North Hills, Raleigh, NC
What North Hills is actually like
North Hills' present shape traces to a single piece of real estate: the North Hills Mall, an enclosed shopping center that opened in 1960 on Six Forks Road. Kane Realty Corp bought and redeveloped the aging mall starting in the early 2000s, reopening it in 2004 as an open-air, mixed-use district branded "Midtown Raleigh" -- boutique retail, office space, and apartments built around walkable streets rather than a single enclosed building. The redevelopment kept expanding for two decades, most recently with NHX, a $350 million project that opened in 2024 and added more office, residential, and retail space to the district's northern edge (This Is Raleigh).
The result today is a genuinely dense district organized into four named sub-areas -- Main, Lassiter, Park, and the North Hills Innovation District (NHID), a newer office and lab cluster aimed at biotech and startup tenants -- housing an estimated 35,500 people across 11 apartment complexes and 15 hotels. That mix skews the district toward renters, professionals, and empty-nesters rather than single-family homeowners: North Hills is built and marketed as a place to shop, eat, and be entertained -- Restoration Hardware's flagship store, a Regal cinema, and the Midtown Park concert lawn are among its anchors -- as much as a place to raise a family in a house with a yard (This Is Raleigh).
Home values in North Hills
Redfin's median sale price for North Hills is $854,703, up 6.5% year-over-year, with a median 32 days on market (Redfin) -- among the highest of any place in this sub-region, reflecting the district's newer, denser condo and apartment stock. RentCafe puts North Hills' average rent at $2,403 a month, with a one-bedroom averaging $2,122 and a two-bedroom $2,817 -- also among the priciest rental submarkets in the Raleigh area (RentCafe).
Getting around
North Hills is unusual for Raleigh in being genuinely pedestrian-oriented within the district itself -- Midtown Raleigh's streets, plazas, and Midtown Park were built around walking between shops, restaurants, and apartments rather than around a single enclosed mall. That walkability doesn't extend far past the district's edges, though: like the rest of Raleigh, the surrounding area is car-dependent, and GoRaleigh's Route 8 bus is the only non-driving way to reach downtown directly. There's no light rail, subway, or commuter rail anywhere in the Triangle.
North Hills FAQ
Is North Hills walkable?
Within the district itself, yes -- North Hills/Midtown Raleigh was built as a pedestrian-oriented mixed-use district organized around walkable streets and Midtown Park, unusual for a Raleigh commercial area. That walkability drops off once you leave the district, the same as the rest of car-dependent Raleigh.
Is North Hills good for families, or more for professionals and empty-nesters?
The district's housing mix -- 11 apartment complexes and 15 hotels serving an estimated 35,500 people -- skews toward renters, professionals, and empty-nesters rather than families in single-family homes. Families wanting a house with a yard typically look at the surrounding north Raleigh neighborhoods rather than the North Hills core itself.
How far is North Hills from downtown Raleigh?
About 5 miles via Six Forks Road and I-440, an estimated 12-15 minute drive off-peak. GoRaleigh's Route 8 bus also runs directly between North Hills and downtown; there's no light rail or subway option.
Does North Hills flood?
No flood risk specific to the North Hills commercial core is documented. It sits within the broader Crabtree Creek watershed, which has caused flash flooding elsewhere in Raleigh, so a specific-address FEMA and city flood-risk check is still worth doing before buying.
What's the nearest hospital?
UNC REX Hospital, about 3 miles away on Lake Boone Trail, an estimated 8-10 minute drive.
What actually is North Hills?
A mixed-use redevelopment of the old 1960 North Hills Mall, rebuilt by Kane Realty starting in 2004 and expanded most recently with the $350 million NHX project in 2024. It's marketed as "Midtown Raleigh" and organized into four sub-districts -- Main, Lassiter, Park, and the North Hills Innovation District.
Nearby alternatives*We're not ranking these — every neighborhood has real trade-offs, and which ones matter is up to you.
Downtown Raleigh
About 5 miles south via Six Forks Road/I-440, with a GoRaleigh bus connecting the two directly. Downtown's $472,272 median sale price runs well below North Hills' $854,703, trading North Hills' newer mixed-use retail-and-apartment core for downtown's mix of historic warehouse conversions and new residential towers.
Five Points
A similarly dense, walkable in-town area, but built a century earlier: Five Points' housing stock is predominantly 1910s-1930s single-family homes rather than North Hills' apartments and hotels, and its $994,654 median sale price runs above North Hills' $854,703.
Oakwood
Raleigh's only intact 19th-century neighborhood, trading North Hills' modern retail-and-apartment density for Victorian single-family homes under a local historic-district overlay; Oakwood's $965,000 median sale price also runs above North Hills' $854,703.
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