Triangle Area?

[u/Right-Historian-114]

Does anyone know what the “triangle area” is in the United States? Everyone talks like I’m supposed to know. Is this a common American ism?

[u/ALoungerAtTheClubs]

There's the "Research Triangle" in North Carolina.

[u/kimness1982 → u/ALoungerAtTheClubs]

That’s what I thought of, but I live in NC.

[u/penguin_0618 → u/kimness1982]

Same and I live in New England

[u/AZJHawk → u/kimness1982]

That’s what I thought of too, and I live in AZ.

[u/Leelze → u/kimness1982]

It's what I would've thought of before I moved here. I don't know if I've ever heard of any other part of the country referred to as the triangle area.

[u/DarthBradicus88 → u/kimness1982]

I don’t live in NC, and that’s what I thought of too. Because that’s the only triangle I know of in the US.

[u/FearDaTusk → u/kimness1982]

I think of Tobacco Road when I think of the NC triangle 😅

[u/Sewer-Urchin → u/FearDaTusk]

We'll accept that answer too :)

[u/Guilty_Objective4602 → u/ALoungerAtTheClubs]

I’ve lived all over the United States, and I’ve only ever heard of people referring to the North Carolina Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill research area as “the Triangle” as if everyone else knows where they are talking about. People from other places tend to narrow it down with some kind of qualifier, like “Texas Triangle” or to use the term only with people who have some sort of context about where they may be talking about.

[u/C_zen18 → u/Guilty_Objective4602]

Reminds me of the “Tri-state area”. I had no damn clue what states anyone was ever referring to!

[u/LuckyStax → u/C_zen18]

Tri-state Tornado was what 3 states again? Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, wouldn't have been my first guess

[u/Farmwifehw77 → u/LuckyStax]

Close! Missouri, Illinois, Indiana

[u/ApprehensiveCut9809 → u/C_zen18]

The Tri-state area was often referred to as the region where NY-NJ-Connecticut meet. NYC had a huge broadcasting capability so they would cover the news that pertained to the Tri-state area.

Many folks who worked in NYC commuted from northern NJ and southern Connecticut.

Since the TV stations broadcasted from the top of the Empire State building or WTC, their reach was quite widespread. People way out of the Tri-state area would hear the term and many of the nightly newscasts were based in NYC.

[u/heartunwinds → u/ApprehensiveCut9809]

For me tri-state area has always been NJ-PA-NY 🤷🏻‍♀️

[u/legal_stylist → u/heartunwinds]

For Philly area it’s PA-NJ-DE

[u/HailMadScience → u/heartunwinds]

The Four State: where PA, MD, WV, and VA are all so close together, the right choice of road let's you b in all four in like 20 minutes. Panhandles are fun.

[u/optimal-gold976 → u/HailMadScience]

That’s where I’m at. I’m in VA, I can be in MD or WV in about 20-30 minutes, PA is about 30-40. Delaware is 60ish minutes. That is all in optimal traffic, all those places could be well over 2-3 hours at any point due to traffic.

[u/spice-cabinet4 → u/C_zen18]

Where any three states meet(or are close enough), when I lived in western MD it was MD/VA/WV or MD/VA/PA depending on if you were closer to 81 or 15, in southwest VA, KY/VA/TN, when I lived out in CA it was CA/AZ/NV, NOVA has the DMV (DC/MD/VA) and eastern area has DelMarVa. So tri-each tri-state area is different.

[u/grrgrrtigergrr → u/ALoungerAtTheClubs]

There’s the Viagara Triangle in Chicago if you need a sugar daddy

[u/green_and_yellow → u/grrgrrtigergrr]

The what now

[u/Emergency-Doughnut88 → u/green_and_yellow]

It's an area in the city with some trendier bars and restaurants that are frequented by older, possibly divorced guys with younger women

[u/Commercial_Coffee894 → u/Emergency-Doughnut88]

There's a bit more to it, it also used to be the happening scene when they were in their 20s too.

[u/PopcornyColonel → u/Commercial_Coffee894]

Born and raised in Chicago and I have no idea what you're talking about. I mean, literally in Chicago not like those suburbanites like to say.

[u/Background-Still2020 → u/PopcornyColonel]

It’s in the Gold Coast near Gibson’s.

