Piedmont Triad

The Piedmont Triad, or 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. The metropolitan area is connected by Interstates 40, 85, 73, & 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. As of 2008, the Piedmont Triad has an estimated population of 1,603,101 making it the 30th largest CSA metropolitan area in the United States.^[1]

Counties

Location of the Greensboro-Winston-Salem-High Point CSA and its components:

  Greensboro-High Point Metropolitan Statistical Area

  Winston-Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area

  Thomasville-Lexington Micropolitan 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 indicated in italics is county in which 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 Boonville Yadkin 1,222 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 4,679

Mocksville Davie 5,051 Oak Ridge Guilford 6,185 Ossipee Alamance 543 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 Stokesdale Guilford 5,047 Stoneville Rockingham 1,056 Swepsonville Alamance 1,154 Tobaccoville Forsyth 2,441 Trinity Randolph 6,614 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

Education

Educational institutions

More than twenty institutions of higher education are located within the Triad, including:

• Alamance Community College
• Bennett 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
• 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 Natural Science Center of Greensboro. The North Carolina Zoo, the world's largest open-air natural habitat zoo, is located just outside of the Randoph County city of Asheboro.(Museums of the Triad)

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, a highly interactive, 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. 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 which 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 m²) campuses, employ approximately 2,000 people, and generate $50 million dollars 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
• Burlington Square Mall, Burlington
• Oak Hollow Mall, High Point
• Marketplace Mall, Winston Salem

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

For more details on this topic, see 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; however, it was re-designated as I-40 later that year in response to complaints from locals and confused motorists.
  • 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 which 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. For more information on PART visit PART's website

Government

Many western Piedmont Triad counties and municipalities belong to the Northwest Piedmont Council of Governments while many in the east belong to the Piedmont Triad Council of Governments.

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
• Rendezvous Mountain Educational State Forest, Wilkes County
• Stone Mountain State Park, partly within Wilkes County (The rest is in Alleghany County)
• 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
• Winston-Salem Journal, Forsyth County
• Burlington Times-News, 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
• 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
• WXII, 12, NBC, Winston-Salem
• WGHP, 8, Fox, High Point
• News 14 Carolina, 14, Greensboro (Time Warner Cable)
• 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

• I-85 Corridor
• Piedmont Atlantic
• Piedmont Crescent

References

1. ^ Source: US Census Annual Estimate of Population Table CBSA-EST2007-02