Fayetteville Street is a major street in downtown Raleigh

Raleigh, North Carolina

Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...

, North Carolina

North Carolina

North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

, USA. It is a north-south thoroughfare

Thoroughfare

A thoroughfare is a place of transportation intended to connect one location to another. Highways, roads, and trails are examples of thoroughfares used by a variety of general traffic. On land a thoroughfare may refer to anything from a rough trail to multi-lane highway with grade separated...

 that connects the State Capitol

North Carolina State Capitol

The North Carolina State Capitol is the main house of government of the U.S. state of North Carolina. Housing the offices of the Governor of North Carolina, it is located in the state capital of Raleigh on Union Square at One East Edenton Street. The cornerstone of the Greek Revival building was...

 to the Raleigh Convention Center

Raleigh Convention Center

The Raleigh Convention Center is a convention and exhibition facility in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina that opened in September 2008. The lead architect was Obrien/Atkins Associates....

 and the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts

Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts

The Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts is the main venue for the performing arts in Raleigh, North Carolina.The naming rights to the center currently are held by Progress Energy, which purchased them from the city in 2005 for a 20-year term at the cost of $7.5 million...

. It is the City of Raleigh's ceremonial epicenter, hosting parades and seasonal celebrations.

History

Fayetteville Street was the main thoroughfare south of the state capitol in the early 20th century, but by the 1950s, parallel streets had become more heavily traveled. In 1977, the street was closed to traffic and converted to a pedestrian mall in an attempt to revitalize the downtown area. It was returned to vehicular traffic in 2006, in a renewed, and thus far, more successful revitalization effort. In 2008, the Fayetteville Street Historic District

Fayetteville Street Historic District

The Fayetteville Street Historic District in Raleigh, North Carolina is a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places...

 was listed on the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

. Fayetteville

Fayetteville, North Carolina

Fayetteville is a city located in Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States. It is the county seat of Cumberland County, and is best known as the home of Fort Bragg, a U.S. Army post located northwest of the city....

 was named to honor General Lafayette

Gilbert du Motier, marquis de La Fayette

Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette , often known as simply Lafayette, was a French aristocrat and military officer born in Chavaniac, in the province of Auvergne in south central France...

.

Celebrations

Fayetteville Street hosts the annual Holidays Parade in Raleigh on the Saturday before Thanksgiving Day.
The street also plays host to other city-sponsored events such as the City's New Years Eve celebration called First Night and the Raleigh Wide Open - an annual event celebrating the reopening of the street. Private-sector sponsored events also draw spectators to the City's ceremonial core.

Attractions

• North Carolina State Capitol
  North Carolina State Capitol
  The North Carolina State Capitol is the main house of government of the U.S. state of North Carolina. Housing the offices of the Governor of North Carolina, it is located in the state capital of Raleigh on Union Square at One East Edenton Street. The cornerstone of the Greek Revival building was...
  
  
• Raleigh City Museum
  Raleigh City Museum
  The Raleigh City Museum is a local history museum associated with Raleigh, North Carolina. The museum is located in the historic Briggs Hardware Building on Fayetteville Street in downtown Raleigh and has a number of exhibits and programs that are free to the public.- History :The Raleigh City...
  
  
• Raleigh Museum of Science and Natural History
• Raleigh Museum of History
• RBC Plaza
  RBC Plaza
  RBC Plaza, also known as RBC Tower, is the largest and tallest skyscraper in the city of Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. The tower rises to a height of and is situated on a lot housing approximately of office and retail space, parking and residential condominiums...
  
  
• Wake County Courthouse
  Courthouse
  A courthouse is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English speaking countries, buildings which house courts of law are simply...
  
  
• First Christian Science Reading Room
  First Church of Christ, Scientist (Raleigh, North Carolina)
  First Church of Christ, Scientist is a historic Christian Science church located on Hillsborough Street in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina. Worship services are held weekly on Sundays and Wednesdays. The church's reading room is located on Fayetteville Street in downtown Raleigh....
  
  
• WTVD-TV studios (ABC
  American Broadcasting Company
  The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
  
  )
• Raleigh Convention Center
  Raleigh Convention Center
  The Raleigh Convention Center is a convention and exhibition facility in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina that opened in September 2008. The lead architect was Obrien/Atkins Associates....
  
  
• Central Station, Post Office
  United States Postal Service
  The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
  
  
• Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts
  Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts
  The Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts is the main venue for the performing arts in Raleigh, North Carolina.The naming rights to the center currently are held by Progress Energy, which purchased them from the city in 2005 for a 20-year term at the cost of $7.5 million...