Live in Hillsborough Street
A tax district rather than a neighborhood, along the front of NC State, where 15 private student housing properties built since 2012 hold 64% of the taxable value and every owner pays a district tax of 13 cents per $100 on top of the citywide rate.
Hillsborough Street runs along the north edge of NC State's main campus, and this guide's boundary is the City's Hillsborough Street Municipal Service District, created on 1 July 2009 in partnership with the university: about 180 acres on both sides of the street from St. Mary's School to Meredith College and the Beltline, widened in 2015 to take in Oberlin Road and Enterprise Street up to Clark Avenue. Property inside it pays 13 cents per $100 in 2026, which funds cleaning, safety, events and marketing run by a nonprofit, the Hillsborough Street Community Service Corporation. The 2020 census counted 2,742 residents in the blocks centered inside it, before the largest student building, 836,474 square feet at 101 Cox Avenue, was finished in 2024. The housing is built for NC State's year: 40,503 students in fall 2025, a live-on rule for first-year students only, and private buildings that mostly lease by the room.
A tax line along NC State's front, filled in by student housing
The Hillsborough Street Municipal Service District, as the City maps it: about 180 acres along both sides of Hillsborough Street, which the district's manager describes as a three-mile corridor from St. Mary's School at the east end to Meredith College and the I-440 Beltline at the west, taking in parts of Morgan Street and a few side streets. Since a City Council vote of 16 June 2015 it also runs north along Oberlin Road and Enterprise Street to Clark Avenue. The line is a tax boundary, not a neighborhood's: the Village District, the West Raleigh and Maiden Lane historic districts and NC State's campus all meet it, and state-owned university buildings inside it are exempt from the levy.
This guide's boundary is a tax district, not a neighborhood. The City Council created the Hillsborough Street Municipal Service District on 1 July 2009, in partnership with NC State, and a nonprofit, the Hillsborough Street Community Service Corporation, spends its levy on cleaning, safety, events and marketing. The corporation describes a three-mile corridor on both sides of the street from St. Mary's School to Meredith College and the Beltline; in 2015 the Council added Oberlin Road and Enterprise Street up to Clark Avenue. The City's map puts it at about 180 acres. It crosses the edges of the West Raleigh and Maiden Lane historic districts and reaches the Village District, and none of those names describes the whole.
The levy is the constant. Every taxable parcel inside pays 13 cents per $100 of assessed value in 2026, on top of the 90.91 cents the City and county levy. The Council can change the rate each year, and it has: 15 cents from 2017 to 2019, 9.65 in 2020 and 2021, 15 again, and 13 since the 2024 revaluation. On the district's median single-family assessment of $420,451 it adds about $547 to a bill of about $3,822 (citywide figures are on the Raleigh page). The corporation's own page still gives 15 cents; the City and the county give 13.
Student housing is most of the value. Wake County's parcel file codes 15 private properties in the district as student housing, all built since 2012, with 3.25 million square feet of heated space and 64% of the district's taxable assessed value. The largest, 101 Cox Avenue, was finished in 2024 with 836,474 square feet and is assessed at $247.5 million, so the district tax on it alone is about $322,000 a year. Seven parcels are zoned for twelve stories; 174 of 258 are zoned for three or fewer. Against that the file lists 26 taxable single-family houses, 18 of them built by 1952, and condominium units it does not list separately.
The year is NC State's. The university enrolled 40,503 students in fall 2025, and first-year students must live on campus, which its catalog says limits the space for upper-class students. Its graduate school's housing guide says students typically move in during August or January, advises signing three to six months ahead, and notes that most buildings it lists, Signature 1505, Valentine Commons and The Standard in this district among them, lease rooms rather than apartments. The 2020 census counted 2,742 residents in the blocks centered inside the district, before 101 Cox Avenue was finished, so it misses that building. This guide found no published rent or vacancy figure for the district itself.
The street was rebuilt for people on foot. In 2008 there were nearly 70 crashes on the stretch, in which drivers hit four pedestrians and two cyclists, the university reported. The City's $9.2 million first phase, due to finish in 2010, cut Hillsborough Street to two lanes with a median and parking and put roundabouts at Pullen Road and at Oberlin Road; a second phase, under way in 2017, added three more, at Brooks Avenue, Dixie Trail and Rosemary and Shepherd streets, with bike lanes. Route 9 Hillsborough runs the corridor every 15 minutes, and NC State's Wolfline carries anyone free on class days.
- Check the parcel against the City's district map: the line follows the street, not the blocks behind it
- Add 13 cents per $100 to the tax estimate, and check the rate again each budget year
- Time a sale or a lease to August: students typically move in then or in January and sign months ahead
- In a condominium, ask how many units are rented and on what terms
- Check the zoning next door: seven parcels in the district allow twelve stories
- Look up the exact address with the school system: the Olds and Wiley line falls near Oberlin Road
How Hillsborough Street got here
- 1887The General Assembly founds the North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts on 7 March, west of the city; it becomes NC State University. Pullen Park, North Carolina's first public park, opens the same year.
