Voohoo? Adding a dose of brewery magic to Fayetteville Street, enter Voodoo Brewing Company. Building on its hops hex—including a popular Asheville locale—the artisan-style beer brewers will soon be bringing their “beers for any vibe” to the lower level of the FNB Tower at 501 Fayetteville St. across from Sir Walter Coffee. Stay tuned! voodoobrewery.com
On the heels of a car being weaponized to murder and maim dozens on New Year’s Eve in New Orleans, precautions for Raleigh’s own party district are now front of mind.
It’s something that caused outgoing Raleigh Police Chief Estella Patterson pause from day one. “When I arrived here, I would go down to Glenwood South and the hairs on the back of my neck would stand up,” she shares. “I was like, this is an incident getting ready to happen—a tragedy will happen down here if we don’t put in some controls.”
She describes the chaotic scene: traffic everywhere, pedestrians overflowing into the street, cruising cars. … “At any moment, somebody could’ve fired shots—anything could happen—and there’s nowhere for people to go. The egress is horrible, and emerging vehicles wouldn’t be able to get into Glenwood South. It was a complete mess.”
To add to the chaos, she recalls escalating district stabbings and noise complaints. “By October 2021, I made the decision in speaking with the city manager to pull officers and assign them to Glenwood South.” And they’re still there three-plus years later. Upping the ante, she says parking-deck patrols, traffic-pattern changes and cars with blue lights have had a huge impact on preventing cruising and crime. While the police presence has all but returned the party district to a protected playground (complete with plenty of noise drama), having to keep officers there every weekend is taxing on RPD.
Regarding any public pushback, she protests: “To those who think the increase is too much police presence, I say, our officers, while there, are not enforcing. We’re not out trying to search and violate people’s rights in any way. Officers are there for presence, for visibility, so people can feel safe. To have conversations with patrons… and to help the area—not to make it a police state where we’re arresting.”
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Homicide | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Rape/Sexual Assault | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Robbery | 5 | 6 | 7 | 6 |
| Assault | 164 | 168 | 149 | 134 |
| Larceny | 122 | 147 | 117 | 139 |
| Property Damage | 44 | 60 | 51 | 31 |
| Drug Violiations | 106 | 173 | 285 | 236 |
| Weapons Violations | 61 | 111 | 172 | 161 |
| Confiscated Firearms | 66 | 139 | 207 | 198 |
Raleigh is hungry—and a resilient city has responded by serving up a banner year. Now the world is taking notice. Recently billed as the Best Performing Large City by Milken Institute, Raleigh’s “strategic advancements in the tourism and hospitality industry elevate our region and amplify why Wake County is a preferred destination for leisure and business travelers alike,” said Visit Raleigh President and CEO Dennis Edwards upon the recent release of its Wake County 2024 Tourism Industry Report—and on the heels of Downtown Raleigh Alliance’s Q4 2024 market report. Here, take a bite out of Greater Raleigh’s vibrant food & beverage scene by the numbers.
Prepared food and beverage tax and hotel lodging hauls shattered records, raking in a staggering $87.45 million—marking the strongest calendar year yet.
Turning the city into an action-packed hub and drawing ~665,000 attendees alongside a slew of local F&B vendors, Visit Raleigh and the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance hosted 425 events, tourneys, conferences and fests in 2024.
Est. DTR F&B sales July 2023–24, a 16% YoY increase and 30% over 2019 for all of Wake County
F&B establishments now in Downtown alone
Restaurants and bars recently opened Downtown, with 184 storefront businesses bowing—including F&B—since 2020, and 28 more coming online soon
Holding out for better interest rates or a steal? As the saying goes—real estate waits for no one. Just like you wouldn’t skip dinner waiting for a steak to go on sale, you shouldn’t starve yourself out of homeownership.
“As I’ve always said, the best time to buy a home is 10 years ago; the next best time is now,” explains local market expert and Realtor/broker Brian Pate of eponymous Pate Realty Group and Brian Pate Seminars. “Buyers and sellers who’re trying to time the market will lose. The best theory to go by is to buy the house if you want one.”
Essentially, if you hit pause for the possible better interest rates, the home price tag may go up, explains Pate. You can’t refinance a home price, but you can refinance a better rate down the line. “If the interest rate goes up,” he adds, “the bank is stuck with a rate that is advantageous to the homeowner.
“We lost homes with offers $100K+ over ask and $50K+ hard money at contract signing,” one Raleighite ruefully recalls of the 2023 market-buying experience.
