Oakwood, Raleigh NC: Neighborhood Guide and Homes for Sale

Caul Group Residential, brokered by eXp Realty

Oakwood is a Raleigh neighborhood a few blocks northeast of the State Capitol with the city's largest collection of 19th-century Victorian-era houses (City of Raleigh, Oakwood Historic District). It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 and became a local Historic Overlay District in 1975. Wake County records show 419 homes inside the overlay district, 390 of them single-family, with a median build year of 1915 and a median of about 2,192 heated square feet. The 19 recorded home sales from October 2025 through September 2026 had a median of $881,000.

Here is where Oakwood is, how it grew, what the homes and lots are like, what the historic overlay means for owners and how to check school assignment.

Where Oakwood is

Oakwood sits on the northeast edge of downtown Raleigh, with Historic Oakwood Cemetery on its eastern side. The nomination describes it as an intact twenty-block residential section (National Register nomination, Oakwood Historic District). Streets follow a straight grid, but blocks and lots vary in size and the ground rolls (City of Raleigh, Oakwood Historic District).

Road distances from 411 North Bloodworth Street, in the center of the district (OpenStreetMap routing, October 2026):

  • Historic Oakwood Cemetery: 0.6 miles
  • Mordecai Historic Park: 0.7 miles
  • NC State Capitol: 0.7 miles
  • Raleigh Union Station: 1.4 miles
  • Dorothea Dix Park: 2.6 miles
  • RDU Airport: 14.0 miles
  • Research Triangle Park: 16.3 miles

A short history

The land was a dense woods known as Mordecai Grove after Moses Mordecai bought the tract in 1819, and it was sold off in parcels after the Civil War. The neighborhood takes its name from Oakwood Cemetery, established in 1869 on its eastern boundary. Colonel Jonathan McGee Heck and Richard Stanhope Pullen were the two major developers, and builder Thomas H. Briggs put up many houses in the Second Empire, Italianate and Eastlake styles (National Register nomination, Oakwood Historic District).

Unlike Raleigh's later suburbs, Oakwood grew lot by lot rather than in platted sections. The oldest houses generally stand south of North and Lane Streets and west of East Street, the early city limits (City of Raleigh, Oakwood Historic District).

In the late 1960s and 1970s, a planned highway threatened to split the neighborhood. Residents organized to fight it, and the Society for the Preservation of Historic Oakwood, formed in the early 1970s, still runs the neighborhood house tour. The National Register and local overlay designations followed, and the highway was dropped (City of Raleigh, Oakwood Historic District; Society for the Preservation of Historic Oakwood). The National Register district was expanded in 1987, 1988 and 1989 (Wikipedia).

Homes in Oakwood

Victorian styles include Second Empire houses on the north side of East Jones Street between North East and Elm Streets, Queen Anne houses along Polk Street and Italianate examples with bracketed eaves. Later infill added bungalows, Foursquares, Craftsman houses and Minimal Traditional houses, and smaller Triple-A cottages stand at the south end of Elm Street. A few one-story frame commercial buildings sit at East Lane and North Bloodworth Streets (City of Raleigh, Oakwood Historic District).

Across the 419 homes inside the Oakwood Historic Overlay District (Wake County property records, October 2026):

  • Year built: 1887 at the 10th percentile, 1915 median, 1988 at the 90th percentile. 311 homes were built before 1930.
  • Heated area: 1,256 square feet at the 10th percentile, 2,192 median, 3,404 at the 90th percentile
  • Lot size: 0.09 acres at the 10th percentile, 0.13 median, 0.26 at the 90th percentile
  • Home types: 390 single-family homes and 29 duplexes

Recent sale prices

Wake County records show 19 home sales over $100,000 in the overlay district from October 2025 through September 2026. The median was $881,000, the middle 80% ranged from about $615,000 to $1.26 million, and the highest was $1,700,000. The 17 single-family sales had a median of $887,000 (Wake County property records).

HOA and the historic overlay

Oakwood has no neighborhood-wide HOA in county records. What it does have is the Historic Overlay District, a zoning overlay set by the Raleigh City Council with its own rules and boundaries, separate from the National Register listing (City of Raleigh, Oakwood Historic District). Oakwood's overlay dates to 1975 (zoning case Z-18-1975), the earliest of Raleigh's current General Historic Overlay Districts (City of Raleigh overlay map). Plan for design review before exterior changes, additions or new construction. Contributing properties may qualify for federal and state historic tax credits (City of Raleigh, Oakwood Historic District).

