The Raleigh Area When you drive through Raleigh, it’s easy to see why the founding fathers nicknamed it “The City of Oaks.” But the city’s natural beauty is just one of many drawing cards that has transformed this once-sleepy southern town into one of the nation’s most desired destinations for business, technology, culture and family life. In fact, MSN House and Home named the city the Best Place to Live in 2003. The city of 320,000 residents boasts premier cultural centers, including the N.C. Museum of Art and the famed North Carolina Symphony. The museum houses paintings and sculptures representing more than 5,000 years of artistic heritage – from ancient Egypt to the present – as well as traveling exhibits, movies, lectures and workshops. From events such as Artsplosure, Oktoberfest, the International Festival and the State Fair to the multitude of college and professional sports, there’s a wide array of choices for the young and old, the mellow and bold. Falls Lake provides swimming, boating and fishing opportunities year-round, and Umstead Park offers miles of woodlands for hiking, picnics and nature outings. Alive After Five brings local musicians to the center of downtown each summer, where Raleigh’s nightlife has seen a burst of new restaurants, clubs and even several authentic Irish pubs. First Night Raleigh has become an annual family tradition for thousands of residents, who descend upon the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts and Lichtin Plaza each New Year’s Eve to watch the giant acorn drop. Some of Raleigh’s most popular restaurants are located in the heart of downtown, from the upscale Second Empire – set in the historic Dodd-Hinsdale House – to Greenshield’s Brewery and Pub, to Cooper’s Barbecue, serving up sweet tea and delicious Carolina barbecue since 1928. The Angus Barn steak house on U.S. 70 near the airport and Char-Grill (hamburgers and fries) downtown are considered local landmarks, and newer restaurants offering savory fare of all types can be found in shopping plazas throughout North Raleigh. Entertainment options range from an evening at Charlie Goodnight’s Comedy Club, which draws top-name acts from around the country, to live jazz concerts at Yancey’s Juke Joint. Country enthusiasts can two-step on down to the Long Branch off Wake Forest Road for live entertainment and dancing. And theater patrons shouldn’t miss the annual production of Theatre in the Park’s “A Christmas Carol,” a comedic interpretation of the Dickens classic that has become a Raleigh holiday tradition, celebrating 32 years in 2006. The 19,700-seat RBC Center, which is the home of N.C. State basketball and the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, creates plenty of excitement in Raleigh. Downtown, two additions next to the stately Memorial Auditorium have completed the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts complex. Exploris, a $40 million museum, uses interactive displays to explore other cultures – including an exhibit of a portion of the Berlin Wall. And the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences is in its gleaming new high-rise building, with looming dinosaur replicas peering out from a huge dinosaur dome visible from the street below. You’ll find plenty of comfortable neighborhoods in Raleigh. The Cotton Mill, located downtown off Capital Boulevard, is one of the hippest places to live, thanks to a renovation that turned this 130-year-old textile factory into 50 condominiums. Other condos and townhomes followed, including Park Devereux, 510 Glenwood and Governor’s Square. More condominiums are located near the lively collection of shops and restaurants known as City Market. Within walking distance are Moore Square (where the city’s symbol, the giant acorn, resides) and the Moore Square Art District, where local artisans design and showcase their work at Artspace. Historic Oakwood, Raleigh’s prized 19th-century neighborhood, is within walking distance of downtown. Beautifully renovated Victorian homes in rainbow colors line the picturesque neighborhood’s streets. The community is close-knit, with a strong association that conducts a popular Christmas tour of homes each year. Historic Mordecai is within walking distance of the state government complex and Peace College. With its turn-of-the century bungalows, Mordecai may be the only place to find an older home at a bargain price. The completion of a highway beltline (I-440) around Raleigh in the 1980s brought a new term for the city’s residents when describing where they lived: “inside the beltline,” otherwise known as Old Raleigh. The area offers a central location, neighborhoods with sidewalks and less traffic, and