Piedmont Triad - wikipedia Piedmont Triad This article is about the north - central Greensboro -- Winston - Salem -- High Point region of North Carolina. For the Raleigh - Durham -- Cary -- Chapel Hill region of North Carolina, see Research Triangle. The Piedmont Triad ( or simply the Triad ) is a north - central region of the U.S. state of North Carolina that consists of the area within and surrounding the three major cities of Greensboro, Winston - Salem, and High Point. This close group or `` triad '' of cities lies in the Piedmont geographical region of the United States and forms the basis of the Greensboro -- Winston - Salem -- High Point CSA. As of 2012, the Piedmont Triad has an estimated population of 1,611,243 making it the 33rd largest CSA metropolitan area in the United States. The area of the triad is approximately 5,954 square miles. The metropolitan area is connected by Interstates 40, 85, 73, and 74 and is served by the Piedmont Triad International Airport. Long known as one of the primary manufacturing and transportation hubs of the southeastern United States, the Triad is also an important educational and cultural region and occupies a prominent place in the history of the American Civil Rights Movement. The Triad is not to be confused with the `` Triangle '' region ( Raleigh -- Durham -- Chapel Hill ), directly to the east. Contents 1 Counties 2 Municipalities 2.1 Primary cities 2.2 Secondary cities over 10,000 in population 2.3 Other municipalities under 10,000 in population 3 Education 3.1 K -- 12 Education 3.2 Educational institutions 3.3 Museums 4 Economy 4.1 Industry and manufacturing 4.2 Technology and biotechnology 4.3 Shopping 5 Transportation 5.1 Primary highways 5.2 Mass transportation 6 Government 7 Protected areas 8 Media 8.1 Newspapers 8.2 Television stations 9 See also 10 References Counties As part of a redefining of metropolitan areas, the old Greensboro -- Winston - Salem -- High Point Metropolitan Statistical Area was broken up in 2003 into five separate areas -- three Metropolitan Statistical Areas and two Micropolitan Areas. In some ways, however, the region still functions as a single metropolitan area. Location of the Greensboro -- Winston - Salem -- High Point CSA and its components : Greensboro -- High Point Metropolitan Statistical Area Winston - Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area Burlington Metropolitan Statistical Area Mount Airy Micropolitan Statistical Area Alamance Caswell † Davidson Davie Forsyth Guilford Montgomery † Randolph Rockingham Stokes Surry Yadkin † Sometimes included as part of the region Municipalities Definitions of the Piedmont Triad : Census statistical area Additional included area according to Piedmont Triad Council of Governments and Piedmont Triad Partnership The name in italics is the county in which the city is located. Primary cities Greensboro Guilford 269,666 Winston - Salem Forsyth 229,617 High Point Guilford, Forsyth, Davidson & Randolph 104,371 Secondary cities over 10,000 in population Burlington Alamance & Guilford 49,963 Thomasville Davidson 26,757 Asheboro Randolph 25,012 Kernersville Forsyth & Guilford 23,123 Lexington Davidson 18,931 Clemmons Forsyth 18,627 Eden Rockingham 15,527 Reidsville Rockingham 14,520 Graham Alamance 14,153 Lewisville Forsyth 12,639 Archdale Randolph & Guilford 11,415 Mebane Alamance & Orange 11,393 Mount Airy Surry 10,388 Summerfield Guilford 10,232 Other municipalities under 10,000 in population Alamance Alamance 951 Bermuda Run Davie 1,725 Bethania Forsyth 328 † Biscoe Montgomery 1,700 Boonville Yadkin 1,222 † Candor Montgomery 840 Cooleemee Davie 960 Danbury Stokes 189 Denton Davidson 1,636 Dobson Surry 1,586 East Bend Yadkin 612 Elkin Surry 4,001 Elon Alamance 9,419 Franklinville Randolph 1,164 Gibsonville Guilford & Alamance 6,410 Glen Raven Alamance 2,750 Green Level Alamance 2,100 Haw River Alamance 2,298 Jamestown Guilford 3,382 Jonesville Yadkin 2,285 King Stokes & Forsyth 6,904 Liberty Randolph 2,656 Madison Rockingham 2,246 Mayodan Rockingham 2,478 Midway Davidson 4,783 † Milton Caswell 