The Oakwood market right now

Oakwood is split between two ZIP codes that each cover much larger areas. Redfin reports for the three months ending September 2026:

  • 27601 (downtown): median sale price $572,332, up 13.9% year over year, 60 median days on market, 25 homes sold in September, 96.5% sale-to-list, 42.9% of homes with a price drop
  • 27604 (northeast Raleigh): median sale price $357,395, up 0.7% year over year, 46 median days on market compared with 33 a year earlier, 163 homes sold in September, 98.5% sale-to-list, 48.8% of homes with a price drop

What it means: Oakwood prices run well above both ZIP medians, which are pulled down by condos and newer suburban homes. Price an Oakwood home from Oakwood sales, adjusted for condition and size.

Assigned schools

The Wake County Public School System assigns by address. For 2026-27, a sample of 60 addresses in the district were all zoned for Conn Elementary, Oberlin Middle and Broughton High (WCPSS). Confirm any address with the WCPSS address lookup tool.

Things to do nearby

  • Historic Oakwood Cemetery, about 0.6 miles away.
  • Mordecai Historic Park, about 0.7 miles away.
  • The Historic Oakwood Candlelight Tour each December, which opens about a dozen private homes. The 55th tour is December 12 and 13, 2026 (Society for the Preservation of Historic Oakwood).
  • The spring Garden Tour and Tea from the Oakwood Garden Club.
  • Downtown Raleigh and the State Capitol, about 0.7 miles away. See our Downtown Raleigh guide.

Buying in Oakwood: what to check

  • Historic overlay rules. Ask how design review applies before you plan exterior work.
  • Whether the home is a contributing property, which affects tax credit eligibility.
  • Age and condition of the structure, foundation, roof and systems.
  • Permits for past renovations and additions.
  • Lot size and parking, since many lots are small.
  • School assignment by exact address.

See our buyer services page for how we help buyers.

Selling in Oakwood: what buyers ask about

  • Year built, style and original features.
  • Approved changes and permits on file.
  • Recent comparable sales in Oakwood.
  • Systems and structural updates.
  • School assignment.

See how we sell homes, or start with a home value estimate.

Oakwood FAQs

Where is Oakwood in Raleigh?

Oakwood is on the northeast edge of downtown Raleigh, about 0.7 miles by road from the State Capitol, with Historic Oakwood Cemetery on its eastern side.

Is Oakwood a historic district?

Yes. Oakwood was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, with additions in 1987, 1988 and 1989, and it is also a City of Raleigh Historic Overlay District.

Can I renovate a house in Oakwood?

Yes, but the Historic Overlay District is a zoning overlay with its own rules, so plan for design review before exterior changes, additions or new construction.

What do homes in Oakwood cost?

Wake County records show 19 home sales in the overlay district from October 2025 through September 2026, with a median of $881,000 and a middle 80% range of about $615,000 to $1.26 million.

How old are the homes in Oakwood?

The median home in the overlay district was built in 1915, and 311 of the 419 homes were built before 1930 (Wake County property records).

Does Oakwood have an HOA?

We did not find a neighborhood-wide homeowners association in county records. The Society for the Preservation of Historic Oakwood is a voluntary neighborhood organization.

Which schools serve Oakwood?

WCPSS assigns by address. Check any address with the WCPSS address lookup tool.

Thinking of selling in Oakwood?

Oakwood homes differ by age, condition, size and how much original fabric they keep, and the historic overlay shapes what buyers can change. We price from recent Oakwood sales of comparable homes.

Caul Group Residential is the #1 Resale Team in the Triangle. Our office is at 201 Shannon Oaks Circle, Suite 200, Cary, NC 27511. RealTrends Verified 2026 (based on 2025 sales) ranks our team, "Caul Team," #1 in Raleigh by sides and by volume. See the RealTrends profile. We have 5.0 stars on Zillow from 1,200+ reviews (Oct 2026). Read the reviews.

More on the area: Downtown Raleigh, Inside the Beltline, Five Points, Raleigh and our Raleigh agents.