According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 857 square miles, 832 square miles  of it is land and 25 square miles  of it (2.95%) is water.

Wake County is located in the northeast central region of North Carolina, where the North American Piedmont and Atlantic Coastal Plain regions meet. This area is known as the "fall line" because it marks the elevation inland at which waterfalls begin to appear in creeks and rivers. As a result, most of Wake County features gently rolling hills that slope eastward toward the state's flat coastal plain. Its central Piedmont location situates the county about three hours west of Atlantic Beach, North Carolina, by car and four hours east of the Great Smoky Mountains of the Appalachian range.

Bodies of water that are located in Wake County include Lake Crabtree, Crabtree Creek, the Neuse River, and portions of Falls Lake and Jordan Lake.

Climate

Wake County enjoys a moderate subtropical climate, with moderate temperatures in the spring, fall, and winter. Summers are typically hot with high humidity. Winter highs generally range in the low 50s°F (10 to 13 °C) with lows in the low-to-mid 30s°F (-2 to 2°C), although an occasional 60°F (15°C) or warmer winter day is not uncommon. Spring and fall days usually reach the low-to-mid 70s°F (low 20s°C), with lows at night in the lower 50s°F (10 to 14°C). Summer daytime highs often reach the upper 80s to low 90s°F (29 to 35°C). The rainiest months are July and August.

The county receives on average 2 inches  of snow in the winter. Freezing rain and sleet occur most winters, and occasionally the area experiences a major ice storm.

Economy

Wake County's economy is heavily influenced by the Research Triangle Park (RTP), located between Durham and Raleigh. RTP is the country's largest industrial park and a primary center in the United States for high-tech and biotech research, as well as textile development. The Park is home to more than 160 companies employing over 50,000 people.  The largest employers in the Park include IBM (11,000 employees), GlaxoSmithKline (6,400 employees), and Cisco Systems (3,400 employees).

Wake County's industrial base includes electrical, medical, electronic and telecommunications equipment; clothing and apparel; food processing; paper products; and pharmaceuticals. The agriculture industry is visible in rural areas of the county, with tobacco, cotton, wheat, soybeans and corn being the most common products grown.

SAS Institute, one of the largest privately held software companies in the world, is located in Cary. Other major companies based in Wake County include RBC Centura, Progress Energy Inc, 3Dsolve, Carquest, Bear Rock Foods, Cotton Incorporated, Epic Games, Lord Corporation, Lenovo Group (U.S. headquarters), Tekelec, Red Hat, Golden Corral and Martin Marietta Materials.

In 2007, Forbes magazine listed Raleigh and Cary among the best cities to find jobs in the Unites States, as well as being the area ranked as the best place for business and careers. Also in 2007, CNN ranked the region has the 3rd best area for job growth, the top region for technology workers, and Bizjournals.com ranked it as the 4th best place for young adult job seekers.

Culture

Museums

• North Carolina Museum of Art
• North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
• North Carolina Museum of History
• Raleigh City Museum
• Marbles Kid's Museum
• J.C. Raulston Arboretum
• Joel Lane House
• Page-Walker Hotel
• Mordecai House
• North Carolina Railroad Museum
• Pope House Museum
• North Carolina Contemporary Art Museum
• Artspace

Performing arts

The Walnut Creek Amphitheatre hosts major international touring acts. The Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts complex houses the Raleigh Memorial Auditorium, the Fletcher Opera Theater, the Kennedy Theatre, and the Meymandi Concert Hall. During the North Carolina State Fair, Dorton Arena hosts headline acts.

Theater performances are also offered at the Raleigh Little Theatre, Theatre in the Park and Stewart Theater at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. Applause! Cary Youth Theatre, Cary Players Community Theatre, Sertoma Amphiteatre at Bond Park, and Koka Booth Amphitheatre are located in Cary.

Other theatre and performing arts locations include The Halle Cultural Arts Center in Apex and Garner Historic Auditorium in Garner. Local colleges and universities add to the options available for viewing live performances.

Wake County is home to several professional arts organizations, including the North Carolina Symphony, the Opera Company of North Carolina, the North Carolina Theatre, and Carolina Ballet.

Visual arts

The North Carolina Museum of Art, occupying a large suburban campus on Blue Ridge Road near the State Fairgrounds, houses one of the premier public art collections located between Washington, D.C. and Atlanta. In addition to collections of American Art, European Art and ancient art, the museum recently has hosted major exhibitions featuring Auguste Rodin  and Claude Monet , each attracting more than 200,000 visitors.  Unlike most public museums, the North Carolina Museum of Art acquired a large number of the works in its permanent collection through purchases with public funds. The museum's outdoor park is one of the largest such art parks in the country.


