Historic Oakwood, Raleigh: homes, schools, parks and commute

Last checked Oct. 12, 2026. Sources: the City of Raleigh’s 2030 Comprehensive Plan and Neighborhood Registry, the Wake County Public School System’s 2026-27 attendance areas, the N.C. Department of Public Instruction’s 2025-26 accountability data, GoRaleigh schedule data, OpenStreetMap and Zillow Research.

Historic Oakwood is the residential district on the east side of downtown Raleigh, named for Oakwood Avenue, which runs through it. OpenStreetMap names it as a neighborhood, and the city’s comprehensive plan names Historic Oakwood as the eastern edge of greater downtown and lists Oakwood among the city’s historic districts and neighborhoods.

What this means for you

• Zoned high school: Broughton High, 73.3% of state tests at grade level in 2025-26. Check an address with the district’s base school lookup.
• Home value: $497,314 in ZIP code 27601 in August 2026, according to the Zillow Home Value Index.
• Nearest freeway exit: Interstate 40 Exit 300 at Rock Quarry Road, about 2.6 miles by road.

Part of our Raleigh neighborhoods guide.

Where it is

The city’s Neighborhood Registry maps the Oakwood Garden Club’s area as about 0.18 square mile with 625 homes. On the map it runs east from North Person Street, with Oakwood Avenue through the middle and the old City Cemetery near its southern edge. The Blount and Person street corridor, which has its own city study from 2013, lies along its west side, and the area falls inside the city’s 2024 New Bern Avenue station area plan; see our New Bern Avenue page.

We checked 16 points across the registry area against Census ZIP code areas: 12 were in ZIP code 27601 and four, on the north side, in 27604.

Schools

Oakwood is in the Wake County Public School System. All 16 points we checked were zoned for Broughton High in the district’s 2026-27 attendance areas. Fourteen were zoned for Oberlin Middle and Conn Elementary; one each went to Ligon Middle, Moore Square Middle, Root Elementary and Powell Elementary. Check your own address in the base school lookup.

Scores are the share of state tests at grade level or above in 2025-26 and the state’s growth rating, from the accountability data.

The district average was 68.2%. More in our schools guide.

Home values

The Zillow Home Value Index is a modeled typical value for the middle third of homes, not a sale price. Zillow publishes no figure for Oakwood alone.

Both ZIP codes take in much more than Oakwood. Trends are on our home prices page.

Parks and trails

From the city’s park locator data:

• Vallie Henderson Park, 314 Linden Ave., inside the neighborhood.
• Oakwood Commons Park, 535 N. East St., with a playground.
• Lane Street Park, 920 E. Lane St., with a playground.
• Tarboro Road Park, 121 N. Tarboro St., with a community center and tennis courts.
• Oakwood Park, 910 Brookside Drive, with a dog park.
• Mordecai Historic Park, 1 Mimosa St., about half a mile north.

More in our parks and trails guide and our history and landmarks guide.

Getting around

• Interstate 40: Exit 300 at Rock Quarry Road is about 2.6 miles by road from the middle of Oakwood; Exit 298 at South Saunders Street is about 2.9 miles.
• Raleigh Municipal Building (222 W. Hargett St.): about 1.2 miles.
• Raleigh-Durham International Airport: about 14 miles by road.
• Buses: GoRaleigh Route 10 (Longview) stops on East Lane Street at Linden Avenue, inside the neighborhood. Route 15 (WakeMed) stops on East Edenton Street at North East Street, and Route 14 (Atlantic) runs on North Blount Street, according to GoRaleigh’s schedule data. GoRaleigh Station downtown is about 0.6 mile away.

Distances were measured with the OSRM routing engine on OpenStreetMap roads. They are distances, not drive times. More in our getting around guide.

Groceries and everyday stores

OpenStreetMap lists these nearby:

• Pharmacy: Person Street Pharmacy, 702 N. Person St.
• Grocery: Black Farmers Hub, 1409 Cross St., about 0.8 mile east; Publix, 417 W. Peace St., on the far side of downtown.
• Shopping: City Market and the Shops at Seaboard Station, both under a mile away.

Homeowners and neighborhood groups

The city’s Neighborhood Registry lists the Oakwood Garden Club (625 homes) for the neighborhood. Nearby entries include the Idlewild Community Association (336 homes), the Cotton Place Community Watch and the Blount Street Community Association. The registry does not record whether a group is a mandatory homeowners association; check the deed and county records for a specific home.

How we built this page

OpenStreetMap and the comprehensive plan name Historic Oakwood. The area used for ZIP codes and school zones is the registry’s Oakwood Garden Club area, checked at 16 points; a home near a zone line can differ.

Frequently asked questions

What schools are zoned for Historic Oakwood in Raleigh?

All 16 points we checked in Oakwood were zoned for Broughton High in the Wake County Public School System’s 2026-27 attendance areas; 14 were zoned for Oberlin Middle and Conn Elementary.

What ZIP code is Historic Oakwood?

Most of Oakwood is in ZIP code 27601; the northern part is in 27604.

Is Historic Oakwood a good place to live?

Historic Oakwood is a residential district of about 625 homes on the east edge of downtown, zoned for Broughton High, where 73.3% of state tests were at grade level in 2025-26. The typical home value in ZIP code 27601 was $497,314 in August 2026, according to Zillow.

How far is Historic Oakwood from downtown Raleigh?

About 1.2 miles by road from the middle of Oakwood to the Raleigh Municipal Building at 222 W. Hargett St.