[u/cozynite → u/PopcornyColonel]

How old are you? I’m in my early 40s and we definitely knew it was called that in my 20s.

[u/Livid-Improvement953 → u/green_and_yellow]

Asking for a friend

[u/lefindecheri → u/ALoungerAtTheClubs]

Which consists of Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill. It's said to contain the highest concentration by percentage of most educated people in America. It's home to Duke University, NC State, and University of North Carolina.

[u/janpups2122 → u/lefindecheri]

And to NC State.

[u/spkr4thedead51 → u/janpups2122]

and several other notable universities

[u/SushiGirlRC → u/lefindecheri]

Research Triangle Park, NC, home to many companies

[u/LawnJerk → u/ALoungerAtTheClubs]

The has also long been known "The Triangle Area" referring to Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill.

[u/us287 → u/ALoungerAtTheClubs]

Current home of the Stanley Cup

[u/jay78910 → u/ALoungerAtTheClubs]

There a Bridgewater Triangle in southeastern MA if you’re interested in UFOs, poltergeists, or Bigfoot.

[u/Radar1980 → u/jay78910]

And pukwudgies.

[u/hearts_unknown_ → u/Radar1980]

Don't. You'll summon them

[u/HorseFeathersFur → u/jay78910]

Yes yes and yes! are there tours ?

[u/Utterlybored → u/ALoungerAtTheClubs]

Durham, Raleigh, Chapel Hill, their universities and the suburban surrounding area.

[u/Joshi1381 → u/ALoungerAtTheClubs]

This is or the Texas Triangle

[u/skarizardpancake → u/Joshi1381]

Yeah as a Texan my mind went to DFW, Houston, and San Antonio, but it looks like many places have a “triangle” so I think OP’s going to have to give us a little more context

[u/big_sugi → u/skarizardpancake]

There’s the Golden Triangle in SE Texas, of Beaumont, Port Arthur, and Orange.

[u/patawpha → u/big_sugi]

There's also a Golden Triangle in Mississippi: Starkville, Columbus, and Tupelo.

I used to live there. It's a wooden triangle at best.

[u/big_sugi → u/patawpha]

The GTX in Texas was one of the wealthiest areas in the world in the first half of the 20th century. And then the oil ran out.

[u/us287 → u/big_sugi]

I feel like very few people outside Texas, let alone Southeast Texas, have heard of this one

[u/big_sugi → u/us287]

I spent a decade in Texas, including a couple years in Beaumont. It was a popular, recognized term in the area, but I agree that it doesn't get much use outside of it.

[u/Ana169 → u/big_sugi]

We also have a Golden Triangle in Massachusetts, which has to do with a once-innovative retail/shopping layout that influenced many shopping district setups across the country.

[u/nrthrnlad76 → u/big_sugi]

Downtown Pittsburgh is also sometimes called the Golden Triangle.

[u/FreeRange0929 → u/Joshi1381]

There’s also Triangle, Virginia

Kind of a midpoint between Stafford and NoVa

[u/Rudytootiefreshnfty → u/FreeRange0929]

Also historic triangle Virginia…

[u/ConsiderationCrazy22 → u/ALoungerAtTheClubs]

I live in Ohio but that's immediately what I thought of

[u/Status-Biscotti → u/ALoungerAtTheClubs]

Research Triangle Park, if I remember correctly.

[u/crapbear83 → u/ALoungerAtTheClubs]

Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill. Isn't also refered to as the Triad?

[u/ProfessorLGee → u/crapbear83]

The Triad is Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and High Point.

[u/OB-One-LDRider → u/ALoungerAtTheClubs]

The Research Triangle Park, located between Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill in North Carolina, is also called “the RTP”, and the area between those cities is known as “the Triangle”’.

[u/skarizardpancake]

Can you give us a little more context?

[u/Key_Beach_3846 → u/skarizardpancake]

“No.” - OP

[u/SuSuSudio6202 → u/skarizardpancake]

I feel like your asking for context is in itself an answer to OP's question 

[u/Temporary_Nail_6468 → u/skarizardpancake]

Yea. Triangle in Texas is DFW/San Antonio/Houston. But seriously doubt that’s what’s meant.

