Cameron Park

Beginnings [1]

Cameron Park began in 1910 and was an early streetcar suburb, as streetcars ran the length of Hillsborough Street, connecting downtown to North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanical Arts, now NCSU. The area was marketed to the middle class who could commute to work via the streetcar. The Parker-Hunter Realty Company, which developed Cameron Park, purchased the land from the Cameron family. The developers were responsible for the layout of the neighborhood, including the park spaces, the 20-foot minimum setback and street tree planting. The area developed quickly, with 32 dwellings appearing on a 1914 map. The neighborhood is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The neighborhood contains a diverse mix of housing types and styles, with a remarkable representation of houses built in the 20th century, especially between 1910 and 1940. The houses have a large footprint in relation to lot size resulting in relatively small yards giving this area a fairly urban, dense building pattern. The neighborhood's mature landscape helps to separate properties and adds to a feeling of privacy. Over half of the residences back up to a series of alleys adding to the uniqueness of this downtown neighborhood. Three fairly large size linear parks serve as a natural common open space.

1. City of Raleigh North Carolina, Raleigh Comprehensive Plan, Cameron Park Neighborhood Plan, 2005, www.raleigh-nc.org, accessed 09/2007.

Street Names: Clark Avenue, Oberlin Road, Groveland Avenue, Park Drive, Woodburn Road, Benehan Street, Hawthorne Road, Ambleside Drive, Forest Road, East Forest Drive, Hillcrest Road, Hillsborough Street, College Place, West Park Drive, Valley View Street, Calvin Road, Cruickshank Circle, St Marys Street West Johnson Street, West Pearce Street