Historic Oakwood grew lot-by-lot into North Carolina's largest intact 19th century residential neighborhood, here in downtown Raleigh. This is North Carolina's largest, intact 19th Century residential neighborhood and Raleigh's earliest white upper-class suburb. During the 19th century this area was home to prominent members of Raleigh's society, and it grew lot-by-lot over time instead of by platted sections. Walk slowly and you'll see Victorian-era architectural styles — Second Empire, Queen Anne, and Italianate — giving the streets their ornate silhouettes. Later infill brought the bungalow, the American Foursquare, the American Craftsman, and the Minimal Traditional house, so the block reads like a living timeline.
Historic Oakwood is known for its Historic Oakwood Cemetery and for community traditions: the Christmas Candlelight Tour opens private historic residences to the public, and the Garden Tour showcases vast gardens worked on by the Oakwood Gardening Club. The neighborhood was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, with additions in 1987, 1988, and 1989, and it is one of six local historic overlay districts (HOD). The ornate facades, shaded yards, and the State Capitol nearby carry the layered styles and sense of continuity you've just absorbed.