Wake County is part of the Research Triangle metropolitan region, which encompasses the cities of Raleigh, Durham, Cary and Chapel Hill and their surrounding suburban areas.
The regional name originated after the 1959 creation of the Research Triangle Park, located midway between Raleigh and Durham.
The Research Triangle region encompasses the U.S. Census Bureau's Combined Statistical Area (CSA) of Raleigh-Durham-Cary.
The estimated population of the Raleigh-Durham-Cary CSA was 1,749,525 as of April 1, 2010, with the Raleigh-Cary Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) portion at 1,130,490 residents in 2020 census.
Below is a list of notable former members of the Wake County Board of Commissioners with their dates of service: Stan Norwalk (2008-2010)