Oakwood (Raleigh, Five Points: apartment, renting, townhomes) - Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary - North Carolina (NC) -The Triangle Area - City-Data Forum

kylemaxmu · 05-10-2009, 04:33 PM

Hi, My wife and I are considering moving to the Oakwood area of downtown raleigh. We currently live in the Brier creek area and in my opinion, have it made regarding options for shopping, restaurants, and commute due to our proxmitiy to 40, 540, 70, RDU ect. Any thoughts for 30 year old newlyweds? Great idea? Not worth the price tag associated with the "ITB/ Historic neighborhood" tag...thoughts? Thanks in advance!!

MikeJaquish · 05-10-2009, 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kylemaxmu

Hi, My wife and I are considering moving to the Oakwood area of downtown raleigh. We currently live in the Brier creek area and in my opinion, have it made regarding options for shopping, restaurants, and commute due to our proxmitiy to 40, 540, 70, RDU ect. Any thoughts for 30 year old newlyweds? Great idea? Not worth the price tag associated with the "ITB/ Historic neighborhood" tag...thoughts? Thanks in advance!!

Great neighborhood, particularly if you are ready to love an old home.
The price tag is a personal decision, but there are areas in Oakwood that are so quiet, you can nearly forget you are in a city.

NC_Paddler · 05-10-2009, 06:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kylemaxmu

Hi, My wife and I are considering moving to the Oakwood area of downtown raleigh. We currently live in the Brier creek area and in my opinion, have it made regarding options for shopping, restaurants, and commute due to our proxmitiy to 40, 540, 70, RDU ect. Any thoughts for 30 year old newlyweds? Great idea? Not worth the price tag associated with the "ITB/ Historic neighborhood" tag...thoughts? Thanks in advance!!

Brier Creek and Oakwood are worlds apart -- if you like one, I can't imagine you liking the other.

Zoya · 05-10-2009, 07:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kylemaxmu

Hi, My wife and I are considering moving to the Oakwood area of downtown raleigh. We currently live in the Brier creek area and in my opinion, have it made regarding options for shopping, restaurants, and commute due to our proxmitiy to 40, 540, 70, RDU ect. Any thoughts for 30 year old newlyweds? Great idea? Not worth the price tag associated with the "ITB/ Historic neighborhood" tag...thoughts? Thanks in advance!!

Give me Oakwood any day of the week! However, if you don't like downtown living...it might not be for you.

kylemaxmu · 05-10-2009, 07:09 PM

We are in townhomes in the Brier Creek area, not the CC area, not in love with the 'newness' of the area, just really the location and ease of commute. I am originally from Chicago (Wrigleyville) and enjoy the neighborhood/city feel and lived in a apartment built in 1889 and respect and enjoy transitioning neighborhoods (i don't think that it's a secret that as early as 1990, there were many run down houses selling for under 100k). I just was hoping that the area wasn't too overpriced/hyped. Thanks again for your input!

miamiblue · 05-10-2009, 07:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kylemaxmu

We are in townhomes in the Brier Creek area, not the CC area, not in love with the 'newness' of the area, just really the location and ease of commute. I am originally from Chicago (Wrigleyville) and enjoy the neighborhood/city feel and lived in a apartment built in 1889 and respect and enjoy transitioning neighborhoods (i don't think that it's a secret that as early as 1990, there were many run down houses selling for under 100k). I just was hoping that the area wasn't too overpriced/hyped. Thanks again for your input!

Oakwood in general is not really a transitioning neighborhood - it has mostly already transitioned, hence the price tags. It seems to be the type of neighborhood where neighbors know each other well and there is a sense of community between them. The southern and eastern edges of the neighborhood are where the "transitioning" term still applies as renovations continue outward by the urban pioneers. However, the majority of the neighborhood is definitely worth the price tag, due to all the hard work and capital that has been put into those gorgeous historic homes to bring them back to their former glory. Not to mention it is just a beautiful neighborhood.

If you like being able to walk to a lot of entertainment and cultural options without having to cross any traffic congested 4-lane boulevards and can live without a Super Walmart in spitting distance, you'll probably like Oakwood. I lived in NW Raleigh by the Raleigh Grand movie theater when I first moved to this area and also enjoyed the convenient location, but I realized quickly that there are very few inconvenient locations (for auto travel) in Raleigh and chose to move where there was more of the character and pedestrian friendly options I was looking for, which is downtown. I am currently renting in Glenwood South and would live in Oakwood in a heartbeat if I had the money to buy something there.

rnc2mbfl · 05-10-2009, 09:29 PM

Are you already looking at a specific home in Oakwood? I ask because I wonder why you have zero'd in on Oakwood at this point. If so, that's terrific and I would certainly recommend it over Brier Creek. But, then again, I am not a suburban person at all.
If you haven't chosen a specific home yet, I'd suggest branching out in the general area that includes Mordecai, Glenwood Brooklyn, Boylan Heights and the Five Points area. If I were looking in Oakwood and was flexible, I'd compare what you can get in all the downtown neighborhoods. If your heart is set on an ornate Victorian home, you might be best to stay with Oakwood. But, if you aren't, I'd certainly explore some more to make sure that you have made your very best decision. Good Luck!