166 Mocksville Davie 5,051 † Mount Gilead Montgomery 1,181 Oak Ridge Guilford 6,185 Ossipee Alamance 543 Pilot Mountain Surry 1,477 Pleasant Garden Guilford 4,489 Ramseur Randolph 1,692 Randleman Randolph 4,113 Rural Hall Forsyth 2,937 Saxapahaw Alamance 1,648 Seagrove Randolph 228 Sedalia Guilford 623 Staley Randolph 393 † Star Montgomery 876 Stokesdale Guilford 5,047 Stoneville Rockingham 1,056 Swepsonville Alamance 1,154 Tobaccoville Forsyth 2,441 Trinity Randolph 6,614 † Troy Montgomery 3,189 Wallburg Davidson 3,047 Walkertown Forsyth 4,675 Walnut Cove Stokes 1,425 Welcome Davidson 4,162 Wentworth Rockingham 2,807 Whitsett Guilford 590 Yadkinville Yadkin 2,959 † Yanceyville Caswell 2,039 † Indicates municipalities in Montgomery and Caswell ( counties usually locally included as part of Piedmont Triad ) Education K -- 12 education The area is served by the Winston - Salem / Forsyth County Schools and Guilford County Schools. The area is home to a number of religious schools, as well as a number of independent schools including Summit School in Winston - Salem, Forsyth Country Day School in Lewisville, and Greensboro Day School and Greensboro Montessori School in Greensboro. Educational institutions More than twenty institutions of higher education are located within the Triad, including : Alamance Community College Bennett College Bridges Christian College Davidson County Community College Elon University Forsyth Technical Community College Greensboro College Guilford College Guilford Technical Community College High Point University John Wesley College ( North Carolina ) North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University Piedmont International University University of North Carolina School of the Arts Randolph Community College Rockingham Community College Salem College Surry Community College University of North Carolina at Greensboro Wake Forest University Winston - Salem State University Three prominent boarding schools also call the Triad home : Salem Academy, Oak Ridge Military Academy, and the American Hebrew Academy. Museums Major art and historical museums contribute to the cultural climate of the region, including the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art ( SECCA ), The Reynolda House Museum of American Art, Old Salem, High Point Historical Museum, Mendenhall Plantation, the Weatherspoon Museum of Modern Art ( located on the campus of UNCG ), Blandwood Mansion and Gardens, the Greensboro Historical Museum, Guilford Battleground National Military Park, and the Charlotte Hawkins Brown State Museum. The area also has its fair share of scientific museums, such as SciWorks, the International Civil Rights Center and Museum, the Wake Forest Museum of Anthropology, and the Greensboro Science Center. The North Carolina Zoo, the world 's largest open - air natural habitat zoo, is located just outside the Randoph County city of Asheboro. Economy The economy in the Piedmont Triad is a mixed economy. Industry and manufacturing The Triad area is notable for large textile, tobacco, and furniture corporations. The Triad remains a national center for textile manufacturing, represented by corporations including Hanes based in Winston - Salem, and International Textile Group, based in Greensboro. Tobacco remains a prominent crop in the Triad 's rural areas and many tobacco companies like Lorillard Tobacco Company of Greensboro, and Reynolds American, based in Winston - Salem, call the Piedmont Triad home. Numerous furniture manufacturers are also headquartered in the Triad area, especially in the cities of High Point ( deemed the `` Furniture Capital of the World '' ), Thomasville ( known as the `` Chair City '' ), and Lexington. The furniture and textile industries have in turn spawned large trucking, logistics, and warehousing businesses in the area. Popular brands like `` Thomasville '' and `` Lexington '' are derived from the names of these cities. Recently, however, many furniture and tobacco factories have been closing and / or laying off workers across the region in response to