The same economic anchor that propelled North Carolina’s Research Triangle into one of America’s most thriving economies now risks becoming a liability.
Major academic institutions in the community have helped lure businesses of all sizes — and the jobs that come with them — to Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill, transforming an economy once reliant on industries like tobacco and textilesinto a leading science and technology hub.
But the area’s decades-long bet on those industries for growth and investment makes the region particularly vulnerable to the Trump administration’s efforts to rein in government spending. The fallout also shows how abrupt policy changes in Washington are stoking economic uncertainty in US communities that have been flourishing.
Local universities are at risk of losing millions of dollars in federal funding. One nonprofit alone has shed about 360 North Carolina-based workers, and Durham has already seen five major development projects halted as economic anxiety grows.
“We’re a cool town where everyone wants to be a part of,” said Durham’s Mayor Leonardo Williams. It’s still “affordable to live here, compared to other places, where yo…