Sports

Professional

The National Hockey League's Carolina Hurricanes franchise moved to Raleigh in 1997 from Hartford, Connecticut. Their home arena, the RBC Center, also plays host to concerts and other public events. The Hurricanes are the only major league (NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB) professional sports team in North Carolina to have won a championship, winning the Stanley Cup in 2006, over the Edmonton Oilers.

The Carolina Railhawks of the United Soccer Leagues are located in Cary and their home field is the WakeMed Soccer Park. The team won the 2007 Southern Derby competition.

The Carolina Mudcats is a minor league baseball team located in eastern Wake County. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Florida Marlins major-league club. Their ballpark, Five County Stadium, is located in Zebulon.

The Research Triangle region has hosted the Professional Golfers' Association (PGA) Nationwide Tour Rex Hospital Open since 1994, with the current location of play at Raleigh's Wakefield Plantation.

N.C. State basketball game at the RBC Center

College

North Carolina State University, which is a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I, plays their home basketball games at the RBC Center and home football games at Carter-Finley Stadium.

Other institutions of higher learning that compete in competitive sports includes: St. Augustine's College (NCAA Division II, Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA)), Meredith College (NCAA Division III and USA South Athletic Conference), Peace College (NCAA Division III and USA South Athletic Conference), and Shaw University (NCAA Division II, CIAA).

Amateur

The North Carolina Tigers, an Australian Rules football club in the United States Australian Football League (USAFL) and competing in the Eastern Australian Football League (EAFL), are based in Raleigh.

Wake County is also home to the Carolina Rollergirls, an all-women flat-track roller derby team that is a competing member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA). The Carolina Rollergirls compete at the North Carolina State Fairground's Dorton Arena.

The USA Baseball National Training Complex is located in Cary.

Transportation

Passenger

An American Airlines Boeing 777 from London Gatwick, lands at RDU.

• Air: Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) is located in northwestern Wake county off I-40. The airport offers service to over 45 domestic and international destinations,  and is a focus city for American Airlines and American Eagle Airlines. The airport currently serves more than 10 million passengers a year.
• Wake County is served by Amtrak with facilities in Raleigh and Cary.
• Local Bus: The Triangle Transit Authority operates buses that serve the region and connect to municipal bus systems in Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill.
• Regional Rail - Plans are being made for a light rail system that would be built over the next 10 to 20 years.

 Roads

• I-40 is the only Interstate that runs through the county. It offers direct access to RDU, Morrisville, Cary, Raleigh, and Garner.
• I-440 is a beltway that encircles most of downtown Raleigh. The southern portion of the beltway is I-40.
• I-540 is a 66-mile (106 km) partially completed loop that will connect the satellite towns of Wake Forest, Knightdale, Garner, Apex, Cary, Morrisville, Rolesville, and Fuquay-Varina. The completed portions are called the Northern Wake Expressway in northern Wake County and the Western Wake Parkway in western Wake County.
• Major highways that run through the Wake County include US 1, US 64, US 264, US 70, and US 401. Other highways include NC 55, NC 42, NC 50, 751, NC 39, NC 98, and NC 231.

Bicycles

The mountains-to-the-sea North Carolina Bicycle Route 2 travels through Wake County, as does the Maine-to-Florida U.S. Bicycle Route 1. North Carolina Bicycle Route 5, the Cape Fear run, connects Apex to the coastal city of Wilmington, North Carolina.

Falls Lake

Parks and recreation

State parks

Wake County is home to three state parks: Falls Lake State Recreation Area, William B. Umstead State Park, and the Jordan Lake State Recreation Area. Falls Lake Park is located in northern Wake County and contains the 12,000-acre  Falls Lake and 26,000 acres  of woodlands.  Umstead Park is situated between Raleigh and Cary near RDU. Located right off I-40, it is divided into two sections, Crabtree Creek and Reedy Creek and contains 5,579 acres  of woodlands. Jordan Lake Park, which is partially located in Wake County near Apex, contains 13,940-acre Jordan Lake and 46,768 acres of woodlands. This park is known for being home to bald eagles.

County parks and recreation centers

There are 152 city parks, public swimming and public tennis facilities in Wake County. In addition, there are 53 community centers.  Notable parks include Pullen Park and Yates Mill Park. The American Tobacco Trail is a 22-mile rail trail project that is located in the Research Triangle Park region. Fifteeen miles of the trail is located in Wake County and is open to pedestrians, cyclists, equestrians (in non-urban sections), and other non-motorized users.

Hospitals

Wake County is served by three hospitals, Rex Hospital, WakeMed, and Duke Raleigh Hospital. In addition to WakeMed's primary facility, the hospital also operates seven satellite locations throughout the county. These locations include North Raleigh, Cary, Fuquay-Varina, Zebulon, Wake Forest, Apex, Wake Forest Road, and Brier Creek.