Neighborhoods in Raleigh? (Hillsborough, Five Points, Cameron: apartment complexes, rentals, loft)

[brianpfitz]

Hi, all! I've been reading the posts on this forum for quite some time now, but this is the first one from me. You seem like nice folks! My fiancee and I are moving to Raleigh on October 1 and we're trying to figure out where we should rent. So you know, we love restaurants, bars, clubs, green spaces and all other typical urban happenings. We currently live in Boston's South End if that provides a useful reference point. So any suggestions for cool/fun Raleigh neighborhoods? Thanks in advance!

[RaleighRob]

"Urban happenings"...I like that phrase!
Definitely sounds like you're gonna wanna target the areas "Inside-The-Beltline"...which is the immediate areas surrounding (& including) Raleigh's downtown. Tons of the nice restaurants, bars, clubs, etc that you mention...and decent "green space"/parks too!

Urban rentals are plentiful...you just have to find the right size/price for your needs. Are you looking more for house, condo/townhouse, or apartment...or any of them?
Craigslist repeatedly has rentals listed saying "near downtown", etc. But they tend to have more houses & condos....apartment buildings/complexes don't tend to advertise there as much....I could come up with a few if you want.

In the meantime, here's some neighborhood names too look for that sound like (to me) what you're interested in:
In Downtown: City Market, Boylan Heights, Oakwood, Glenwood South, Warehouse District, Capital District, Pilot Mill, Brooklyn.
Near downtown: University Park, Cameron Park, Oberlin, Five Points, Longview, Caraleigh, Mordecai, Ridgewood.

[brianpfitz]

I fixed your name! See:

Wow, Raleigh Rob! That's some fantastic information. Thank you so very much. As for the sort of place we're looking for, we'd love a loft, apartment or house. We currently live in a 1200 sq. ft. loft and it's sweet. Something like that would be ideal and I've already seen a few of them on Craigslist. So I'll be on the lookout for any of the neighborhoods you mentioned. While I'm at it, any good places to see punk/hardcore shows?!

[thisguy]

Originally Posted by RaleighRob

In the meantime, here's some neighborhood names too look for that sound like (to me) what you're interested in:
In Downtown: City Market, Boylan Heights, Oakwood, Glenwood South, Warehouse District, Capital District, Pilot Mill, Brooklyn.
Near downtown: University Park, Cameron Park, Oberlin, Five Points, Longview, Caraleigh, Mordecai, Ridgewood.

What would the typical monthly cost be to rent out a house in these areas? Nothing huge - say 1200-1400 sq ft house with a small yard for dogs to run around in, while you get your feet wet and figure out where you want to buy a house.

There seems to be a lot of neighborhoods! Any sort of neighborhood map you ever found online for Raleigh??? Hard to keep them all straight

[RaleighRob]

Originally Posted by brianpfitz

Wow, Raleigh Bob! That's some fantastic information. Thank you so very much. As for the sort of place we're looking for, we'd love a loft, apartment or house. We currently live in a 1200 sq. ft. loft and it's sweet. Something like that would be ideal and I've already seen a few of them on Craigslist. So I'll be on the lookout for any of the neighborhoods you mentioned. While I'm at it, any good places to see punk/hardcore shows?!

That's RaleighRob...with an R. My grandfather tried to call me Bob when I was a kid...it didn't go over well. LOL

Glad to be of help....in addition to craigslist, there's raleighlist.org (fewer listings but worth a look) and a local mag, Independent Weekly has good rental classifieds (indyweek DOT com). All of them often show not only houses for rent, but where someone has bought a condo/loft and renting it out.
For larger buildings (apartment complexes and condo buildings) you can also check out downtownraleigh.org under the "living in downtown" sections.

I'm afraid I don't know alot about Punk/Hardcore shows. (I'm more in the house/techno dance clubbing.) But I've heard places mentioned like Lincoln Theatre (East Cabarrus Street) and the Brewery (Hillsborough Street) do that kinda music. The Independent Weekly that I mentioned above, has a good music section too.