escalating industrial globalization. Technology and biotechnology After many of the old industries in the area began to die out, many Piedmont Triad cities began encouraging technological businesses to move into the Triad. Winston - Salem, for instance, founded within its downtown the Piedmont Triad Research Park, now known as Wake Forest Innovation Quarter, a highly interactive, 200 - acre, master - planned innovation community developed to support life science and information technology research and development. Dell, Inc. in the early 2000s struck a deal with local officials allowing for the construction of a new computer assembly plant near the Triad city of Kernersville. Dell pulled out of its contract with the city, however, and left after only a few years. Additionally, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, the largest institution of higher learning in the region, and North Carolina A&T State University have joined forces to establish the Gateway University Research Park, a technology - based entity that will focus its efforts on a host of biological, life, and environmental science research projects. Upon full build out of the project, it is expected to be housed by two 75 - acre ( 300,000 m ) campuses, employ approximately 2,000 people, and generate $50 million per year to the Triad economy. LabCorp, one of the largest clinical laboratories in the world, has its corporate headquarters and several of its testing facilities in Burlington. Shopping The following are the most prominent regional shopping centers / malls in the Piedmont Triad region : Four Seasons Town Centre, Greensboro Friendly Center, Greensboro Hanes Mall, Winston - Salem Alamance Crossing, Burlington Burlington Outlet Village, Burlington Holly Hill Mall, Burlington Tanger Outlets, Mebane Marketplace Mall, Winston - Salem Randolph Mall, Asheboro Transportation Major roads and cities in the Piedmont Triad and two other nearby counties. The blue triangle represents the three points of the `` Triad ''. Primary highways Further information : North Carolina Highway System The triad is home to an extensive freeway network, which is in the process of undergoing a major expansion. Four major Interstate highways and numerous secondary Interstate routes and US routes serve the region : Interstate highways I - 40, the primary east - west route across the region. In the eastern Triad, it is conjoined with I - 85. The two routes split in Greensboro. I - 40 Business ( Green - 40 ), runs through Kernersville and Winston - Salem. It is a former alignment of I - 40. The segment of I - 40 running through Greensboro also briefly bore the designation `` Business 40 '' following the opening of the Greensboro Western Urban Loop in February, 2008 ; it was re-designated as I - 40 later that year for the state to continue receiving federal funding for it. I - 840 ( Painter Boulevard ), part of the Greensboro Urban Loop, currently under construction. When complete, I - 840 will be the northern half of the loop. I - 73, the primary north - south route across the region, much of which has yet to be constructed. The route follows the current US 220, with the exception of a small segment that shares the southwestern portion of the Greensboro Outer Loop, and was briefly designated as I - 40 between its opening in February, 2008. This portion was originally designated as I - 40, with the current and original I - 40 being re-designated as Business 40. I - 74, running across the region from southeast to northwest. Like I - 73, much of the route has yet to be constructed, but several disjointed segments are currently open and signed as either I - 74 or `` FUTURE I - 74 ''. The route, when complete, will enter the region from the south conjoined with I - 73, and will diverge from there north of Asheboro to follow the US 311 freeway through High Point. From there it leaves US 311 and forms the eastern segment of the Winston - Salem Beltway before joining US 52 and following it northwest out of the region. I - 274, currently only in the planning stages, is the proposed