Charlotte Ranks 5th in U.S. for New Downtown Apartment Construction

Over the past five years, central Charlotte has seen 11,031 new apartments spring up. This puts the city at number five across the U.S. for inner-city building.

Among major Southern cities, Charlotte's core trails only D.C. and Atlanta in new housing units. Data from RentCafe.com shows the city might top its previous ten-year mark of 36.4% for inner-city building.

The fresh units make up nearly 30% of all homes built in Charlotte during this stretch. Building has spread across five key areas: 28208, 28206, 28204, 28203, and 28202.

While other cities slow their downtown growth, Charlotte pushes ahead. Across the U.S., inner-city buildings have dropped from 39.2% to 34.7% in recent times. Yet Charlotte keeps building.

Unlike other cities mixing old and new, Charlotte's growth comes purely from fresh builds. Other places have cut back on turning old buildings into homes, from 10% down to just 6% of projects.

Up in Raleigh, ranked 17th nationwide, the story shows promise, too. Their downtown added 6,243 units. Now, 40.1% of Raleigh's apartments sit in the city center, way up from 24.5% just ten years back.

City centers and suburbs tell two different tales. As builders eye the edges of town, Charlotte's heart stays strong, drawing big housing projects like a magnet.