According to Pate—who also serves as a pro instructor, speaker, trainer and coach—local agents are indicating that business is picking up, with more sellers and buyers entering the market. So waiting for rates to drop another 1/4 point, while admirable, is signing up for bidding wars and sticker shock. Never mind waiting for a rate to drop is not unlike texting your ex. It’s not getting better—and it’s time to move on. Imagine telling your grandkids you passed on a $350K house because 6% felt steep.
The takeaway: “Time in the market always beats timing the market,” urges Pate. “Very few people hit it perfectly.”
Raleigh ranks second-hottest real estate market in the country.
—U.S. News & World Report
After years of scarce real estate offerings, the home supply is bouncing back. Here, find the city’s most desirable location flexes across North Raleigh, Midtown and Downtown ZIP codes—from the most space for your cash to median marvels with max appeal.
Most House for Your Money: Most square foot per dollar
DOWNTOWN
27604 | 717 Penn Road
$1.5M
5,467 sq. ft.
$274/sq. ft.
MIDTOWN
27609 | 5356 Cypress Lane
$944K
3,826 sq. ft.
$247/sq. ft.
NORTH RALEIGH
27614 | 1508 High Holly Lane
$700K
3,249 sq. ft.
$215/sq. ft.
Mid Price, Max Appeal: Homes within ~$100K of January 2025 avg. Raleigh home sold price
NORTH RALEIGH
27614 | 2260 Dunlin Lane
$500K
2,135 sq. ft.
$234/sq. ft.
DOWNTOWN
27601 | 1014 E. Jones St.
$589K
1,608 sq. ft.
$366/sq. ft.
MIDTOWN
27609 | 401 Rosehaven Drive
$520K
1,802 sq. ft.
$289/sq. ft.
Right in the Middle: Condos within ~$100K of January 2025 avg. Raleigh home sold price
DOWNTOWN
27601 | 200 S. Dawson St., Unit 406
$630K
1,514 sq. ft.
$416/sq. ft.
NORTH RALEIGH
27612 | 3701 Baron Cooper Pass, Unit 205
$549.9K
1,696 sq. ft.
$324/sq. ft.
Locals often recall those glorious 3% interest rates fondly, but perhaps forget the “golden handcuffs” of skyrocketing asks, price battles and buying-sight-unseen buyer frenzy. Rewinding before these housing hunger games, the reality is Raleigh was actually underpriced in 2019 against comp cities (think Charlotte, Tampa, Orlando, etc.). Fast-forward to the ballooning market mayhem and, for a time, owning in Raleigh felt for many out of reach, especially given the record low inventory resulting in bidding wars, buying sight-unseen and Raleighites forking over their 401(k)s in due diligence just for the privilege of bidding—and often losing it all.
That is, until now. Steadily increasing inventory paired with interest rates—not to mention Raleighites paying “normal” due diligence more like it’s a deposit and less like ransom (meaning closer to the standard ~$2K (give or take) than upward of $175K and beyond)—signifies a market on the rebound, and others are taking notice. By the end of last year the City of Oaks had racked up a plethora of additional annual accolades, from the No. 5 fastest-growing housing market to the No. 6 best place to live to the No. 2 best-performing city.
Avg. Sold Price: $315,693
Avg. Days on Market: 24
Avg. Sold Price: $336,857
Avg. Days on Market: 20
Avg. Sold Price: $395,116
Avg. Days on Market: 10
Avg. Sold Price: $463,430
Avg. Days on Market: 12
Avg. Sold Price: $479,343
Avg. Days on Market: 18
Avg. Sold Price: $495,853
Avg. Days on Market: 21
Avg. Sold Price: $563,231
Avg. Days on Market: 46
After a blissful period of reduced rates, Raleigh’s apartment rental market is stabilizing, with the current average one-bedroom going for $1,370/month, compared to $1,270 last year. Why the shift?
Increased interest rates and inflation are delaying Raleighites from home buying—meanwhile, the rental market is hot. Despite elevated vacancy rates (think ~7.1% at the start of 2025) due to the recent influx in apartments, the market is in an adjustment period—and net absorption, aka the total amount of space leased minus the amount of space vacated, is expected to set an annual record this year.
As such, apartment demand remains high, and those new units are slowly but surely being absorbed by an increased population, expected to stimulate a more balanced market. The takeaway? 2025 may be a tough year for renters who’ve grown accustomed to competitive renter-friendly rates.
