⚡️️ Sponsorship - Get your product or service in front of hundreds of Raleigh locals

Good afternoon, Raleigh. What's Forrest Gump's password?

1forrest1 🏃‍♂️

In today’s Raleigh Rundown:

• 5 fun things to do in Raleigh this weekend

• Raleigh + Durham among most educated cities

• New developments in Raleigh

• New transit center coming to RTP

Let’s get to it. 🏃

Stories this week

Raleigh & Durham are among the most educated cities in America 🎓

A recent WalletHub study has ranked the Durham-Chapel Hill and Raleigh-Cary metropolitan areas among the top 10 most educated in the United States. Durham-Chapel Hill secured the fourth position overall, excelling in Quality of Education/Attainment Gap, while Raleigh-Cary came in seventh, with notable performance in Educational Attainment.

The study evaluated 150 populated U.S. metro areas using various educational metrics. Ann Arbor, Michigan topped the list, followed by San Jose and Washington, D.C.-Arlington. These rankings reinforce the Triangle region's reputation as a center of educational excellence and highly educated workforce.

RTP is developing a new transit center 🚌

A $25 million federal grant has been awarded to fund a new transit center in Research Triangle Park (RTP), supporting efforts to transform the area into a live-work-play hub. GoTriangle's Triangle Mobility Hub, a $60 million project, will replace the current transit center and feature modern amenities including covered bus bays, rideshare drop-offs, and electric bus charging stations.

Part of a broader initiative to improve regional public transit, the project aims to reduce commuter traffic and spur adjacent development. Funded partly by a local sales tax, this hub is expected to enhance connectivity for the 55,000 workers who commute to RTP daily and complement other transit improvements in the Triangle area.

$700M Raleigh Development tops out 🏢

The Weld, a $700 million mixed-use development near Dix Park in Raleigh, is progressing rapidly. SLI Capital and Mack Real Estate Group have topped out the first of two 20-story towers in phase one, with The Holston offering 283 apartments and Ray providing 392 units. Both towers will feature luxury amenities and ground-floor retail. A third tower is planned for phase two, adding 525 more units and additional retail space.

The development will include a central plaza for community gatherings, with a focus on food and beverage outlets in the retail spaces. The amount of office space in future phases remains flexible, depending on market demands. The Weld is part of a larger development trend around Dix Park, contributing to the area's transformation into a vibrant, mixed-use neighborhood.

Paused Apple RTP development not stopping others from moving forward 👷

Despite Apple's decision to pause plans for its large campus in Research Triangle Park, developers remain optimistic about the surrounding area's potential. Several projects along Highway 55 in northwest Cary are still moving forward, including Heritage Capital Partners' $500 million mixed-use development and Capitol Commercial LLC's Alston Commons. Developers cite the area's scarcity of developable land in Wake County and strong housing demand as reasons for continued interest.

Projects like the Terraces at West Cary and Alta Ivy are in various stages of development or construction. While Apple's presence would have been a significant boost, investors and developers believe the region will continue to attract attention and grow, regardless of Apple's final decision, due to its inherent appeal and remaining available land.

WHAT’S HAPPENING THIS WEEKEND

Sebastian Maniscalco: It Ain’t Right Tour | Friday, 7:30 PM | PNC Arena

Come see award-winning comedian Sebastian Maniscalco this Friday at the PNC Arena.

Click here for tickets.

COST: $44 and up

Raleigh’s First Summer Fest | Saturday, 11 AM - 8 PM | Raleigh City Plaza - 421 Fayetteville St, Raleigh

Fun summer games, food trucks, large selection of desserts, ice cream vendors and games for the adults and children. Family Friendly. Summer games, best tourist costume wins a prize.

Wear your Haywain shirt, straw hat, flip flops and pretend you are on vacation. Games, Prizes and Entertainment, Beach music and line dancing. Huge selection of Beer and refreshing drinks

COST: Free to attend, cost for vendors

Raleigh Underground Market | Saturday, 11 AM - 3 PM | 4011 Cardinal North Hills St, Raleigh

Check out the monthly series featuring new bands every month from Oak City Music Collective, 45+ local vendors, food trucks, workshops by Joy Worthy Co, beer/wine/bubbly from Bubbly and Brew, and more!

Location: Midtown Park, North Hills

Schedule:

- Event start: 11am
- Bands: 12pm-3pm
- Everything else: 11am-3pm

House music will be played during band breaks.

Shop from unique vendors. Jam out to awesome music. Grab drinks and food. And make memories with your friends and family!

COST: Free to attend, cost for vendors

KIDZ BOP LIVE 2024 | Saturday, 7 PM | Coast Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek

Make memories that will last a lifetime at the ultimate pop concert for kids, and their grown-ups too. Sing and dance along as the KIDZ BOP Kids perform your favorite songs like “Espresso”, “greedy”, “Lil Boo Thang” and more, on stage.

Click here for tickets.

COST: $41 and up

Mark your calendar for these future events

July 27 - Tase of Soul NC: Taste of Soul NC will be Saturday, July 27th, from 12pm-6pm, at City Plaza Downtown Raleigh. Enjoy Food, Merchant Vendors, Axe Throwing, DJ & Live Performances.

July 28 - Cars and Coffee: Come with your friends, car clubs come together so they can park together. Family, pet & fur baby friendly. Military vehicles are welcomed. 701 Corporate Center Dr, Raleigh.

August 3 - Beer, Bourbon, & BBQ Festival: Enjoy all the pleasures that true Southerners live by: Beer, 🍺 Bourbon, 🥃 Barbeque, 🐷 Boots, 🥾 Bacon, 🥓 Biscuits, 🥯 Bluegrass 🎶 and Smoked Beasts! 🐗 It’s a great night or day of beer sippin’, bourbon tastin’, music listenin’, cigar smokin’ and barbeque eatin’. Hosted at the Koka Booth Amphitheater, Cary.

August 17 - Wake Forest Comic-Con: Over 35 vendors, comics, stays, anime, Pokemon, and more. 405 Brooks St, Wake Forest.

WEEKEND WEATHER

Friday

81 🌡️ 73 | ⛈️ | 80%

Saturday

90 🌡️ 74 | 🌧️ | 50%

Sunday

88 🌡️ 74 | 🌥️ | 20%

LOCAL SPORTS

Baseball ⚾️

Durham Bulls 🐂

• Friday: Durham Bulls @ Charlotte Knights | 7 PM

• Saturday: Durham Bulls @ Charlotte Knights | 6 PM

• Sunday: Durham Bulls @ Charlotte Knights | 5 PM

THANKS!

Thanks for reading the Raleigh Rundown today. If you found something useful, please share it with someone who likes to knit. 🧶

Have any suggestions for what you would like to see in future editions? Reply to this email and let me know!

Let’s do this again next Thursday!