Raleigh: One of America's Fastest Growing Downtowns

Raleigh: An In-Depth Look at One of America's Fastest Growing Downtowns

27. 780 units recently added within two blocks of Moore Square.

28. 934 units recently added/planned within three blocks of Glenwood Avenue.

29. Downtown Raleigh has become a major food destination regionally and nationally with over 130 dining establishments providing a broad range of cuisines and experiences. Food and beverage sales have increased 19% in downtown since 2012.

30. Raleigh is among the top 10 large cities in the U.S. for economic growth. Since 2005, downtown has seen over $2.75 billion in development completed, which has added new residences, convention space, offices, retail, entertainment venues, hotels, and restaurants.

31. 41.4% of downtown residents are between the ages of 25-44 compared to 30% for the City of Raleigh and 26% nationally.

32. The City of Raleigh and the Downtown Raleigh Alliance partnered to create the Downtown 2025 Experience Plan to guide new growth and development over the next decade. Building off the success downtown has experienced in recent years, the goal of the plan’s “Breathe” (A Greener Raleigh: Parks and Greenways) initiative is to transform downtown Raleigh into a center for innovative urban parks and appealing green spaces, as well as improve existing parks and expand park access to underserved areas of downtown.

33. Several downtown streets are being converted from one-way to two-way traffic to improve downtown connectivity and the pedestrian experience.

34. Downtown Raleigh is becoming a center for connectivity and sustainability in the Triangle. Downtown is the most walkable part of the Triangle and is a transportation hub for the region that moves thousands of residents, visitors, and employees every year. Additional investments such as Bike Share, a new multimodal station, additional bike lanes, conversion of one-way streets and potential transit enhancements are being made.

35. To help make finding parking even easier in downtown, DRA developed an app that directs users to the parking nearest to their destination. The Downtown Raleigh App also has real time information on the R-LINE circulator bus and allows stores and businesses to easily list their specials and promotions.

Source: State of Downtown Raleigh 2016: An In-Depth Look at One of America’s Fastest Growing Downtowns