In 2002, Raleigh was featured in the BBC poll of the 100 Greatest Britons.[73]
A galliard was composed in honour of Raleigh by either Francis Cutting or Richard Allison.[74]
The state capital of North Carolina, its second-largest city, was named Raleigh in 1792, after Sir Walter, sponsor of the Roanoke Colony. In the city, a bronze statue, which has been moved around different locations within the city, was cast in honour of the city's namesake. The "Lost Colony" is commemorated at the Fort Raleigh National Historic Site on Roanoke Island, North Carolina.[75]
Raleigh County, West Virginia, is named after him.[76]
Mount Raleigh in the Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains in British Columbia, Canada, was named for him,[77] with related features the Raleigh Glacier[78] and Raleigh Creek[79] named in association with the mountain. Mount Gilbert, just to Mount Raleigh's south, was named for his half-brother, Sir Humphrey.[80]
Raleigh has been widely speculated to be responsible for introducing the potato to Europe, and was a key figure in bringing it to Ireland. However, modern historians dispute this claim, suggesting it would have been impossible for Raleigh to have discovered the potato in the places he visited.[81]
Due to Raleigh's role in the popularisation of smoking, John Lennon humorously referred to him as "such a stupid git" in the song "I'm So Tired" on the "White Album" The Beatles (1968).[82]
Various colourful stories are told about him, such as laying his cloak over a puddle for the Queen, but they are probably apocryphal.[83][84][85] The story of Raleigh's trial is included in John George Phillimore's 1850 book The History and Principles of Evidence, and his commentary on the story is included in many law school textbooks on evidence in common law countries.
In January 2014, the Raleigh Rum Company was founded in Raleigh, North Carolina.
The author George Garrett's historical fiction novel Death of the Fox explores Raleigh's relationships with Elizabeth I and her successor James I.
