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Districts
Downtown Raleigh is composed of five interdependent districts. Below are short descriptions of each of the five districts:
Fayetteville Street District
Considered by many as the Central Business District of Downtown Raleigh, the Fayetteville Street district is characterized by its skyscrapers, the density of its built environment, and the proliferation of people on the go. Loosely bounded by Morgan Street on the North and Martin Luther King Avenue on the South, the district’s backbone is the City’s grand boulevard, Fayetteville Street. Also known as North Carolina’s main street, Fayetteville Street underwent a major transformation. In 2006, the the first phase of its a renaissance was completed when the pedestrian mall was turned back into a traditional street adorned with public art, outdoor cafes, 28-feet wide sidewalks, and its inspiring vista between the Duke Energy
Center for the Performing Arts and the North Carolina State Capital.
Moore Square District
The Moore Square District’s name arises from the urban park housed on the city block bounded by Hargett St., Blount St., Martin St., and Person St. and is the city’s hub for arts and cultural entertainment. Art galleries, the Marbles Kids Museum/Wells Fargo IMAX® Theatre, and Artspace serve as a constellation of arts attractions that surround the park’s stoic oak trees and landscaped gardens. The concentration of arts venues in the Moore Square District cause some observers to consider it Downtown Raleigh’s arts district. Also notable in the district are the numerous restaurants and clubs that offer a wide array of cuisines and dining experiences. One of downtown’s historic legacies, City Market, sits to the south of Moore Square Park and offers a bevy of retail shops and restaurants in its turn-back-the-clock cobblestone environment.
Glenwood South District
No district in Downtown Raleigh does hip and trendy like the Glenwood South District. Progressive restaurant concepts line the venerable Glenwood Avenue and create the place to see and be seen on warm evenings in Downtown Raleigh. What was once a quiet row of warehouses and art supply stores has transformed over the past five years into a thriving restaurant and retail environment. The district’s nightlife will soon welcome a significant residential boom, as more than 900 new condos and apartments will help to sustain the district’s vitality for the coming years.
Warehouse District
Characterized by its red brick warehouses, the Warehouse Districts is slowly transforming into an intriguing mix of restaurants, specialty shops, and antique stores. Its slower pace and quiet environment are a stark contrast to the neighboring Fayetteville Street District, but the district’s confines come alive after dark as the restaurants and clubs open their doors to patrons and entertainment seekers. Home of the Contemporary Art Museum and one of downtown’s proposed commuter rail stations, the district will continue to add new colors to its attraction palette in the coming years. Also notable in the Warehouse District are its handful of establishments that cater to
alternative lifestyles. The Warehouse district is bordered to the west by
the Historic neighborhood, Boylan Heights.
Capital District
As a State of North Carolina’s Capital City, Raleigh is home to a number of government entities, but none more significant in size than the NC State government. A number of high-profile government buildings are located in the Capital District, including: the Governor’s Mansion, the Legislature, and the original NC Capitol Building. The District is also home to the NC History Museum and the NC Museum of Natural Sciences, rated as one of the top ten science museums in the nation. By day, over 15,000 employees crowd into the Capital District with the charge of running the state of North Carolina. Andrew Johnson, the seventeenth President of the United States, was born in Capital District in 1808. Also notable in the Capital District are the beautifully restored historic homes of Blount
Street, long considered the Raleigh’s premiere residential address and
downtown’s grocery store at Seaboard Station. Two of Raleigh’s historic
neighborhoods, Oakwood and Mordecai, envelop the district on its east
and north, respectively.
