Feel free to merge with another topic if it’s not appropriate as a standalone…
Inspired by this post on buildingbullcity, I made some gifs of some scenes around Raleigh. Most of these show 2007-2018, so just a little over a decade of change.
In my view, this is what we miss when the discussion focuses on our frustrations with a stunted skyline. When you look at the transformation that’s happened at the level of a pedestrian, it’s really quite astounding! I’d almost forgotten what half these places used to look like.
Have any to add? Post your own Google Street View finds, post your memories of recent Raleigh, etc.
The amazing thing is how fast your brain gets used to the new normal. I’ve been through so many of these places many more times in their old state but sometimes I find it hard to picture how they used to be. Maybe that’s just a me thing but this is a great way to appreciate all the change that has taken place.
That is truly amazing. Also, anyone who says the Warehouse District is losing its amazing character with all this new development is out of their minds. I wouldn’t even feel safe walking around there in some of these pics, and now it’s got all this cool stuff and wonderful rehabbed buildings with more on the way.
Outstanding presentation. Yes, Raleigh doesn’t have hyper growth like Austin/Charlotte/Nashville with a dozen+ 10+ towers underway, but the improvement has been remarkable all the same. All those shots show fantastic upgrades to the city.
Fantastic work @elevatoroperator!!! All of that, chronicling all of that, is what I have been working, or at least trying, on since the blog started. (in 2007) The changes have been awesome to follow and the pace is pretty good.
Thank you for sharing! As a Raleigh native I am extremely please with the growth. Keep taking pictures so we can see further improvements in the coming years.
When my wife and I moved here 6 years ago, our friends from overseas and up North used to emphasize the rapid change they had witnessed since they moved here 10-15 years ago. They use to talk about how desolate the downtown was, and it was hard for us to imagine. Now, I feel the same way as they did. In my six years here, I see drastic difference. It use to be very small pockets of downtown that you could enjoy at night. Now, everything is much more connected with options for every style and preference.
I believe the very important necessity now, in order to continue this growth, is to work on raising the population both in the immediate downtown and ITB.
When my family moved to Raleigh in the 70s, its downtown was commensurate with its size. While not bustling, it was what you’d expect for a city of 130,000 in a county of a quarter million. Over the decades, the city center treaded water at best and, in some cases like the closing of Belk on Fayetteville Street, deteriorated. When I first personally invested in downtown (my home) in the mid/late 90s, I was convinced that the trajectory of the city center was going to change. While it’s taken a lot longer than I expected due to the dot com bust and the great recession, I am delighted to see the city center pick up steam and start being reflective of the size of Raleigh, Wake the Triangle. While I’m always looking forward in anticipation of what’s next, it’s terrific to step back and reflect on how far it’s come!
Nice idea for a thread. I moved here in 2016 and have seen a good bit of change in that time, especially in the Warehouse District and what will soon be the Smoky Hollow district. I’ve heard people talk about how much other areas of downtown have come along in the last 10-15 years, and this thread really shows that.
I moved here from NYC in 2003, and YES, Raleigh has changed quite well. And with 2019 coming to an end and 2020 soon approaching looking forward to more changes along the way.
We moved here about the same time too, '72. I was in the first year of full integrated Raleigh City Schools. The transformation of the town and county are simply amazing. Living in a spot now that development has forgotten, its even more stunning for me to come back to R’wood. This is certainly an exciting time to be in Raleigh.
We moved early '74. We settled in far north Raleigh (at that time), and went to Wake County Schools before they consolidated with the Raleigh City Schools.
Personally I don’t remember what it was like before all of these projects came into play but it is interesting looking at them and seeing how much everything has changed. Let me know if you want me to find more, or just ask @elevatoroperator because he’s probably better at it.
