Research Triangle Park

Research Triangle Park (RTP) is the largest research park in the United States. It covers 7,000 acres in North Carolina and is home to more than 300 companies and 65,000 workers. The park is owned and managed by the Research Triangle Foundation, a private non-profit organization.

North Carolina's Research Triangle region is named after this famous park, which lies within a geographic triangle formed by three well-known universities: North Carolina State University, Duke University, and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The park is surrounded by the cities of Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill, as well as the communities of Morrisville and Cary. Most of the park is located in Durham County, with about one-quarter in Wake County.

Overview

Research Triangle Park is one of the biggest high-tech research and development parks in the United States. It was started in 1959 by state and local governments, nearby universities, and local business groups. Karl Robbins bought the land where the park now stands. The park covers 7,000 acres and is located in a pine forest with lots of buildings. Major roads like Interstate 40, the Durham Freeway, and NC 540 go through the park.

The park has more than 300 companies with around 55,000 workers and 10,000 additional workers from contracts. Big companies such as IBM have large buildings there. GlaxoSmithKline runs one of its biggest research centers with about 5,000 employees. Cisco Systems also has a major office with around 5,000 workers, second only to its main office in Silicon Valley. The National Institutes of Health has one of its important research centers in the park as well. In August 2017, Scott Levitan became the new leader of the organization that runs the park.

History

After World War II, North Carolina's economy struggled because its main industries, like farming, textiles, and furniture, lost their market share. Professors at UNC, NCSU, and Duke thought a special park would help the universities work together on research, use their strengths, and keep graduates in the state.

The name "Research Triangle" was first used by Romeo Guest in 1953. He started supporting the idea after trying, without success, to bring a big company to Aberdeen in the 1940s. The project was officially approved by Governor Luther Hodges in 1956. Though the universities were unsure at first, the park became a non-profit thanks to Archibald "Archie" Davis. He helped raise over a million dollars from people in North Carolina.

The park grew quickly starting in 1965 when IBM and the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare planned new buildings there. From then until the late 2000s, the park added about six new companies and 1,800 new workers each year. In 2002, IBM sold its desktop PC making operations to Sanmina-SCI, affecting about 900 employees.

Archie Davis believed that helping the community was more important than just making money. He worked hard to create a culture of innovation and brought in many important groups. Research Triangle Park is still a non-profit today.

Local government

Research Triangle Park is a special area that is not part of any city. It has its own rules for building and taxes. Some services, like fire protection, come from nearby towns. The Research Triangle Foundation runs several special places in the park, such as the Frontier RTP campus, which helps new technology and science companies grow.

Redevelopment

In October 2015, leaders of the Research Triangle Foundation announced plans to improve and expand Research Triangle Park with a large project costing $50,000,000. The project includes creating a new area called "Park Center." Money for this project came from Durham County, the Durham-Wake Counties Research and Production Service District, and the Research Triangle Foundation itself.

In 2019, the Research Triangle Foundation changed the name of one part of the park to "Hub RTP." Construction began in September 2020 on this new area, which will include office space, homes, green areas, a hotel, and tall office buildings.

Also in March 2019, plans were announced for a special area called Boxyard RTP. This area, made from shipping containers, will have shops, places to eat, and other fun things. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the opening was delayed by a year. It finally opened in June 2021 with some shops and restaurants starting to welcome visitors. The grand opening happened on November 18, 2021, with many places open for business. Boxyard RTP includes restaurants, a brewery, a coffee shop, and other fun activities like a dog park and live music.