distinctive older homes with the charm of a bygone era. Boylan Heights boasts early 20th-century large homes of diverse architectural styles. An added plus: the neighborhood is close to the State Farmers Market, where you can buy fresh fruits, vegetables and even seafood. If you travel north on Glenwood Avenue from Hillsborough Street, you’ll pass some of the most exciting development going on in the city. Here, old houses are being transformed into specialty shops, restaurants and antique stores. The neighborhood closest to all the action is Glenwood/Brooklyn, a merging of two turn-of-the-20th-century suburbs. The area includes homes that range from tiny bungalows to spacious two-story colonials. As you travel farther north, you’ll reach the popular area known as Five Points, a neighborhood with an eclectic village feel. The Five Points neighborhood surrounds a five-way intersection. It’s an adorable neighborhood with exquisitely renovated homes in many diverse styles and sizes. Visit the Third Place coffee shop for the latest in lattes, or savor an old-fashioned cherry Coke at the Hayes Barton Cafe. The Rialto Theatre is a favorite for independent films and hosts film festivals and live concerts. Five Points runs into the venerable Hayes Barton neighborhood, named after Sir Walter Raleigh’s home in England. Developed in the late 1920s and ‘30s, this area is home to Jesse Helms, North Carolina’s former but longtime U.S. senator, and many of Raleigh’s older, established families. The architectural styles vary from stone manors to brick colonials. As you continue northwest on Glenwood Avenue, the homes are newer. The Country Club Hills neighborhood, developed mostly during the 1950s, surrounds the prestigious Carolina Country Club. If you follow Glenwood northwest until you travel outside the beltline, you’ll pass by Crabtree Valley Mall and enter the fast-growing suburban territory known as North Raleigh. On Leadmine Road, only a quarter-mile past Crabtree Valley, is a new community called Inman Park, which offers everything from estate homes to townhomes in a series of adjacent neighborhoods. Brookhaven, an older subdivision off Glenwood with large lots and many trees, used to be considered far outside the city limits, but now growth surrounds it. The area that is considered true North Raleigh begins near Six Forks Road and is bounded by Capital Boulevard (U.S. 1) to the east and Falls Lake to the north. The North Ridge neighborhood off Falls of the Neuse Road is one of the premier neighborhoods here. As you go farther into North Raleigh, you’ll be amazed by the numerous subdivisions from which you can choose a new home. Wakefield Plantation, 2,200 acres of various communities, is located in North Raleigh near the town of Wake Forest. Some of the larger and more popular North Raleigh neighborhoods include Stonebridge and Stone Creek off Six Forks Road; Stonehenge and Wood Valley off Creedmoor Road; Bent Tree near Strickland Road; and CrossGate, Durant Trails, Falls Village and Alyson Pond off Durant Road. Newer North Raleigh developments include Daltons Ridge off Falls of the Neuse Road, Norwood Crest off Norwood Road and Forrest Ridge off Purnell Road. East Raleigh, stretching from Capital Boulevard near the I-440 beltline to New Hope Road, showcases many older homes in neighborhoods such as Hedingham. Most of East Raleigh’s new development is occurring around Buffalo and New Hope roads, and many real estate agents say this area – between U.S. 1 North and U.S. 64 East – will give you the best deal for your buck when looking for newer homes. West Raleigh is the area near Hillsborough Street and Western Boulevard and home to N.C. State University. It also offers Pullen Park, the crown jewel of the city parks, which houses the 1915 restored (and operational) carousel. There’s a wide price range in neighborhoods such as those off Avent Ferry Road near Lake Johnson or farther out off Blue Ridge Road. Cameron Park, another early 20th-century neighborhood with many large two-story homes with front porches and gardens, is near the university. Within walking distance is Cameron Village, one of the nation’s oldest outdoor “malls,” with six blocks of shopping paradise for those with a taste for antiques and boutiques. Areas along U.S. 401 South toward Garner and U.S. 50 toward Wake Forest are gaining more popularity due primarily to the availability of more affordable housing. The Lake Wheeler-Penny Road area in southern Raleigh also is popular because of larger lots, a country atmosphere and easy access to both downtown Raleigh and Cary. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE RALEIGH CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU