham is home to many technology and professional services firms, including MetLife, Cisco, Microsoft and AT&T.

The city and surrounding areas are connected via the GoDurham bus system. There is also a light rail being constructed to transport community members between Chapel Hill and Durham.

Research Triangle Park

Research Triangle Park is known for its ability to attract businesses. Serving as the largest, continuously operated research park in North America, the area’s 7000 acres are almost exclusively made up of corporate office parks and lab space. This area was established in 1959 in an effort to retain some of the incredible minds graduating from the area’s world-class universities and has done an excellent job in doing so ever since.

Due to the park’s central location between the Durham (9 miles), Chapel Hill (12 miles) and Raleigh (25 miles) city centers, it serves as a work destination for over 40,000 North Carolinians.

The park is home to a plethora of technology and bioscience companies, among others. Some of which include United Therapeutics, Cisco, Bayer, RTI International.

Research Triangle Park is connected via the GoTriangle bus system.

Chapel Hill

Home to the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill is a vibrant and beautiful college town, situated roughly 28 miles outside of Downtown Raleigh. The city is deep rooted in history and southern culinary tradition. There is no shortage of restaurant and bar options in Chapel Hill, which is known as one of “America’s Foodiest Small Towns” by Bon Appétit.

In addition to world-class college basketball, Chapel Hill is also known for its vibrant music scene with acts such as James Taylor, Ben Folds Five and Porter Robinson all jumpstarting their careers in the city.  

While the area is home to TIBCO Software and Strata Corp, the university is ultimately its largest employer, with the university’s hospital a close second. Much of the area’s demand for flexible space comes from the revolving door of startups originating out of UNC.

The city is connected via the Chapel Hill Transit bus system. There is also a light rail being constructed to transport community members between Chapel Hill and Durham.

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