[thisguy]

Raleigh Rob, I thought you were Raleigh Bob yesterday for some reason and so did the brian So I think I called you Raleigh Bob too yesterday for some odd reason

Anyhow I found the "historic" Oakwood website
(broken link)

The houses look cool, some character to them and neat style and not cookie cutter. Is most of the inner Raleigh like this? If so, that is definately a positive.

Now I live in a 1940s house up here with "character" but its a closed floor plan, and everything is costly to constantly "fix". My brother lives in a 2004 built condo with no character but everything spanking new and up to date. So the million dollar question is are they building or have built in the last 5-10 years any nice neighborhoods or "areas" within neighborhoods with "newer construction" but with more old fashion styles (or lets call it traditional like Oakwood seems to be)

Also, on an aside what the heck is "DH" I always see women refer to their husbands as... I assume the H is husband but whats the d stand for? divorced? dear? I see it so much and have no clue on these boards.

Last, which freeway(s) defines the inside/outside beltway designation?

Thanks for help.

[Chimp]

dh = dear husband
dd = dear daughter

you get the idea

[RaleighRob]

Originally Posted by thisguy

What would the typical monthly cost be to rent out a house in these areas? Nothing huge - say 1200-1400 sq ft house with a small yard for dogs to run around in, while you get your feet wet and figure out where you want to buy a house.

It really varies...some houses are better kept up than others, depending on whether the landlord tries to attract professionals or students, I suppose. It's possible to find a quaint 2 bedroom apartment near downtown for under $700 if you look enough. A 3 bedroom house for under a thousand is also doable. But a really nice modern one with tons of fancy new appliances will cost significantly more, obviously. The cheaper stuff isn't as well advertised as the pricier stuff so it may take a bit more effort to find. Heck, just drive around those areas and look for "To Rent" signs. That's how I found my previous home.

There seems to be a lot of neighborhoods! Any sort of neighborhood map you ever found online for Raleigh??? Hard to keep them all straight

Not many maps of them unfortunately. Usually you get situated to the city and just learn where they are.
However, a quick search online found a local realtor's website [cut ]realtor company websites not permitted here[/mod]

[RaleighRob]

Originally Posted by thisguy

Raleigh Rob, I thought you were Raleigh Bob yesterday for some reason and so did the brian So I think I called you Raleigh Bob too yesterday for some odd reason

It's cool.

Anyhow I found the "historic" Oakwood website


The houses look cool, some character to them and neat style and not cookie cutter. Is most of the inner Raleigh like this? If so, that is definately a positive.

Depends on the neighborhood. Oakwood is mostly Victorian-era...1880s thru 1910s, depending on the street. It's the most "historic" of them all. Boylan Heights & Brooklyn are 1920s-30s mostly. Mordecai & Oberlin are mostly 30s-50s. University Park & Cameron Park mostly 40s. It varies.

So the million dollar question is are they building or have built in the last 5-10 years any nice neighborhoods or "areas" within neighborhoods with "newer construction" but with more old fashion styles (or lets call it traditional like Oakwood seems to be)

It really depends on the neighborhood and the develper. Oakwood and Boylan tend to require any newer homes to be done close to the style of the surrounding houses. Pilot Mill, one I mentioned way above, is a unique development: brand new, near downtown, but somewhat traditional architecture. Others, it varies...in University Park you can easily find a cute 1930s bungalow right next to a brand-new McMansion. Looks somewhat odd, but then again it just makes it a more diverse neighborhood, architecturally.

Last, which freeway(s) defines the inside/outside beltway designation?

The circular shape formed by I-440, the Beltline. (Not to be confused with I-540, the Wake Outer Loop, currently still being built.)

[brianpfitz]

I fixed your name above since your happiness matters to me!

That said, in addition to my punk/hardcore obsession, I'm also a budding techno DJ! So we share that interest. Any good techno clubs out there? And what neighborhoods are best for said clubs? Thank you, sir!