- 1926The Wilmont Apartments go up at 3200 Hillsborough Street, one of eight Raleigh Historic Landmarks now inside the district.
- 1937The Raleigh Nehi Bottling Company builds its plant at 3210 Hillsborough Street, and the stonework of NC State's Memorial Belltower, begun in the 1920s, is finished. The tower is dedicated in 1949 to alumni killed in the First World War.
- 2008Nearly 70 crashes on the stretch of Hillsborough Street due to be rebuilt, in which drivers hit four pedestrians and two cyclists, the university later reports.
- 2009The City Council creates the Hillsborough Street Municipal Service District on 1 July, in partnership with NC State. Its services begin in the fall of 2010.
- 2010The City's $9.2 million first phase makes Hillsborough Street two lanes with a median and parking on both sides, with roundabouts at Pullen Road and at Oberlin Road and the Pullen Road extension.
- 2012The first of today's 15 private student housing properties in the district, 613,248 square feet at 3009 M. E. Valentine Drive, is finished.
- 2015On 16 June the City Council votes unanimously to extend the district north along Oberlin Road and Enterprise Street to Clark Avenue.
- 2017The second phase is under construction from Gardner Street to Rosemary and Shepherd streets, with roundabouts at Brooks Avenue, Dixie Trail and Rosemary and Shepherd streets, raised medians and bike lanes.
- 2020The census counts 2,742 residents in the district's blocks. The county records two more student buildings as finished that year, at 3101 and 3008 Hillsborough Street.
- 2024101 Cox Avenue, 836,474 square feet of student housing zoned for up to 12 stories, is finished. The district rate falls from 15 cents to 13 cents, and the county records the sale of the 1988 student complex at 111 Friendly Drive to the State of North Carolina for $22.5 million.
- 2025NC State enrolls 40,503 students in the fall. In March the county records the sale of Signature 1505, the student building at 1505 Hillsborough Street, for $70.4 million.
- 2026The county records a student building of 99,260 square feet at 2600 Hillsborough Street as finished. Fall classes begin on 17 August.
Half an acre of park inside the line, and Pullen Park beside it
The City's only park inside the district is Compiegne, under half an acre on Chamberlain Street. The open space is next door: Pullen Park, 66.4 acres opened in 1887 as North Carolina's first public park, with a carousel, a train, theater productions and the City's aquatic center, is a nine-minute walk south of the Belltower, and the Raleigh Rose Garden's 1,200 roses are north on Pogue Street.
What the map does not show: the landmark everyone uses for directions. NC State's Memorial Belltower at 2101 Hillsborough Street, dedicated in 1949 to alumni killed in the First World War, has been lit red for special occasions since 1999.
Elsewhere in Raleigh, not Hillsborough Street
23 places, with real drive times
Road-adjusted distance and drive time from the centre of the community to each destination, nearest first. Filter by category.
Showing 1–12 of 23 places, nearest first.
Method: distances and drive times are computed from a representative point on Hillsborough Street at Maiden Lane, near NC State's Memorial Belltower, using straight-line distance multiplied by a road factor and a tiered speed model: honest ranges, not routed times.
Every gym within reach
The Alexander Family YMCA is inside the district at 1603 Hillsborough Street, with a six-lane indoor pool and a full-size gymnasium. The City's Pullen Aquatic Center is a short walk south, and Jaycee Park's community center on Wade Avenue has a weight room.
- Alexander Family YMCA, 1603 Hillsborough Street: a six-lane pool, open from 5 a.m. on weekdays
- Pullen Aquatic Center, 410 Ashe Avenue: closed for maintenance from 26 September to 18 October 2026
- Jaycee Park, 2405 Wade Avenue: a City weight room at $15 a month, locker rooms included
| Facility | What it is | Drive |
|---|---|---|
| Alexander Family YMCA open | 1603 Hillsborough Street, inside the district: a six-lane indoor pool, a full-size gymnasium, three studios and wellness floors, open from 5 a.m. on weekdays. | 3–4 min |
| Pullen Aquatic Center open | The City's indoor pools at 410 Ashe Avenue, long-course and short-course lap pools among them. Closed for annual maintenance from 26 September to 18 October 2026. | 3–4 min |
| Jaycee Park open | The City's community center at 2405 Wade Avenue: an air-conditioned gymnasium and a weight room at $15 a month, locker rooms included. | 4–6 min |
The free option is the street itself, with bike lanes on the rebuilt stretch between Gardner Street and Rosemary and Shepherd streets, and Pullen Park's paths a short walk south.