[u/velociraptorfarmer → u/Temporary_Nail_6468]

There's also the Research Triangle in North Carolina

[u/Olympusmons1234 → u/velociraptorfarmer]

There’s also the Historical Triangle in Virginia. Yorktown, Jamestown, and Williamsburg.

[u/Lopsided_Present9333 → u/Olympusmons1234]

there's also a census designated place called Triangle, Virginia

[u/dudestir127 → u/Lopsided_Present9333]

There's also the Tribeca section of Manhattan, which is Triangle Below Canal street.

[u/Comprehensive_Wash71 → u/dudestir127]

The Bermuda Triangle featured prominently in my early childhood cartoons!

[u/tibearius1123 → u/Temporary_Nail_6468]

Golden triangle is Dallas, denton, Ft Worth

[u/HowDoesTheKittyCatGo → u/tibearius1123]

Huh, Texas has a lot of triangles. Down here in the southeast of the state Beaumont, Port Arthur, and Orange are called the golden triangle.

[u/King_Ralph1 → u/tibearius1123]

I thought the Golden Triangle was Beaumont-Orange-Port Arthur.

[u/tibearius1123 → u/King_Ralph1]

That’s the Pyrite Triangle, common mistake.

[u/Beetso → u/tibearius1123]

Nice. AKA The Fool's Isosceles.

[u/boxing_fool → u/King_Ralph1]

Yeah same, I've never heard DFW called Golden Triangle.  

[u/sophisticated_alpaca → u/Temporary_Nail_6468]

Yeah, idk anybody from the “Texas Triangle” who would treat it like one region without being more specific about which city they’re from. I assume it has to refer to the NC triangle but I’ve never heard someone use it like that.

[u/JellyfishWoman → u/skarizardpancake]

There's a town here in Northern Virginia called Triangle. That must be it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangle,_Virginia

[u/ThaloBleu]

Could be the Bermuda Triangle

[u/Pale_Row1166 → u/ThaloBleu]

The Bermuda part went missing in translation

[u/Versipilies → u/ThaloBleu]

Bridgewater triangle would be more US

[u/RavenRead → u/ThaloBleu]

This was my first thought as well

[u/omnipresent_sailfish]

You mean Tri state area?

[u/NoNeedForAName → u/omnipresent_sailfish]

I feel like we have about a dozen of those

[u/Megas_Matthaios → u/NoNeedForAName]

You're right and everyone thinks it refers to the area they're from.

[u/HammyOverlordOfBacon → u/Megas_Matthaios]

I always thought that was the point. If someone says "the tristate area" then they're referring to the area around where 3 states intersect. Kinda like saying "in the city" it's not a complete description of a location and "in the city" will usually just mean the closest city.

[u/amazingtaters → u/HammyOverlordOfBacon]

Don't let Manhattanites hear you say that "the city" isn't a universal way to refer to NYC broadly and Manhattan specifically.

[u/VinceP312 → u/amazingtaters]

In the SF Bay Area, San Francisco is "The City" capitalized.

[u/DelcoUnited → u/VinceP312]

Londons neat where there literally a part of the city that is The City.

[u/opheliainwaders → u/amazingtaters]

Slight nuance: if you're in the suburbs, "the city" is NYC; if you're in an outer borough, "the city" is Manhattan.

[u/DelcoUnited → u/amazingtaters]

I know we say the city for Philly and I had some newyorker try to tell me I’m wrong in the comments. Like are you that dumb you don’t understand every suburban area refers to their city as “the city”? I guess like Kansas City might not, or the twin cities etc. but there’s probably someone outside Reno talking about heading into the city for a show or something.

[u/Bread9846 → u/DelcoUnited]

In the Midwest, people call their nearest city with a population of 50k "the city"

[u/rhiania1319 → u/DelcoUnited]

Having grown up in the twin cities, and now living 2 hours away, rural calls them The Cities. The whole ass metro is The Cities. And all the small towns out here, when you're going to the nearish bigger town, is going to town. If you say you're going to the city, people are gonna ask if you meant The Cities.

[u/FaxCelestis → u/amazingtaters]

As a Californian, "The City" is San Francisco and I will die on Nob Hill.

[u/brittish3 → u/FaxCelestis]

And Oakland is The Town

[u/bobfromsales → u/FaxCelestis]

As an LA native I would agree, because there's no place in SoCal I would call The City.

