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The variety of options available among Raleigh NC neighborhoods can make it difficult to narrow your choices. One top contender is the Five Points area of this capital city.
The Five Points neighborhood is a consolidation of the historic suburbs of Hayes Barton, Bloomsbury, Georgetown, Vanguard Park, and Roanoke Park. Development in these areas in the 1910s and early 1920s, and the area flourished as these streetcar suburbs became reachable by car.
Historically, for large, prestigious grand Colonial Revival, Georgian Revival, Tudor Revival houses, you’d look to Hayes Barton. This area also features small park areas and street medians as the designer, preeminent New South landscape architect Earle Sumner Draper, viewed the garden as an outdoor living room.
The more modest homes in Vanguard Park were mostly constructed after the Great Depression, while the homes of Georgetown were built after World War II. In Bloomsbury and Roanoke Park, you’d expect Craftsman or Classical Revival Foursquares and modest bungalows with Craftsman detailing.
Today, this is an up-and-coming area with a wide range of housing styles in the neighborhood radiating out from the intersection of Glenwood Avenue with Whitaker Mill and Fairview roads.
On Trulia, residents and visitors describe Five Points as a “wonderful neighborhood with a small-town feeling.” It’s also described as “dog friendly” and “a great location to live with children.” It helps that the neighborhood is “low traffic and easy to navigate” and “close to Downtown, I-440, and really anything you need.” As one community contributor said, “Five Points in the ideal location to live in the Raleigh area with its proximity to everything.”
The outer boundaries of Five Points may be debatable, but you can count on finding mostly single-family homes in this area. The epicenter of Five Points is a hub of antique stores, art galleries, restaurants, bars, and other shopping and entertainment options.
The neighborhood is home to Underwood Elementary School and Oberlin Magnet Middle School. Five Points’ Broughton Magnet High School is ranked above average on measures of college and career readiness.
The streets are walkable, and many are tree-lined. This gives you the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful fall foliage or take in the modern homes festively decorated for the holidays.
Families will get together at one of the several parks in the neighborhood, with Roanoke Park the closest to the epicenter, for outdoor fun. Meanwhile, those over 50 can enjoy programs including pickleball, chair yoga, line dancing, and more at the Five Points Center for Active Adults.
You can also expect to see many pet owners out and about. In fact, many of the restaurants and coffee shops are dog friendly! Maybe if the pups could get their paws on a computer for online voting, Five Points would clinch the number 1 spot among Raleigh’s neighborhoods. Right now, areavibes has it as No. 2.
The Rialto Theatre is a historic theatre building in Five Points. First opened in 1942, the venue today specializes in independent, foreign, and alternative film. Owned today by Ambassador Cinemas, this vintage theatre is cash only but also offers beer and wine at its concession stand.
Another good way to spend the afternoon? Checking out NOFO @ the Pig. This combo cafe, market, and gift shop is found in a restored Piggly Wiggly grocery store building. Named by Southern Living as one of the 50 best gift shops in the South, NOFO focuses on “all things North Carolina and the South. It promotes ‘Love Living Local’ with a wealth of carefully chosen products to eat, drink, wear, read, listen to, use, and enjoy from Tarheel and Southern food artisans, entrepreneurs, designers, farmers, craftsmen, musicians, and artists.”
For a night out in the neighborhood you might:
If you have a sweet tooth, try the renowned pastry shop Layered Croissanterie or Escazu Chocolates for small-batch chocolates as well as ice cream, frozen yogurt, coffee, and tea. Or try the vegan latte or banana bread at the eclectic Third Place Coffee House.
Raleigh NC is a top place to live and work. The city is beautiful, with the promise of quality of life, career growth, and good education and healthcare available. McNeill Burbank is proud to offer high-quality homes in Five Points and other areas around Raleigh. In fact, our efforts in the Triangle Area have won us awards for customer satisfaction and for Best in American Living.
Learn more about finding your forever home in Five Points or the Raleigh area. We can help!
