Spotlight: North Raleigh

The Triangle boasts many excellent options when determining where to call home. Each month we will highlight what is special about each area to help you determine which area suits you best.

Where is North Raleigh?
It’s actually up for debate which areas are “North” Raleigh, and as some call it, “North North Raleigh”. The area is large, spanning from Brier Creek, Leesville Rd, Creedmoor Rd, Six Forks, Falls of Neuse along 540 (and above) on the North side, down to the Millbrook Rd area. Millbrook and Six Forks is also starting to be more of the “North Hills” area, as that area continues to boom and will be discussed in a later month.

What is special about North Raleigh?
Land. Privacy. Excellent Schools. When I am listening to new clients tell me their wish list, I often hear, “I do not want to high five my neighbor,” and “we really prefer complete privacy in the backyard.” That goes along with “we want to be close to life, but not in the middle of the bustle.” When I hear these items on the wish list, North Raleigh comes to mind. Depending on if you choose below 540 or above 540, they are truly two different areas.

Examples:
Living above 540 off of Leesville, Creedmoor or Six Forks, offers a little bit of country feeling while heading home away from the grocery stores, restaurants and traffic. These areas are ideal for larger lots and privacy. Typically a higher price point and beautiful homes. Neighborhoods with amenities and some without, ranging from an area where you can have horses, or where there are community pools, or where there are zero amenities and no HOA so you can choose to do what you wish with your land.

Above 540 off of Falls of Neuse has a LOT going on. New Sprouts, new restaurants, new elementary school, and several housing communities. Very family friendly with several daycare options, kids gymnastics, kids cooking camps, soccer parks, and more.

If you choose below 540, and closer into Raleigh, you are close to everything. Grocery stores, nail salons, Home Depot or Lowe’s, Starbucks and several local restaurants. This area was built-up first, so typically homes are older, unless an area has been sold and is now starting new construction. And if it is, price points will be higher for the convenience of the location. Older homes mean mature landscaping, beautiful trees, and convenience. These days you will see a lot of remodeled older homes in this area. Pool membership options range from local spots like Seven Oaks Swim and Racquet Club, Greystone Pool & Tennis, and the Baileywick YMCA, to the new huge Lifetime Athletic just to name a few.

North Raleigh also offers communities that provide everything, such as Bedford at Falls River that offers an amazing pool, tennis, playgrounds, childcare facilities and even a Bistro within the neighborhood. These are master planned communities that really offer a community within a neighborhood. Bedford at Falls River is located off of Falls of Neuse.

Personally for me, North Raleigh has been my home since 2006. Why? Because after
covering the triangle with clients all day, when I come home I want privacy and quiet. We also lucked out with an excellent Elementary School for our daughters. A large portion of my friends live in this area, almost all of us with our kids at different schools and no complaints from any of us on that front!

My favorite North Raleigh restaurants are:
Gonza’s Taco and Tequila- amazing Mexican!
Kai– Sushi that is excellent
Chow– a friendly neighborhood American burger or salad type place, our daughter’s favorite Mac & Cheese in town.
Anything over in Lafayette Village with the kids because the option to eat outside and let kids play in the large grassy lawn is ideal for all parents!
Hibernian on Falls of Neuse is my favorite place to grab a drink with girlfriends
The New Bad Daddy’s in North Raleigh has my favorite salad and a covered roof top area to opt outside
Poppyseed Market is an excellent place to meet a friend, client or take the family to lunch, or pick up dinner to go.
Relish- Southern Charm, such as fried green tomatoes with eggs, and they sell local jams, art, honey, great Sunday brunch place!
Milton’s- the family friendly favorite Italian off of Strickland Rd
My all time favorite North Raleigh spot- Solas Coffee Bar. Local coffee, delicious breakfast, always bustling, they have a great thing going and I love their support and love for Raleigh. They serve lunch and dinner too, with local musicians at dinner time!

My favorite activity places in North Raleigh:

Blue Jay Park (on Falls Lake)- great for hiking, flying kites, playing soccer, teaching kids to ride bikes, has a playground and even the Go Ape ropes course with Zip Lines for adults and kids!
Falls Lake- We have a huge lake for boating, paddle boarding, kayaking, even a beach. There are hiking trails and camping spots, a great way to spend a day or a weekend.
Treetop Runner- new zip line adventure spot in North Raleigh that even lights up for night time adventures. Trying this one in September!
Baileywick Park- great playground, popular place for birthday parties
The YMCA- if you have kids in sports, the Y offers everything and they are one well oiled machine. So thankful for the programs they offer our community.
Shelley Lake- this is a small lake that offers a 2 mile loop around the lake for runners, walkers and bikers. It’s a great place to get your exercise in and have a view while doing it. Sertoma Art Center at Shelley Lake offers art classes, dance classes, activities for children and adults. There are paddle boats in the summer, a great playground and basketball courts. This is a City of Raleigh park.
New Life Camp- need a wonderful camp for your kids? I highly recommend checking out this place. Your eyes will fill with tears on the final night, and pretty sure, you’ll be back.

This is a small list of what is available, definitely not an all-inclusive list.

Side Note, where is Jenne on Thursday nights?
Personally, I am a huge fan of volleyball. If you can’t find me working on Thursday nights, it is because I am at Greystone Pool playing beach volleyball. This year is my first time being involved in the North Raleigh Growler Volleyball tournament where all of the North Raleigh volleyball clubs meet up for competition. 4 weeks straight, live music, food trucks, beer tents and 32 teams competing in the tournament. Now this is what I call fun! August 22nd in the last night, come out to see what this is all about! All ages, all skill levels, good old fashioned fun. Kerr Family YMCA for the first time is adding Youth volleyball this fall as well after soccer season for 9-12 year olds, I may just have to sign up to volunteer as coach to continue the fun. We all need our outlets in life!

Questions? Let me know! I love to be a local resource! If I haven’t tried it, one of my friends probably has. We are all about loving where we live and taking advantage of all our area has to offer.