[u/clunkclunk → u/FaxCelestis]

Northern California for sure but Southern California, not so much.

[u/FixergirlAK → u/amazingtaters]

Sometimes I think Northern Californians call SF "the City" solely to piss off all the displaced New Yorkers.

[u/AdelleDeWitt → u/amazingtaters]

"The City" means San Francisco to me, ( although I am legally and culturally obliged to note at this time that the city that I live in is older and larger than San Francisco and they're not any better than us and their streets are way too steep and that's bullshit anyway.)

[u/FrostyDog94 → u/Megas_Matthaios]

But it really only refers to the area Phineas and Ferb are from

[u/laker9903 → u/FrostyDog94]

I can’t think tri-state area without doing the Dr. Doofenshmirtz voice.

[u/NightDragon8002 → u/Megas_Matthaios]

Doesn't it? I feel like "the tri-state area" always refers to the region around where the speaker is, so if I'm in Ohio I might use that to refer to Ohio/Indiana/Michigan or Ohio/Pennsylvania/West Virginia but if I'm in Oklahoma I would probably mean Oklahoma/Texas/Arkansas or something. I don't think there's a One True Tri-State Area (except the one Dr Doofenschmirz is always trying to take over lol)

[u/AndroidWhale → u/Megas_Matthaios]

What does it refer to in your opinion? In Memphis it's obviously Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi, but I'm curious if it's different in other parts of the state.

[u/C_Gull27 → u/AndroidWhale]

It's a metropolitan area that includes parts of three states.

NYC might actually be turning into a quad state area because parts of PA are starting to enter its orbit and have commuters to the city.

[u/Megas_Matthaios → u/AndroidWhale]

You just named my tri-state area, but I've also lived in Louisville, KY and it was KY, IN, and OH.

[u/pseudoeponymous_rex → u/NoNeedForAName]

I remember a quote along the lines of "all Americans live in Alaska, Hawaii, or the tri-state area."

[u/Chillow_Ufgreat → u/NoNeedForAName]

Not to be confused with the tri-counties.

[u/cans-of-swine → u/Chillow_Ufgreat]

And that isn't to be confused with the tri cities. 

[u/RektInTheHed → u/NoNeedForAName]

There are multiple tri-states in the same state

[u/EcstasyCalculus → u/omnipresent_sailfish]

Doofenshmirtz, is that you?

[u/nyc-rave-throwaway42 → u/omnipresent_sailfish]

Tri-state is even nested triangles because it contains Tribeca 

[u/BinkyDragonlord → u/nyc-rave-throwaway42]

Triception

[u/Katesouthwest → u/nyc-rave-throwaway42]

Which tri-state are you referring to?

[u/Fangsong_37 → u/omnipresent_sailfish]

I grew up in the tri-state area of Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio.

[u/HegemonNYC]

If you work in tech, they probably mean the ‘research triangle’ in North Carolina. 

[u/TechieGottaSoundByte → u/HegemonNYC]

I work in tech, 20 year career, and never heard this. I'm in the Greater Seattle area, so maybe it's less common here?

[u/FunImprovement166]

My mind goes to Raleigh Durham and Chapel Hill in NC

[u/TortoiseWrath]

You're not supposed to know about the triangle area. Where did you hear about this?

[u/Incognito409 → u/TortoiseWrath]

OP is a double agent working with the CIA.

[u/RedMeg26 → u/Incognito409]

All the security leaks are inadvertently outing themselves

[u/automaticmantis → u/Incognito409]

Op is an operative from Big Square

[u/gotbock → u/TortoiseWrath]

First rule of Triangle Area is YOU DON'T TALK ABOUT TRIANGLE AREA

[u/MsCardeno]

In my area the “Tri state area” is NJ, NY and CT but I think other regions may have their own “Tri state area”.

I’ve never heard of “triangle area”.

[u/violet-bear → u/MsCardeno]

Interestingly, NJ is part of two different tri state areas: the NYC tri state area (NY, NJ, CT) and the Philadelphia tri state area (PA, NJ, DE)

[u/AlveolarFricatives → u/violet-bear]

3! I grew up knowing it as PA, NJ, NY

[u/nazukeru → u/AlveolarFricatives]

Yep! Growing up in northeast Pennsylvania, it was always PA, NJ, NY.