designation for the western half of the Winston - Salem Beltway. I - 85, connects the region to Charlotte and points southwest. Enters from the east conjoined with I - 40, and splits from that route in Greensboro. I - 85 Business ( Green - 85 ), a former alignment of I - 85, it exists in two segments. The older, southern segment consists of a former temporary alignment of I - 85 that contains some non-freeway portions. The northern segment, which received its designation when a new I - 85 was opened as part of the Greensboro Urban Loop, is entirely freeway. I - 285, connecting Winston - Salem to Lexington, the route is currently part of the US 52 freeway that is being upgraded to Interstate standards. I - 785, connecting Greensboro to Danville, Virginia, the route is under development. It is currently part of US 29, much of which is not Interstate standard. US highways US 29 runs roughly northeast to southwest across the region. Most of the route is either currently, or planned to be, co-signed with Interstate highways, including I - 785 and I - 85 Business. US 52, nominally an east - west highway, runs primarily north - south through the region, serving as the main north - south freeway route through Winston - Salem. The entire freeway is planned for upgrade to Interstate standards. North of Winston - Salem the route is scheduled to become part I - 74 ( a small segment near Mount Airy is currently signed as I - 74 ), while south of the city it is scheduled to become I - 285. US 64 is an east - west highway through the southern Triad, connecting Asheboro, Lexington, and Mocksville. US 70 is an east - west highway that closely parallels I - 85 through the entire region. US 158 runs roughly northeast - southwest across the region, terminating in Mocksville near the intersection if US 64 and I - 40. US 220 is currently the primary north - south route through Greensboro ; the entire route is scheduled to be upgraded to or bypassed by I - 73. US 311 is a nominally north - south route that follows a C - shaped path, running northeast - southwest between Eden and Winston - Salem, and northwest - southeast between Winston - Salem and Randleman. The southern segment is being upgraded as part of a future I - 74. US 421 enters the region from the southeast, and joins I - 85 in Greensboro. It then takes I - 85 South to I - 73 North to western Greensboro. The route is then co-signed with either I - 40 Business or I - 40 through the region to the west. After leaving Greensboro, it continues through Winston - Salem, the rural area of Yakdinville, and continues into Wilkesboro. Mass transportation Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation ( PART ) is the Triad 's 10 - county regional organization with the goal of enhancing all forms of transportation through regional cooperation. PART Express Bus provides express service to each major Triad city from Piedmont Triad International Airport, while Connections Express connects the Triad to Duke and UNC Medical Centers. PART also has Express Bus service to outlying counties that surround the Triad including Surry, Stokes, Davidson, Yadkin, and Randolph Counties and soon to be Davie County. PART is also administering and developing several rail service studies that include both commuter and intercity rail. ( Additional information on PART can be found at PART 's website. ) Government The region is served by the Piedmont Triad Regional Council ( PTRC ). The PTRC was formed by the merger of the Northwest Piedmont Council of Governments and Piedmont Triad Council of Governments on July 1, 2011. The PTRC is a membership organization of the 12 counties and 62 municipalities in the Triad region. The website is `` www.ptrc.org ''. Protected areas The Piedmont Triad has several protected areas, which lay entirely or partly in the region : Blue Ridge Parkway, partly within Surry and Wilkes counties Deep River State Trail, partly within Guilford and Randolph counties Guilford Courthouse National Military Park, Guilford County Hanging Rock State Park, Stokes County Haw River State Park, Guilford