Ten of the Research Triangle Region’s 13 counties are considered rural. They are offer lower land and business costs than the more urban counties of Durham, Orange and Wake while still maintaining access to the resources and assets that make the region one of the most economically competitive in the world: world-leading life sciences and technology clusters, R&D from three major research universities and numerous federal and private labs; customized workforce training through a top-ranked community college system; a business-friendly environment; and an enviable quality of life with great climate, cultural activities and boundless recreation opportunities.

The Research Triangle Regional Partnership (RTRP) works in partnership with county economic developers to market and connect new and growing businesses to buildings and sites in these 10 counties.

Among its strategies for promoting growth in rural areas is the award-winning Triangle North initiative.  In this unique collaboration, governments in the four northern counties of Franklin, Granville, Vance and Warren are sharing both costs and revenues for the first time ever in North Carolina to develop a network of tax-advantaged business parks to promote business growth.

Triangle North grew from a RTRP-commissioned study to examine the feasibility of creating such parks to encourage growth to leap, not sprawl, to these counties. The study was funded with a grant from the Golden LEAF and conducted by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Center for Competitive Economies.

 

RTRP now markets Triangle North under contract to the nonprofit corporation, Kerr-Tar Regional Economic Development Corporation, formed to own and develop the parks.

For more information, visit http://www.trianglenorthnc.org.