The photo above shows snow all over Fayetteville Street almost 17 years ago, in January 2009. Don’t those trees look adorable? I’m writing this before the weekend’s wintry weather is supposed to hit us, but it felt like an appropriate photo to share. I can still see ice out my window from last weekend’s weather event, so why not add a little historical perspective of our main street during similar conditions?
It’s birthday time once again, number 19 this year, and I use this time to reflect and do my yearly donation ask. If you want to jump straight into the latter, you can do that here.
Lately, things have been a bit less online-centric around DTRaleigh HQ. Personally, I’m at my lowest levels of social media use ever. Instead, I’ve been reading more (actual physical books), watching more movies, and playing more games, both video and board games, with the family. I’m also making more of an effort to get out, meet people in person, and walk or bike around my neighborhood and downtown.
I realize that might sound funny coming from a blogger and curator of an online forum, but the end goal has always been the same: to talk about and support the creation of vibrant places. Downtown is one of the most people-centric areas in our city, and honestly, it’s the place I most want to be. If you’re looking for an easy entry point into downtown conversations, come hang out with me and others at one of our monthly Happy Hours or seasonal Photo Walks.
Downtown Raleigh may be approaching its next inflection point. That snowy Fayetteville Street photo is also a reminder of how major investments can act as catalysts for change. I believe we’re starting to build the next wave, one that could push downtown to a new level. A big part of that is the full build-out of the Convention Center area, along with continuing to grow the residential population.
Residential buildings continue to break ground at a steady pace. Personally, I’d love to see even more, but it does seem like we get one or two new groundbreakings each year, which translates into one or two new openings down the line. In 2025, we saw the groundbreaking of the city’s next tallest residential tower, Highline Glenwood. According to the Downtown Raleigh Alliance, more than 15,600 residents now live downtown, and that number keeps climbing. Residents are what give downtown its spark between peak hours, so I’ll always advocate for more of them.
On the investment front,, the new Red Hat Amphitheater is currently under construction. Once that completes, the Convention Center expansion will get started. At the same time, we’re now waiting for the Omni hotel to break ground. All three of these investments will hopefully add some pop to Fayetteville Street as a new block is added in front of the performing arts center. While being a convention center town isn’t that exciting to me as a local, I understand that when all those venues are full and active, it helps bring me good things that I get to enjoy. Let’s do this!
I’m still around and not going anywhere. If you enjoy this kind of content, the work I do, and the Community that I host, chipping in goes a long way as I keep my costs real slim. For 19 years of blogging, a $19 donation covers almost a month of costs on my end and it would be really appreciated it. Support my work here.