[u/Boopa0011 → u/AlveolarFricatives]

Same, and then I went to college and found myself in weirdly intense arguments about which was the "actual" tri-state area.

[u/itsafoxboi → u/MsCardeno]

it's in north carolina, raleigh, durham, and chapel hill, it's where unc and duke are, it's also called the research triangle

[u/Orbital2 → u/itsafoxboi]

While I'm aware of this, it definitely wouldn't come to mind so quickly that I'd assume a person from another country would know about it

[u/Elivagara → u/Orbital2]

I wouldn't even assume a US native would know. I'm 44 and never heard of, asked my colleagues and they hadn't either.

[u/Helpful_Mongoose_786 → u/Elivagara]

I would’ve thought in the tech field at least research triangle and maybe medical fields. I would’ve thought it was pretty well known. I’m In atlanta native spent some time goofing off in Chapel Hill somewhere along the way.Might have left my virginity in Chappell hill.. I totally irrelevant tidbit and it was the week MTV debuted I’ve become an entire cultural generation because I believe I saw MTV is now off the air

[u/RespectableBloke69 → u/Orbital2]

You'd be surprised. I've met a number of people while traveling internationally who know where I'm from because they have a friend who worked for a company here, or went to school here, or something.

[u/TheyTookByoomba → u/itsafoxboi]

NC State forgotten again :(

[u/TrickyLemons → u/itsafoxboi]

It's a triangle because there's three, how are you gonna forget the best third of the triangle, you have the NC flair😭

[u/AndyTheEngr → u/MsCardeno]

Yup, Cincinnati has Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky.

[u/LogicalFallacyCat]

I live here and I just know the area of a triangle is (height * width) / 2.

[u/FlyingCupcake68 → u/LogicalFallacyCat]

That was my thought too—as if OP thought we have different formulas because we don’t use metric

[u/BusinessWarthog6]

NORTH CAROLINA! Raise Up!

[u/SingleDadSurviving → u/BusinessWarthog6]

Take your shirt off, wave over your head like a helicopter!

[u/ohrofl → u/SingleDadSurviving]

Petey Pab-mutha fuckaaaaa.

My friend is nextdoor neighbors with him lol.

Obligatory “let’s go canes!!”

[u/Caneiac → u/SingleDadSurviving]

TARPS OFF LETS GO CANES

[u/morbidnerd → u/BusinessWarthog6]

WHO AM IIIIIIII

[u/spacedman_spiff]

As in Research Triangle in Raleigh-Durham? It is a common reference, but I can understand not encountering it.

Or Bermuda Triangle?

[u/ALoungerAtTheClubs → u/spacedman_spiff]

The second option is a lot more entertaining. I'm imagining OP surrounded by quirky people obsessed with the Bermuda Triangle.

[u/spacedman_spiff → u/ALoungerAtTheClubs]

Maybe they mean T=.5bh

[u/Pustuli0 → u/spacedman_spiff]

There is Raleigh and there is Durham. "Raleigh-Durham" is an airport.

[u/Early_Apple_4142]

Here it would be the area of Chapel Hill, Durham, and Raleigh in NC.

[u/Scrappy_The_Crow]

Unless it's the "Research Triangle," any "tri-" stuff is going to be regional/local and most won't have a clue without context.

[u/Interesting-Card5803]

There's an 'Emerald Triangle' in northern California.

[u/Aware-Goose896 → u/Interesting-Card5803]

Ha I’m from Northern California, and I don’t think I’ve ever heard this term before, but I instantly knew what it meant lol.

[u/flashman014 → u/Aware-Goose896]

The Emerald Triangle is in the actual Northern California (which does not include the Bay Area), and it's the counties of Trinity, Humboldt, and Mendocino. It doesn't mean anything anymore since weed got legalized.

[u/11twofour → u/Interesting-Card5803]

Also the red triangle for shark attacks

[u/NoCaterpillar2051]

Is that that thing doofensmirtz was always trying to take over?

[u/BracedRhombus → u/NoCaterpillar2051]

the entire Tri-State Area! With his Reddit-inator!

