Contents
Raleigh and the Research Triangle Area Region
Tap the top right icon for a detailed map
The Four “Best Raleigh Neighborhood” Areas Reflect How the City has Grown
Downtown Raleigh
Downtown Raleigh:
In the last half of the 20th century, the central part of Raleigh lost much of its vitality to suburban growth. However, Downtown Raleigh has reemerged as a dynamic part of the market. It has attracted significant new employers and has a skyline frequented by cranes constructing new multiple-use buildings for living and working. Downtown Raleigh is also popular for its restaurants and entertainment.
Inside the Beltline (ITB for acronym lovers)
The Raleigh Beltline
The Beltline is the inner loop around Raleigh. It delineates what some think of as old Raleigh. Growth in many of the newer areas outside the Beltline began coincidentally with that of Research Triangle Park. ITB includes what we refer to as “Downtown”, but Downtown is just a fraction of it.
I-440 Beltline around Raleigh was begun in the 1960s and finished in the 1990s. Its southwestern quadrant runs with I-40 which extends from Wilmington on the NC coast through Durham and Chapel Hill, the NC mountains and on to Barstow California.
Not much new construction Inside the Beltline
Inside the Beltline new single family construction is limited mostly to tear downs and infill on scattered lots or small pockets of land. In general, land cost in the areas where we focus is relatively high, and the houses built there are at a premium. Buying or doing a renovation is a popular option.
Midtown
Midtown:
Before the outer loop 540 was built, Midtown was called North Raleigh by many people, especially those who have lived in the area for a long time. However, Midtown has been defined in different ways over the years.
On this website, Midtown refers to the northern sector of Raleigh between the I-440 Beltline and the I-540 Outer Loop (see map at the beginning of this section). The Midtown neighborhoods lie between Glenwood Avenue (Raleigh-Durham Highway) at its western edge, with a few areas to its west, and Capital Boulevard (US-1N) to the east. North Hills, bordering the Beltline, is at the southern edge of Midtown. Midtown is a large area with a lot of home opportunities at different ages and price points.
The North Hills single-family residential area was begun in the 1960s, and many of the houses could be a good walkable option to the North Hills retail/mixed-use center. Though the North Hills mixed-use area was very recently redeveloped, this neighborhood is early in its redevelopment or renovation. In the past couple of years, prices have skyrocketed for 70’s and 80’s split level and ranch homes.
Brier Creek:
Brier Creek is another neighborhood in Midtown, located on either side of Glenwood Avenue and abutting the Outer Loop. It’s essentially at RDU Airport and is a major planned development with many residential neighborhoods centered around a golf course. Its location and amenities make it a unique part of the diverse nature of Midtown.
North Raleigh
North Raleigh is the part of the northern sector that lies outside the I-540 Outer Loop. Much of it is the watershed of the Falls Lake reservoir and is restricted to lower densities. This includes the land along or served by NC 50 (Creedmoor Road) and Six Forks Road, as shown on the expanded map above.
However, there are also planned communities with various types of residences, amenities, and commercial uses developed at higher densities, such as Wakefield and Falls River, located along Falls Road and east, outside of the watershed. For our purposes, North Raleigh also includes Wake Forest, which is contiguous and part of the Wake County School System.
North Raleigh is the part of the northern sector that lies outside the I-540 Outer Loop. Much of it is the watershed of the Falls Lake reservoir and is restricted to lower densities. This includes the land along or served by NC 50 (Creedmoor Road) and Six Forks Road, as shown on the expanded map above.
However, there are also planned communities with various types of residences, amenities, and commercial uses developed at higher densities, such as Wakefield and Falls River, located along Falls Road and east, outside of the watershed. For our purposes, North Raleigh also includes Wake Forest, which is contiguous and part of the Wake County School System.
Many of our customers desire spacious lots. As the area grows and develops, the availability of undeveloped land becomes more limited and costly. Developers have responded by creating planned communities with a mix of housing types and open spaces to provide options for buyers who desire spacious lots but also want to be near the city. The older developments with larger lots often come with older homes, while newer developments offer more compact lots for similar prices. It’s important for buyers to consider their preferences and budget when choosing between newer, more compact homes or older homes with more spacious lots.
The pictures above show a neighborhood called Holding Village in the Wake Forest area. The house you see is a model home that’s almost finished being built and decorated by one of the builders, Ashton Woods. The homes in this community have smaller yards, but inside they are roomy and have many nice features. For instance, you can see windows at the back of the glass-fronted kitchen cabinets and a solid walnut table built into the island. The neighborhood also has parks and a 15-acre lake where residents can hang out and enjoy nature.
Raleigh and the Triangle Area-A Little History
The Early Beginnings of Raleigh were as a Center of Government and Higher Education
In 1792, Raleigh was planned as the North Carolina State Capital. It was laid out around the square on which the Capitol building currently stands (See center of map below), and is the hub of the area identified in this web site as “Downtown Raleigh”.
At the middle of the 20th century, Raleigh’s primary employers were state and local government institutions, along with higher education institutions such as North Carolina State University, Shaw University, William Peace University, Saint Augustine’s University, Meredith College, and Saint Mary’s School. These institutions helped to shape the city’s identity and attracted many residents who were employed in these fields. Over time, Raleigh continued to grow and develop, with new housing developments and neighborhoods being built to accommodate the increasing population. Today, Raleigh remains a vibrant and dynamic city with a diverse mix of housing options and a thriving business community.
The Triangle Area Comes Together-RTP
The success of the Research Triangle and Research Triangle Park (RTP) is largely due to the research capabilities of three universities: NCSU in Raleigh, UNC in Chapel Hill, and Duke in Durham. IBM played a significant role in the growth of RTP in the 1960s. Today, the area is home to many well-known research-oriented companies, with a focus on information technology, pharmaceuticals, and biotech.
Thanks to RTP and the strong presence of these companies, the Triangle area has become a desirable place to live and work. Interstate 40 links the cities together and serves as the backbone of the region’s infrastructure. All of these factors have contributed to the area’s growth and development over the years.
Continuing on
Signs are that Raleigh and the Triangle Area will continue growing and developing as great place to be. Take a look at the “Crane Watch” interactive map from the Triangle Business Journal to see the major projects they are following.