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Raleigh-Durham · Location Report

Boylan Heights, Raleigh

Mixed-use urban
90 businesses within walking distance · 4.76★ average rating · 11 transit stops within 800 m
Street view of Boylan Heights, RaleighMap of Boylan Heights, Raleigh, Raleigh-Durham
Six dimensions, each benchmarked against Raleigh-Durham.
Walkability
84
Dining & Shopping
97
Everyday Errands
100
Transit
71
Drive Times
84
Air Quality
70

Living & working in Boylan Heights, Raleigh

Boylan Heights is an early 20th-century historic neighborhood situated just southwest of downtown Raleigh, defined by its curvilinear street plan designed to navigate the area's sloping topography. Craftsman bungalows are the dominant housing type, alongside American Foursquares, Queen Anne, and Colonial Revival homes constructed primarily between 1907 and 1935. South Boylan Avenue serves as the primary north-south residential thoroughfare, while Hillsborough Street to the north and Western Boulevard to the south act as the primary bordering commercial corridors. Residents have pedestrian access to Dorothea Dix Park, a 300-acre green space directly south of the neighborhood that features open fields, trails, and skyline views. Daily lifestyle is centered around a front-porch culture, connected sidewalks, and local neighborhood events, such as the annual Boylan Heights ArtWalk, which transforms residential porches into public art galleries.

The local business ecosystem is driven by independent retail, dining, and creative enterprises situated on the neighborhood's periphery, such as the furniture design studio Eidolon Designs on Dupont Circle and the Boylan Bridge Brewpub. For remote-work and coworking, residents utilize BLDG Co., a shared workspace located at 706 Mountford Avenue, alongside WeWork at One Glenwood just outside the neighborhood boundary. Nearby laptop-friendly establishments include Rebus Works Cafe and Grocery on Kinsey Street and Heirloom Brewshop in the adjacent Warehouse District. Commuters and professionals connect to major regional employment centers, including North Carolina State University, downtown Raleigh, and Research Triangle Park, via Western Boulevard, Interstate 40, and Interstate 440. Public transit options include GoRaleigh bus routes 9, 11, and 300, while Raleigh Union Station sits just past the northern border, offering passenger rail service via Amtrak's Piedmont, Carolinian, and Floridian lines.

Further reading: wikipedia.org · raleighnc.gov

The numbers

Boylan Heights, Raleigh is a mixed-use urban pocket of Raleigh-Durham, with 90 businesses mapped within walking distance. Its walkability rates 84/100 — above average for walkability in Raleigh-Durham. Local businesses average 4.76★ on Google, and medium foot traffic peaking weekday daytime.

For getting around, transit access scores 71/100 (Very good) — among the top 13% for transit access in Raleigh-Durham, with 11 stops within an 800 m walk. Reaching Downtown Raleigh (~2.3 km) takes about 24.0 min by transit versus 8.0 min driving. Typical drive times to key destinations average 15.3 min.

Environmentally, current air quality is moderate (AQI 59), above average for air quality in Raleigh-Durham.

Neighbourhood composition · 90 businesses mapped

Food Beverage17
Retail17
Services14
Healthcare21
Fitness Wellness9
Entertainment2
Education Childcare10
Balance 100/100 · Mixed-use urban

Local market activity

Average rating4.76★ · 60% rated
Business diversity0.93
Foot trafficMedium · weekday daytime
Street activityHigh · 6/10

Getting around

Transit access · 71/100 (Very good)

11 stops within an 800 m walk
Rail & subway: 1 · nearest 515 mBus: 9 · nearest 179 m
Proximity30 (100%)
Density15 (100%)
Diversity9 (60%)
City-centre access10 (33%)
To Downtown Raleigh (~2.3 km): 24.0 min transit vs 8.0 min drive

Drive time by direction (~8 km)

Colour = congestion level
N18 min Moderate
NE16 min Light
E15 min Light
SE12 min Light
S13 min Light
SW15 min Light
W15 min Heavy
NW19 min Moderate

Climate & environment

Air quality & weather

AQI 59 (Moderate air quality) · 28.7°C, Sunny
Excellent (178h)   Good (367h)   Moderate (151h)
Past ~30 days of air-quality readings (area-wide).

Rooftop solar — example

~122 m² usable roof · up to 62 panels · ~30,140 kWh/yr
powers ~3 homes/yr · ~19,555 kg CO₂ offset/yr
The building at the centre of Boylan Heights, Raleigh, shown as an illustration. The full report calculates rooftop solar for your exact address.
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Built from Google Maps Platform — Geocoding, Places, Routes, Air Quality, Solar, Weather & Pollen APIs. Live snapshot collected 2026-06-15. Area figures are sampled at the Boylan Heights, Raleigh centroid; the paid report is geocoded to your exact address.

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