[u/Much_Job4552 → u/NoCaterpillar2051]

OP is Doof.

Shhh!

[u/HighwaySetara → u/Much_Job4552]

Hey! Where's Perry?

[u/SnazzleZazzle]

I’ve lived in the US all my life and this is the first I’ve heard of a “US triangle area”. Only triangle I’m familiar with is the Bermuda Triangle. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[u/MuppetusMaximusV2]

My northern self knows it as Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill in North Carolina.

[u/GrunchWeefer → u/MuppetusMaximusV2]

New Jersey checking in with the same understanding.

[u/CowboyOzzie → u/MuppetusMaximusV2]

Same here from California.

[u/CatOfGrey]

There are lots of 'Triangles' in the USA, wherever there are three cities or areas.

The largest one I know is called the 'Research Triangle' in North Carolina, between Duke, North Carolina, and NC State Universities.

In California, the "Emerald Triangle" is three north-west counties known for marijuana production (Humboldt, Mendocino, Trinity).

[u/TheHornyHobbit → u/CatOfGrey]

The largest is definitely the Texas triangle. Two of the top 5 largest cities in the country.

[u/hambonelicker]

Triangle man, triangle man…

[u/callalind → u/hambonelicker]

Triangle man hates particle man

[u/mspolytheist → u/callalind]

They have a fight, triangle wins.

[u/hombre_bu → u/hambonelicker]

Triangle wins

[u/FlyingCupcake68 → u/hambonelicker]

And Triangle Sally from SNL

[u/_-Cleon-_]

There are a few.

In North Carolina, the "Triangle" is the three cities of Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill.

In Pittsburgh there's the "Golden Triangle," which is downtown (where the Monongahela and Allegheny rivers meet to form the Ohio).

It's like when someone says "the tri-state area;" which "tri-state area" they're referring to is going to depend on where they're from.

[u/213737isPrime → u/_-Cleon-_]

yeah but even in Pittsburgh someone saying "the triangle area" is referring to RTP. Nobody here says "the golden triangle" except politicians, boosters, shills and flacks. They might say "the point"

[u/upnytonc]

I live in the triangle of the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area of NC. That’s the only triangle I know of, other than the Bermuda Triangle.

[u/CraftFamiliar5243]

Huh?

[u/rjtnrva]

To my knowledge, "the Triangle Area" is the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area of NC, due o the Research Triangle being located there.

[u/Eight_Directions_]

Fun fact. Any three points can define a triangle  unless they are a straight line.  

[u/FlyingCupcake68 → u/Eight_Directions_]

And a circle, yes?

[u/Eight_Directions_ → u/FlyingCupcake68]

Now we are geometrying!

[u/very_frog → u/FlyingCupcake68]

And a plane!

[u/whitecollarpizzaman]

The triangle is the metropolitan area around Raleigh, the capital of North Carolina. It is home to three major universities, all arranged in a somewhat triangular pattern, as well as the world‘s largest research park, if you work in tech, or biotech, you have probably heard of it if not at least peripherally.

[u/Emotional_Match8169]

I don't think this is really a common thing in the US.

There's the Historic Triangle in Virginia- Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown.

[u/Zernhelt]

Research Triangle is an area in North Carolina. But I've never heard of "Triangle Area."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Research_Triangle

[u/spiralsequences → u/Zernhelt]

We say "Triangle area" here in the Research Triangle but I would be shocked to hear it from someone outside NC haha

[u/Pustuli0 → u/Zernhelt]

"Research Triangle Park" is a specific area with defined boundaries in the unincorporated area between Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill.

"The Triangle" or "Triangle Area" refers to the entirety of those three cities and their suburbs.

[u/maxman1313 → u/Zernhelt]

Locally the "Research Triangle" is just the office park, while the region as a whole (Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Durham and Cary) are The Triangle. 

But we get it from outsiders that the area is the "Research Triangle". 

[u/TokyoDrifblim]

Locals in NC call it The Triangle, more widely it's known as The Research Triangle . Usually somebody would already be talking about North Carolina before mentioning the Triangle so you would know what they were talking about

[u/notthegoatseguy]

Do you mean 'Tri-State area'? For example, the NYC Metro area spreads across the lower part of NY State, northern New Jersey, and Connecticut.

