Our latest growth shows that Barney Fife was right — Raleigh is the place to be

Bill Church
·4 min read

For first-generation North Carolinians of a certain age, our impressions of the state were shaped by basketball coaches Dean Smith and Mike Krzyzewski … and Deputy Barney Fife.

Three iconic men in suits pacing back and forth.

Remember those Mayberry moments when Barney had to dress up and make the big trip to Raleigh? (I’m waiting for tweed suits to become retro cool again.)

Back then, Raleigh might as well have been New York, New York.

And maybe that’s the Big Idea as city leaders continue to rethink and reimagine Downtown Raleigh, Version 4.08 (or something like that).

How’s this for a downtown campaign: “We’re Raleigh — Where Mayberry Goes For Fun!”

This would be the moment when Andy Griffith, aka Sheriff Taylor, grins that big grin and wraps his arm around the latest downtown enthusiast and drawls, “I declare (INSERT NAME HERE), There you are, as cool as the center seed of a cucumber!”

All the cool kids in Raleigh

Change is happening in the downtowns of Raleigh and other Triangle cities. We’re more than Mayberry’s favorite destination. Apparently all the cool kids are coming here, too.

It’s worth looking back at Richard Stradling’s report in The News & Observer almost a year ago. The headline: “Downtown Raleigh is one of the fastest-growing parts of the city. Who is moving there?”

(For digital subscribers, find the story on one of The N&O’s digital sites and read Richard’s story for the context. For everyone else, here’s a hint: It’s those twentysomethings with college degrees who truly want to move out of your house and wander downtown.)

The Downtown Raleigh Alliance’s first-quarter market report showed 19 developments that will add 2,230 residences and 410 hotel rooms. Downtown’s apartment occupancy rate is a robust 94.1%. The future Omni Hotel will be a big deal for business and luxury-focused travelers.

Raleigh is growing, and so is the Triangle. Richard and N&O colleague David Raynor recently assessed the latest census numbers, showing growth in small communities and some of the Triangle’s larger cities. Durham will likely be the state’s third largest city before the decade is out.

The reality of growing communities is that residents — new and old — want all the amenities within the comfort of their neighborhood. So as Raleigh leaders focus on the latest remaking of downtown, similar conversations are shaping Durham, Cary and other Triangle cities.

Mini-cities popping up in the Triangle

Not only are Triangle downtowns changing, so-called mini-cities are popping up within cities:

And don’t forget Chapel Hill, Wake Forest, Garner along with the real-time urbanizations of Johnston and Chatham counties. It’s construction cranes, not cicadas, making noise in the Triangle.

Do all of these projects create competitive tensions? Anna Johnson’s story with the headline “Do Raleigh leaders pay too much attention to downtown versus the rest of the city?“ offered context on the multimillion dollar dilemma of what to do when all parts of a growing city need attention.

Maybe we’re overthinking it. We live in the Triangle, where a college athlete can enter the transfer portal and change teams without having to get a new apartment. Everything is that close.

Maybe, just maybe, Barney knew all along what we’ve been navel-gazing about for years.

Maybe we just nip this downtown debate in the bud.

How’s this for a NEW campaign: “We’re Raleigh — Cool as the Center Seed of a Cucumber!”

Bill Church is executive editor of The News & Observer. He owns a tweed blazer.