Two elementary schools, split near Oberlin Road
The Wake County Public School System assigns base schools by address. For 2026-27, blocks holding 1,868 of the district's 2,742 residents, roughly everything west of Oberlin Road, go to Olds Elementary on Dixie Trail, which is not a magnet, and Martin Middle on Ridge Road; blocks holding the other 872 go to Wiley Elementary and Oberlin Middle. All but two residents go to Broughton High on St. Mary's Street. Wiley, both middle schools and Broughton are magnets on the traditional calendar.
| School | Board | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Olds Elementary School | Wake County Public School System | The base elementary school for blocks holding 1,868 of the district's 2,742 residents, roughly everything west of Oberlin Road, on the traditional calendar at 204 Dixie Trail. It is not a magnet school. |
| Wiley Elementary School | Wake County Public School System | The base elementary school for blocks holding the other 872, east of about Oberlin Road, a magnet school on the traditional calendar at 301 St. Mary's Street. |
| Martin Middle School | Wake County Public School System | The base middle school for the same western blocks as Olds, a magnet school on the traditional calendar at 1701 Ridge Road. |
| Oberlin Middle School | Wake County Public School System | The base middle school for the same eastern blocks as Wiley, a magnet school on the traditional calendar at 2816 Oberlin Road. |
| Broughton High School | Wake County Public School System | The base high school for blocks holding 2,740 of the 2,742 residents, a magnet school on the traditional calendar at 723 St. Mary's Street. One block with two residents is assigned to Athens Drive High instead. |
| Oberlin Regional Library | Wake County Public Libraries | Not a school: the county's regional library at 1930 Clark Avenue, open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 9 to 6 on Friday and Saturday and 1 to 5 on Sunday. |
Run the exact address through the school system's lookup before you commit; a building near the line can fall either way. Magnet and year-round seats are applied for in a separate window, which for 2027-28 runs from 15 October 2026 to 21 January 2027.
Month by month, what living here looks like
Not a highlights reel: the actual annual rhythm, including the dates residents have to remember.
- NC State's spring classes begin on 11 January 2027, and the fare-free Wolfline, open to anyone, runs on class days
- Highs near 11 °C and 18 nights at or below freezing in an average January at RDU
- Wake County's revaluation takes effect on 1 January 2027, and the district tax is levied on the new value at whatever rate the Council sets
- NC State's graduate school advises securing off-campus housing three to six months ahead; students typically move in during August or January
- Most of the buildings on its list lease rooms rather than whole apartments
- Highs near 13 °C and 3.6 cm of snow on the 1991 to 2020 normal
- No NC State classes from 15 to 19 March 2027
- Highs near 17 °C and 104 mm of rain on the normal
- The City's copy of the county floodplain map shows no mapped floodplain inside the district
- Spring classes end on 27 April 2027
- Highs near 23 °C, and 1.1 frost nights on the normal, the last of the season
- Route 9 Hillsborough runs along the street every 15 minutes
- Exams run from 29 April to 5 May, and spring commencement is on 8 May 2027
- The Raleigh Rose Garden's 1,200 roses start blooming around Mother's Day
- Highs near 27 °C and no frost on the normal
- NC State's summer sessions run from 19 May to 30 July in 2027
- Highs near 31 °C and 99 mm of rain on the normal
- Pullen Park, a short walk south of the Belltower, has a carousel, a train and theater productions
- The hottest month at RDU, with highs near 33 °C and 128 mm of rain
- RDU averages 52 days a year at or above 32 °C
- The last summer session ends on 30 July 2027
- University Housing moved students in from 13 to 16 August 2026, with early arrivals on 11 and 12 August
- Fall classes began on 17 August 2026
- Highs near 32 °C and lows near 21 °C
- The wettest month on the RDU normal, at 131 mm
- Pullen Aquatic Center closes for annual maintenance from 26 September to 18 October 2026
- Highs still near 28 °C
- No NC State classes on 19 and 20 October 2026, and the Wolfline runs a reduced service
- Highs near 23 °C and lows near 10 °C
- For 2027-28 the school system's window for magnet and year-round applications opens on 15 October 2026
- No NC State classes from 25 to 27 November 2026
- The Rose Garden blooms until the first hard freeze, usually around mid-November
- Highs near 17 °C, and 7.8 frost nights on the normal
- Fall classes end on 1 December, exams run from 3 to 9 December and fall commencement is on 12 December 2026
- The Wolfline runs a reduced service over winter break
- Highs near 13 °C and 2 cm of snow on the normal
1 more photograph of the community and its surroundings
All freely licensed, via Wikimedia Commons. Filter by category.
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About these photographs. Openly licensed images geotagged in or near Hillsborough Street, found on Wikimedia Commons and served from there with full attribution. Inline photos elsewhere on the page may still come from the site's shared Raleigh library.