Commonly known as the City of Oaks because of its many oak trees planted throughout the city, Raleigh is the capital of North Carolina State, a region rich in tourist attractions. Raleigh is the second largest city in the state of North Carolina, and also the federal capital. So I was expecting a relatively large city (without imagining New York), or any month with a fairly large downtown. Missed, downtown Raleigh is three blocks long, it's smaller than Downtown Ottawa, and I might as well tell you that after living there for a year I thought it was really small. It's true that for a federal capital, I expected bigger, but next to that I thought it was really nice. Of course, the downtown area is typically American: the streets are wide, American flags are everywhere, and all the historic sites and monuments of the city are indicated by signs everywhere. So far, so good. But what is interesting is to understand the history of the city through the informative signs that are placed there: this places Raleigh well in the history of the United States! Historic and cultural city, its most symbolic and important monument is its Capitoline, built in 1831 and Greek style, it was rebuilt when the first building burned. Built in 1792 to serve as State Capital, the city abounds in museums and cultural places dedicated to its history as the North Carolina Museum of Art created in 1924, the Joel Lane House which is the oldest residence of Raleigh or the Museum of Natural Science which traces the history of North Carolina. The city also houses a renowned botanical garden and arboretum. You can also stroll in its streets and go shopping in the many shops and why not enjoy the terraces along the main avenues. Raleigh also has many theatres and concert halls. Time Warner Cable Music at the Walnut Creek Pavilion welcomes many international artists on their world tours. Raleigh's most famous museum is the North Carolina Museum of Art. It houses one of the most prestigious collections of American and European art and notably hosted the exhibition Claude Monet in 2007. His permanent art collection is impressive. Raleigh has many restaurants, theatres and nightclubs. Attending a hockey game is also a tradition to discover.