20% of Raleigh renters are spending more than half their income on renting an apartment or house, compared to the overall U.S. average of ~25.6%.
—U.S. Census
2022 Monthly Price | 2023 Monthly Price | 2024 Monthly Price | 2025 Monthly Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mariners Crossing North Raleigh 823 sq. ft. | From $1,269 | From $1,289 | From $1,324 | |
| Conclave Glenwood Northwest Raleigh 832 sq. ft. | $1,644 | From $1,513 | From $1,553 | |
| Creekside at Crabtree West Raleigh 819 sq. ft. | $1,575–$2,585 | Contact for price | From $1,507 | |
| The NinetyNine South Raleigh 766 sq. ft. | From $1,429 | $1,351 | From $1,299 | |
| Channel House Midtown 824 sq. ft. | From $2,125 | |||
| The Dartmouth North Hills Apartments Midtown 720 sq. ft. | From $1,746 | From $1,899 | From $1,802 | |
| 616 at the Village Village District 730 sq. ft. | From $1,600 | From $1,811 | From $1,810 | |
| Platform West End 742-746 sq. ft. | From $1,895 | |||
| The Row Park District 750 sq. ft. | From $1,420 | |||
| The Signal Seaboard Station 729 sq. ft. | $2,204 | From $1,764 | From $1,538 | |
| Peace Raleigh Apartments Smoky Hollow 800-825 sq. ft. | From $1,985 | From $2,109 | From $1,703 | |
| 712 Tucker Glenwood South 844 sq. ft. | From $1,817 | From $1,739 | From $1,659 | |
| The Dillon Warehouse District 738 sq. ft. | $2,137–$4,825 | $1,500–$1,527 | From $1,721 | |
| Maeve Warehouse District 773 sq. ft. | From $2,546 | |||
| Mira Fayetteville Street District 720 sq. ft. | From $1,682 |
A podcast studio. A fully equipped coworking space. A pet spa. A game pavilion. These luxury apartment amenities are becoming de rigueur in a competitive market that will stop at nothing to entice renters—but they come with a price tag.
You don’t have to think too far back to remember a time when an apartment complex’s biggest draw was a well-equipped gym or heated pool. Now, new buildings are raising the bar LeBron James-height with state-of-the-art community offerings—think resort-style pools and daily wine + beer stations (!).
This “amenities arms race” of sorts makes for a competitive market for communities to stand out and attract residents seeking a luxe lifestyle. Locally, we’re certainly seeing an influx of apartment complexes, with 2,230 DTR residential units under construction last year alone and an additional 7,781 planned or proposed, according to Downtown Raleigh Alliance.
While an older apartment complex may not charge an amenities fee for a standard on-site pool and measly stocked gym, newer boutique residences tend to tack on a swath of additional fees, from a substantial offering-dependent amenity charge to a la carte service fees for trash valet, pest control, parking, pet fees, select utilities, and a packages locker. All told, residents may pay anywhere from $30 to $200 per month on top of rent.
The result—sheer sticker shock. Upon starting the apartment-hunting search, renters typically just see base rents, only to discover those extra costs when the rental process actually begins. All the while, 5 to 9% of total rent can be attributed to amenities.
In the end, renters get what they pay for—just not, at times, what they initially bargained on. And some are willing to fork over hundreds of dollars a month for, say, a sky lounge with impeccable panoramic views of the city.
Peace Apartments Monthly Breakdown
2 bed/2 bathRent: Avg. $2,200
Parking: $160
Service & amenities (trash/recycling, pest control, and upkeep of amenity spaces like the gym and pool): $45
Water admin fee: $4.76
Water: Avg. ~$7
Sewer: Avg. ~$9
If it feels like Raleigh apartments are getting smaller, you’re right. In fact, according to a recent study, new units have shrunk by an average of ~9 square feet compared to a decade ago, with the standard one-bedroom currently around 946 square feet. And local developers are leaning in, jumping on the microliving bandwagon—serving up studios typically between 200 and 400 square feet.
The niche residential arrangement is a small solution (literally) to a bigger housing problem—read: a competitive market with expensive rental rates. Naturally, smaller units equate to lower rental prices, a big pull for those who would rather spend money on experiences and other everyday activities than where they’re resting their head at night.
At 2023-bowed Forge at Raleigh Iron Works, residents also trade space for location, with a plethora of thriving locales in their backyard—from Brodeto and Jaguar Bolera to Urban Pothos and [solidcore]. Not to mention the proximity to DTR’s distinct destinations.
