[6] Morrisville is part of the Research Triangle metropolitan region, located midway between the cities of Raleigh and Durham.

Morris donated land to the North Carolina Railroad for a depot, water tower, and other buildings.

The town continued to grow as a result of the rail line and its location at the intersection of roads leading to Chapel Hill, Raleigh, and Hillsborough.

Using cavalry and artillery, Union forces attacked a Confederate train loaded with supplies and wounded.

Before withdrawing, the Confederate cavalry repelled the attack long enough to allow the railcars of wounded to escape while abandoning the supplies.

The next night, a courier from the Confederate commander, General Joseph E. Johnston, rode into the Union camp at Morrisville with a truce proposal.

Subsequent negotiations between Johnston and Sherman led to the largest Confederate surrender of the Civil War at the Bennett Farm in Durham on April 26.

[8] On December 13, 1994, Flagship Airlines Flight 3379 crashed in Morrisville, killing 15 of the 20 people on board.

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 Morrisville features gently rolling hills that slope eastward toward the state's flat coastal plain.

Known as North Carolina's "little India" by locals,[13] Morrisville has become one of the most diverse towns in the state particularly due to the expansion of the technology industry.

Companies based in Morrisville include Oracle, Syneos Health and Lenovo (operational headquarters).

The town manager, Martha Paige, is appointed by the council to serve as the chief operating officer administering all municipal affairs.

Morrisville Council members include Steve Rao, Vicki Scroggins-Johnson, Satish Garimella, Anne Robotti, and Donna Fender.