and Rockingham counties Mayo River State Park, Rockingham County Mountains - to - Sea Trail, partly within Alamance, Forsyth, Guilford, Stokes, Surry, and Wilkes counties Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail, partly within Surry and Wilkes counties Pilot Mountain State Park, Surry and Yadkin counties Uwharrie National Forest, Davidson, Montgomery and Randolph counties Yadkin River State Trail, partly within Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Surry, Wilkes, and Yadkin counties Media Newspapers The following are prominent newspapers in the Piedmont Triad region and the counties each newspaper covers. Greensboro News & Record, Guilford County  ̈ Hola Noticias  ̈, The Triad Winston - Salem Journal, Forsyth County Burlington Times - News, Alamance County Mebane Enterprise, Alamance County Courier - Tribune, Randolph County Thomasville Times, Davidson County The Dispatch, Davidson County High Point Enterprise, High Point, Guilford County Archdale - Trinity News, Randolph County The Stokes News, Stokes County The Reidsville Review, Rockingham County The Tribune, Surry, Wilkes, and Yadkin counties Mount Airy News, Surry County YES ! Weekly, Guilford County, Forsyth County Triad City Beat, Guilford County, Forsyth County Rhino Times, Guilford County The Jamestown News, Guilford County The Stokesdale News, Guilford County Northwest Observer, Guilford County Television stations All of the Piedmont Triad region belongs to the Greensboro / Winston - Salem / High Point television designated market area ( DMA ). The following are stations that broadcast to this DMA. These stations are listed by call letters, virtual channel number, network and city of license. WFMY - TV, 2, CBS, Greensboro WGHP, 8, Fox, High Point WXII, 12, NBC, Winston - Salem Spectrum News, 14, Greensboro ( Charter Communications ) WGPX, 16, Ion, Burlington WCWG, 20, CW, Lexington WUNL - TV, 26, PBS / UNC - TV, Winston - Salem WLXI - TV, 43, TCT, Greensboro WXLV - TV, 45, ABC, Winston - Salem WGSR - LD, 47, Independent, Reidsville WMYV, 48, My, Greensboro See also North Carolina portal I - 85 Corridor Piedmont Atlantic Piedmont Crescent References Jump up ^ `` Population Estimates 2012 Combined Statistical Areas : April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2012 ''. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on March 17, 2013. Retrieved 2013 - 03 - 14. Piedmont Triad Location North Carolina Piedmont Piedmont Crescent I - 85 Corridor Cities Greensboro Winston - Salem High Point Asheboro Burlington Clemmons Eden Graham Kernersville Lexington Reidsville Thomasville Counties Alamance Davie Davidson Forsyth Guilford Randolph Rockingham Stokes Surry Yadkin Newspapers Greensboro News & Record Winston - Salem Journal High Point Enterprise Burlington Times - News Thomasville Times Archdale - Trinity News Higher education Wake Forest University Salem College Winston - Salem State University University of North Carolina School of the Arts High Point University Guilford College University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro College Bennett College North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University Elon University Protected areas Blue Ridge Parkway Deep River State Trail Guilford Courthouse National Military Park Hanging Rock State Park Haw River State Park Mayo River State Park Mountains - to - Sea Trail Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail Pilot Mountain State Park Rendezvous Mountain Educational State Forest Stone Mountain State Park Uwharrie National Forest Yadkin River State Trail Transportation I - 40 I - 85 I - 73 I - 74 Bus I - 40 Bus I - 85 US 29 US 52 US 64 US 220 US 311 US 421 Piedmont Triad International Airport Greensboro Urban Loop Winston - Salem Beltway State of North Carolina Raleigh ( capital ) Topics Climate Geography State Parks Wildlife History Media Newspapers Radio TV North Carolinians Politics Government Law Tourist attractions Seal of North Carolina Society Culture Music Sports Crime Demographics Economy Education Elections Gambling Regions