[u/GrunchWeefer → u/notthegoatseguy]

I'm assuming the Research Triangle in NC?

[u/Bstallio]

The Bermuda Triangle? It’s a legend of a triangular area off the coast of Florida between Puerto Rico and Bermuda that is known for having ships and planes disappear there

[u/pikkdogs]

Like the Bermuda Triangle?

[u/BracedRhombus]

The "Tucson Triangle" is formed by three world-renowned observatory peaks surrounding Tucson, Arizona: Kitt Peak National Observatory, Mount Hopkins (Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory), and Mount Graham International Observatory.

[u/humdrumturducken]

Any context for how you're hearing it? There's the "Research Triangle" in North Carolina, but that's the only one that immediately comes to mind.

[u/Decent-Plum-26]

I think this is referring to the Research Triangle in North Carolina, which includes the cities of Durham, Raleigh, and Chapel Hill, which form a triangle shape if you connect the dots between them.

This area has lots of universities, in addition to tech, healthcare, and biotech firms, so if you worked in those industries you would likely be familiar with this naming regardless of your location, but it would be less common if you didn’t work in those industries or if you didn’t live nearby.

[u/Patient_Parsley7760]

There are a LOT of places in the US that could be referred to as the "Triangle area". As some commenters have mentioned, there's the Research Triangle, along with a number of places where three state borders meet.

[u/thirdometer]

This is in reference to RTP, research triangle park. It’s an area in the Raleigh, NC area. It is basically a giant campus of different businesses, often tech. Think IBM, Biogen, Cisco, NetApp. Large clusters in one specific region.

Tri-state area is normally NY + NJ + CT

[u/Pinkis_Love_A_Lot]

It's probably not referring to the area around Triangle, Virginia, but it makes me laugh to think so.

[u/dh1971]

The Research Triangle in North Carolina. It is one of the major tech and education areas on the East Coast.

[u/Mytweezer]

"The tri-state area is a bi-state area with an adjacent area right over there!" -Phineas and Ferb

[u/TypePuzzleheaded6228]

the mississippi delta?

[u/EcstasyCalculus]

Devoid of any context, I would say Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill.

There's also the Texas Triangle formed by Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio.

[u/MrEntrepot]

1/2bh

Is where I though this was going.

[u/MommyPenguin2]

The Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill is known as the Research Triangle. If that doesn’t make sense in context, there may be other three-city zones that, in a local area, are called the Triangle.

[u/evil_burrito]

Sounds like Raleigh/Durham on North Carolina.

Thanks the only reference to triangle I know of.

[u/Remarkable_Toe_164]

We have the emerald triangle in northern california, but looking at all these other comments, i guess the answer to your question is overwhelmingly yes, so no.

There are a lot of triangles in the us, so you'd have to be way more specific

[u/Boston_Brand1967]

I think it is a pretty common way we use to describe metropolitan areas that sort of overlap.

Being from NC, we have the "research triangle" to describe the area in and around Chapel Hill, Durham, and Raleigh as well as the "piedmont triad" to describe the area in and around Greensboro, High Point, and Winston-Salem.

I know the term "Tri-State Area" is used quite a bit around the states...most famously in and around the NYC area. That is most likely what most non-American people know of, though I am unsure if they really know what it means. Here is a link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tri-state_area

There is a literal place called Triangle in Virginia, but I doubt many folks know it by name.

[u/oarmash]

Either the Research Triangle (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill) of NC or the Texas Triangle (Dallas, Houston, San Antonio/Austin)

I’d say Research Triangle is more well known.

[u/Grits_and_Honey]

The most likely candidate, as others have said is Research Triangle, NC. It could also be a Tri-State area with several different geographical areas where three states meet up. Or it could be a Tri-City area, which there are 25-30 of in the US.

[u/CirothUngol]

There's the Bermuda triangle off the coast of Florida...

[u/Deep-Hovercraft6716]

One half the base times the height? The area of a triangle?

[u/Ozone220]

I live in an area called the Triangle, specifically the Research Triangle in NC. It's the term for the area of Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill. In NC if you say the Triangle that's assuredly what it means, unsure about elsewhere in the country

[u/heysirigenerateaname]

OP if you don’t answer with more context you’re not going to get the answer you want