Wake County, North Carolina

Community
Consistently rated as one of the best places to live and work in America.

" Wake County is consistently ranked as one of the best places in the United States in which to live, work and raise a family. This area offers a combination of business and industry, higher education, historic preservation, arts and culture, and recreation and leisure services that provides a quality lifestyle for many Wake County residents, whether they prefer rural or urban settings.

The size of the County is 549,000 acres, or 860 sq. miles, or 2, 212 sq. kilometers. From east to west, it measures 46 miles. From north to south, it measures 39 miles. The highest point in the County, about 540 feet above sea level, is a quarter of a mile north of Leesville.

The lowest point in the County, about 160 feet above sea level, is a half of a mile southeast of Shotwell, where Marks Creek flows into Johnston County.

The geographic center of Wake County is in Raleigh, near Broughton High School.

The County is considered to be in a transitional zone between the Piedmont uplands and the coastal plain and, therefore, within the fall zone.

The Neuse River and its tributaries drain about 80% of the County, and the southwestern part is drained by tributaries of the Cape Fear River. The stream network generally flows in a southeasterly direction. "