Analyzing the Future of the Triangle Fringe Cities | Introduction

As the Triangle continues to grow, the arc of fringe cities surrounding the region will start to evolve.

It’s no secret that the Triangle continues to grow. Despite efforts to add missing middle housing in cities like Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill, the sheer lack of density and infill has led to endless sprawl and sharp increases in home costs.

As greenfield sprawl type development (hopefully) becomes less attractive, the opportunities in the Triangle fringe cities may begin to present themselves as viable options. Each of the following cities have a historic, walkable Downtown core ripe with infill potential along with the bones of being a self-sufficient city.

In the coming weeks, we’ll explore each of the following cities in depth.

City	2000 Population	2020 Population	Miles to Raleigh	Miles to Durham	3 BR < $300,000*	Current AMTRAK?
Henderson	16,100	15,100	44	41	22	No*
Rocky Mount	55,900	54,300	59	82	58	Yes
Wilson	44,400	47,900	51	73	78	Yes
Goldsboro	39,000	36,700	54	79	40	Yes*
Smithfield – Selma	17,400	17,500	29	54	28	Yes
Sanford	23,200	30,300	43	50	66	Yes*
Pittsboro	2200	4600	34	37	2	No
Siler City	7000	7700	51	44	3	No
Burlington – Graham	57,100	74,100	58	35	33	Yes

*Number of 3 bedroom for sale properties within municipality address on Zillow as of 7/30. Henderson is along the future S-Line corridor. Goldsboro is AMTRAK connecting bus service. Sanford is on the AMTRAK line but currently has no station.

Hybrid work is here to stay and most of the chosen cities have direct train access to Raleigh and Durham. They will become an increasingly attractive option to people looking for affordability, access to a walkable downtown core, outside of a sprawl subdivision, all while still having easy enough access to Raleigh and Durham.

Stay tuned in the coming weeks as we dive into my thoughts surrounding each of these cities.

Phil Veasley is a registered Professional Engineer in NC and GA. Opinions and insights are my own and are not representative of my employer or any organization. Any ideas displayed on this site are purely that – just ideas to help improve the future of the built environment and begin discussions.

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