Raleigh A-Z July 21, 2016 09:08
UPstudio is based out of Raleigh, North Carolina. To share more about our hometown we decided to challenge ourselves to think of a list that followed the alphabet, A-Z. (So limiting ourselves to only 26!) To meet the challenge we had to think outside of the box a bit. Fun facts, amazing people, and places all made the cut.
| A | Ashley Christensen: An award winning chef who now has 6 restaurants downtown that are all amazing! |
| B | Breweries: Raleigh is home to more than 12 breweries. |
| C | Capital Area Greenway Trail System: A network of public open spaces and recreational trails connecting the city. |
| D | Development Beat: Learn about all of the development going on in Raleigh via this blog (yea, we know we are nerds, and we own it!). |
| E | Education: Raleigh is home to 11 traditional universities and colleges and numerous satellite campuses for higher education. |
| F | Farmers Market: 30,000 square feet for North Carolina farmers to sell fresh produce, plants, and other specialty items produced on local farms. Open 7 days a week. |
| G | Goodnight Raleigh: A blog/online magazine that shares awesome fun facts and pictures about the history of Raleigh. |
| H | Hall, Michael C: Most commonly known as Dexter Morgan was born and grew up right here in Raleigh, attending Ravenscroft High School. |
| I | Ira David Wood III: A local actor that has raised the bar for theatrical excellence in Raleigh. Many know him as Scrooge. He is also the founder and executive director of the Theater in the Park. |
| J | J.S. Dorton Arena: This 1952 iconic structure associated with the state fair is actually a National Historic Monument and boasts the world's first cable supported roof system. |
| K | Kingston Upon Hull, England: Is one of our sister cities, the mission: “To promote peace through mutual respect, understanding, and cooperation - one individual, one community at a time.” |
| L | Libraries: Wake County Public Libraries have come a long way since we were kids. Example: I now check out new releases via my kindle. Our system has over 21 locations, 10 of which are in Raleigh. |
| M | Mordecai Historic Park: One of the historic outbuildings includes the birthplace of the 17th president, Andrew Johnson. |
| N | North Carolina Museum of Art: It was the first art museum in the country to be established using state funds. |
| O | Oak View: Where the typical 4th grader goes to pick cotton and learn about about North Carolina's agricultural development from colonial times to the present. (Also just learned that Gregory Poole owned and lived at the estate for 3 years.) |
| P | Parks: Our city park system boasts over 200 parks total over 9,000 acres of parkland. |
| Q | Quality of Life: Raleigh consistently ranks in the top 20 best US cities in regards to overall quality of life. |
| R | Red Hat Amphitheater: "Bringin' the get down to downtown" |
| S | Sir Walter Raleigh: Our namesake. |
| T | Triangle Glides Segway Tours: The best part is that the tours are narrated, so you learn tons of cool facts about the city as you ride around. |
| U | Umstead State Park: In 1934 the state purchased the roughly 5,000 acres that we now call William B. Umstead State Park for $1. |
| V | Vance Sykes: Class of 1907 alumni of North Carolina State University credited with the idea of constructing the iconic Belltower, a 115 ft granite monument to honor NC State alumni killed in WWI. |
| W | Walter Magazine: "Raleigh's Life and Soul" (We highly recommend the in-depth profiles.) |
| X | X-Files: The thirteenth episode of the first season, "Beyond the Sea" was set in Raleigh, NC. |
| Y | YMCA: The first permanent building was erected in 1913 on the corner of Wilmington and Edenton Streets. The downtown location moved to it's current home on Hillsborough Street in 1959. The YMCA used to have living quarters where Barney Fife from The Andy Griffith Show once stayed. |
| Z | Zip Codes: Per USPS, Raleigh touches 44 zip codes. #cray |
(Photo Credits: A: ac-restaurants, B: Big Boss Brewing, C: City of Raleigh, D: Development Beat, E: NCpedia, F: State Farmers Market G: Ian F. G. Dunn, H: IMDb, I: Nick Pironio, J: NCDA&CS, K: Wikitravel, L: The News & Observer, M: STRAYTHERE, N: NCSU Libraries, O: Historic Oak View County Park, P: City of Raleigh, Q: A Breath of Fresh Air, R: Jason Moore Photography, S: 919Raleigh, T: ME!, U: stateparks.com, V: NCSU Libraries, W: Walter Magazine, X: Den of Geek, Y: State Archives of North Carolina, Z: Popular Raleigh Neighborhoods)