Western Foothills High Country Piedmont Metrolina ( Charlotte ) Piedmont Triad Triangle Eastern Sandhills Cape Fear Crystal Coast Inner Banks Outer Banks Largest cities Asheville Cary Chapel Hill Charlotte Concord Durham Fayetteville Gastonia Greensboro Greenville High Point Jacksonville Raleigh Wilmington Winston ‐ Salem Smaller cities Albemarle Apex Asheboro Burlington Conover Eden Elizabeth City Garner Goldsboro Graham Havelock Henderson Hendersonville Hickory Kannapolis Kings Mountain Kinston Laurinburg Lenoir Lexington Lumberton Monroe Morganton New Bern Newton Reidsville Roanoke Rapids Rocky Mount Salisbury Sanford Shelby Statesville Thomasville Wake Forest Wilson Major towns Beaufort Boone Brevard Carrboro Clayton Cornelius Dunn Fuquay - Varina Harrisburg Holly Springs Hope Mills Huntersville Indian Trail Kernersville Knightdale Leland Matthews Midland Mint Hill Mooresville Morehead City Morrisville Mount Pleasant Oxford Shallotte Smithfield Southern Pines Tarboro Waynesville Winterville Counties Alamance Alexander Alleghany Anson Ashe Avery Beaufort Bertie Bladen Brunswick Buncombe Burke Cabarrus Caldwell Camden Carteret Caswell Catawba Chatham Cherokee Chowan Clay Cleveland Columbus Craven Cumberland Currituck Dare Davidson Davie Duplin Durham Edgecombe Forsyth Franklin Gaston Gates Graham Granville Greene Guilford Halifax Harnett Haywood Henderson Hertford Hoke Hyde Iredell Jackson Johnston Jones Lee Lenoir Lincoln Macon Madison Martin McDowell Mecklenburg Mitchell Montgomery Moore Nash New Hanover Northampton Onslow Orange Pamlico Pasquotank Pender Perquimans Person Pitt Polk Randolph Richmond Robeson Rockingham Rowan Rutherford Sampson Scotland Stanly Stokes Surry Swain Transylvania Tyrrell Union Vance Wake Warren Washington Watauga Wayne Wilkes Wilson Yadkin Yancey The 100 most populous metropolitan statistical areas of the United States of America New York, NY Los Angeles, CA Chicago, IL Dallas, TX Houston, TX Washington, DC Philadelphia, PA Miami, FL Atlanta, GA Boston, MA San Francisco, CA Phoenix, AZ Riverside, CA Detroit, MI Seattle, WA Minneapolis, MN San Diego, CA Tampa, FL Denver, CO St. Louis, MO Baltimore, MD Charlotte, NC San Juan, PR Orlando, FL San Antonio, TX Portland, OR Pittsburgh, PA Sacramento, CA Cincinnati, OH Las Vegas, NV Kansas City, MO Austin, TX Columbus, OH Cleveland, OH Indianapolis, IN San Jose, CA Nashville, TN Virginia Beach, VA Providence, RI Milwaukee, WI Jacksonville, FL Memphis, TN Oklahoma City, OK Louisville, KY Richmond, VA New Orleans, LA Hartford, CT Raleigh, NC Birmingham, AL Buffalo, NY Salt Lake City, UT Rochester, NY Grand Rapids, MI Tucson, AZ Honolulu, HI Tulsa, OK Fresno, CA Bridgeport, CT Worcester, MA Albuquerque, NM Omaha, NE Albany, NY New Haven, CT Bakersfield, CA Knoxville, TN Greenville, SC Oxnard, CA El Paso, TX Allentown, PA Baton Rouge, LA McAllen, TX Dayton, OH Columbia, SC Greensboro, NC Sarasota, FL Little Rock, AR Stockton, CA Akron, OH Charleston, SC Colorado Springs, CO Syracuse, NY Winston - Salem, NC Cape Coral, FL Boise, ID Wichita, KS Springfield, MA Madison, WI Lakeland, FL Ogden, UT Toledo, OH Deltona, FL Des Moines, IA Jackson, MS Augusta, GA Scranton, PA Youngstown, OH Harrisburg, PA Provo, UT Palm Bay, FL Chattanooga, TN United States Census Bureau population estimates for July 1, 2012 Coordinates : 35 ° 57 ′ 21 '' N 80 ° 00 ′ 19 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 35.9557 ° N 80.0053 ° W ﻿ / 35.9557 ; - 80.0053 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Piedmont_Triad&oldid=858381765 '' Categories : Piedmont Triad Regions of North Carolina Hidden categories : All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from March 2012 Coordinates on Wikidata Talk Contents About Wikipedia Español Français 日本 語 Edit links This page was last edited on 6 September 2018, at 19 : 32 ( UTC ). 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Question: what is the triad area of north carolina
Answer: the area within and surrounding the three major cities of Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and High Point