“Efficiently sized apartments are becoming more popular in the multifamily space,” says Chris Garrard, director of property management at Grubb Ventures, the local developer behind RIW. “With a host of high-design amenities at your fingertips, many renters don’t feel the need to maintain and upkeep 900+ square feet of space.”
Raleigh businessman David Smoot is buying in on the same idea via a planned five-story apartment building on Hillsborough Street that would house about 100 160-square-foot units at ~$1,000/month each. Located between NC State and Downtown—around the corner from West Morgan Street hot spots like Gussie’s and The Bend—the project would be a big attraction for students and those looking to live near DTR for less. Demolition for the existing duplex on the site has been approved, but it doesn’t appear any other movement has been made.
If the development continues as planned, it would join other existing local microunits like those at Pullen Station Lofts (252 square feet at $950/month) and Atlas Durham (387 to 433 square feet starting at $1,200/month). With affordability at the top of everyone’s mind, the small trend may just be a big solution.
Downtown parking has a PR problem. Think about it: You roll up to Walmart, snag an open spot at the back of the lot and stroll the distance to the door. That trek clocks in at an average 550 feet (aka ~1/10 mile).
Now, imagine you’ve got a reservation at Brewery Bhavana on Blount Street—and, naturally, the on-street parking is taken, so you circle and grab a spot in the Wilmington Street Station Parking Deck (117 S. Wilmington St.). Get this: It’s a mere 444-foot jaunt to the restaurant—meaning 100+ feet shorter than that Walmart walk. Yet people always peg the latter as the much bigger headache—and many are unwilling to even do it.
“Parking, even before COVID, was the most persistent, largest, complaint we’d get in our annual survey,” notes Downtown Raleigh Alliance President/CEO Bill King. But in a city teeming with “free” public retail lots, it comes down to perception vs. reality.
“People often gravitate toward the path of least resistance,” imparts Village District GM for Regency Centers Brooke Conn, who references Donald Shoup’s highly influential The High Cost of Free Parking, in which he makes the case that “free” parking is never truly free—the costs are instead absorbed elsewhere: higher housing prices and increased goods and service costs. Worse still, not only does parking revenue bolster cities’ ability to thrive, but those free spots are subsidies that distort urban development and encourage urban sprawl, car dependency and congestion, all at the expense of walkability and public transit—two of Raleighites’ biggest pleas.
To be fair, Downtown’s mix of city-owned and predatory private lots and metered spots along with an apparent maze of parking apps can seem more daunting than pulling up to, say, North Hills, Crabtree or your big box store of choice. And Downtown parking wasn’t always free. But both of those realities have been remedied.
Requiring no app, Downtown public decks have long been free on weekends and post-7pm on weekdays. And, beginning last fall, a pilot program allows you to post up in any of the five city-owned decks free for the first two hours (City Council recently voted to extend the program through the end of the year)—covering any retail, lunching or happy hour needs—or even the entire evening if you pull up at 5pm or after.
It’s a benefit some residents are willing to actually “pay” for. “I hope City Council opts to keep the first two hours free program,” says Raleighite Bill O’Donnell in front of the vote—“even if that means paying more after the first two hours during the week [or] some amount on weekends. It’s made it much easier to stop Downtown for lunch, a haircut, etc.”
As for street parking—also cost-free after 6pm and on weekends—only one app, Passport, is needed. And before you scoff, the app’s ease and appeal are infinite. Once your license plate and credit card info are stored, it takes you ~30 seconds flat to pay from inside your warm locked car—without having to fumble for your wallet, get out your card or mess with an outdated meter. You simply type in the four-digit zone visibly labeled on the adjacent meter—and voila. It’s that simple.
“I definitely agree on the frustration I feel when I hear people refer to a perceived lack of parking options Downtown,” adds O’Donnell. “There’s plenty of parking—and most of it is inexpensive, although I think the more predatory lots rightly scare some people off.” The solution for the latter is to zoom right by them and save yourself the nightmare of actual app chaos and a $100+ ticket.
The key is to stay the course. “Are people just giving up because spots within 50 feet of the restaurant are taken?” asks local Eric Spain. “I don’t think I’ve ever been unable to find free parking within two to three blocks at most. While some areas are more difficult…Downtown Raleigh parking isn’t bad at all!”
Essentially, the steps you’ll clock, say the 0.1-mile block-and-a-half from Beasley’s to Kings, aren’t any more than those you’d take in the free surface lots sprawled across the city—and you’re likely supporting a local business to boot.