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Axios Raleigh

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Data: Trust for Public Land; Chart: Alice Feng/Axios

Raleigh has 7.9 pickleball courts per capita, according to the pro-parks nonprofit Trust for Public Land, Axios' Jennifer A. Kingson and Alice Feng report.

The big picture: There's been a sixfold increase in the number of public pickleball courts in the 100 biggest U.S. cities since 2017 — from 420 to 2,788 — but municipal leaders say they still can't come close to meeting demand from pickleheads.

What's next: More pickleball courts are on the way, including a $70 million tennis and pickleball entertainment complex planned for the Brier Creek in Raleigh.

Axios' Jennifer A. Kingson and Alice Feng report

Stat: Pickleball takes over Raleigh

Pickleball is surging in popularity and cities are struggling to build enough courts to satisfy the demand

Pickleball

Raleigh has 7.9 pickleball courts per capita, according to the pro-parks nonprofit Trust for Public Land, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Axios&#x27; Jennifer A. Kingson and Alice Feng report" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/06/07/pickleball-courts-padel" data-vars-content-id="61d94c78-1dca-4481-8c35-3993bec0622d" data-vars-headline="Stat: Pickleball takes over Raleigh" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/06/07/pickleball-courts-padel" target="_self">Axios&#x27; Jennifer A. Kingson and Alice Feng report</a>.

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Sports

Data: University of Toronto; Chart: Alice Feng/Axios

Mobile device activity in downtown Raleigh remains below pre-pandemic rates,  Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick and Alice Feng report.

That's according to anonymized mobile device connectivity data analyzed by researchers at the University of Toronto's School of Cities.

Why it matters: Downtowns became ghost towns during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic as people sought to "flatten the curve" by staying at home as much as possible.

Even as the pandemic ebbs, the era of remote and hybrid work continues to keep many away from office clusters in downtown.

That has big implications for downtown economies, which have historically relied on commuting workers who spend money before, during and after their daily 9-5s.

In Raleigh, economic developers have closely tracked foot traffic and sought to find ways to reinvigorate the parts of downtown most reliant on office workers.

Zoom out: Downtown activity has returned to — or even exceeded — pre-pandemic rates in a handful of U.S. cities, but most are still struggling to attract the foot traffic they once did.

By the numbers: Salt Lake City (139%); Bakersfield, California (118%) and Fresno, California (115%) had among the country's highest post-pandemic downtown recovery rates as of February (the most recent data available), as measured by estimated foot traffic.

San Francisco (32%), St. Louis (38%) and Portland, Oregon (40%) had among the lowest.

Zoom in: San Francisco's sluggish recovery is due at least in part to its heavy concentration of tech workers — many of whom decamped elsewhere amid the pandemic.

Many of downtown Raleigh's largest employers are also tech companies that have gone hybrid, like Red Hat, or downsized, like Citrix.

Raleigh ranks among the metro areas with the largest share of remote workers.

How it works: The researchers essentially treated smartphones and other mobile devices as a proxy for their owners — if a device pings a nearby cell tower, it's a good bet that's where the device's owner is.

Of note: For this analysis, "downtown" is defined as areas of a given city with the highest employment density.

Downtown Raleigh sees half the cell phone activity as pre-COVID

Activity in downtown Raleigh remains below prepandemic levels  as remote work solidifies

Remote work

Mobile device activity in downtown Raleigh remains below pre-pandemic rates, Axios&#x27; Alex Fitzpatrick and Alice Feng report.<ul><li>That&#x27;s according to anonymized mobile device connectivity data<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text=" analyzed" data-vars-click-url="http://downtownrecovery.com/dashboards/recovery_ranking.html" data-vars-content-id="7c9dd3b3-719d-43cd-a732-0c8273fc2cb0" data-vars-headline="Downtown Raleigh sees half the cell phone activity as pre-COVID" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="http://downtownrecovery.com/dashboards/recovery_ranking.html" target="_blank"> analyzed</a> by researchers at the University of Toronto&#x27;s School of Cities.</li></ul>Why it matters: Downtowns became ghost towns during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic as people sought to &quot;flatten the curve&quot; by staying at home as much as possible.

News

Business

Data: Redfin; Chart: Alice Feng/Axios Visuals

The sharp jump in mortgage rates over the past year is locking North Carolina homeowners in place and leaving prospective buyers with fewer options.

More than 60% of homeowners with mortgages in North Carolina have a rate below 4%, per Redfin data shared with Axios.

Why it matters: Mortgage holders are experiencing the "golden handcuffs" phenomenon: They might have a great rate now, but likely can't move without spending a lot more cash, explains Redfin chief economist Daryl Fairweather.

Meanwhile, 19% of homeowners in the state have a rate of more than 5%, as of the latest data from October of last year.

By the numbers: A higher rate can lead to significant differences in monthly payments.

For a home with a sales price of $360,000, a monthly payment at a 3% interest rate from 2021 would be $,1733, assuming a 20% down payment.

What they're saying: Matt Fowler, the executive director of Triangle Multiple Listing Services, said rising interest rates can have the effect of "trapping" homeowners that might want to buy a bigger house.

"They may want to move," he said, "but when they turn around and look at what they'd have to pay on a monthly basis to buy a little bit more house … the cost of doing that was just really high."

More broadly, he added, the interest rates have continued to make buying a home unaffordable for many, as monthly payments can be hundreds of dollars more per month than they would've been last year.

It's led to some price decreases across the Triangle, he said, but the monthly payments might still be just as expensive.

"The general affordability (of homes) has never been more challenging," he said, when you consider the lack of supply and the interest rates.

Nine in 10 U.S. homeowners secured mortgage rates below 6% as of late 2022, per the new Redfin report. Meanwhile, mortgage rates have swung between 6 and 7% nationally in recent months.

Yes, but: Buyers are also exploring adjustable-rate mortgages or buydowns in hopes of a lower monthly payment, Fairweather says.

Reality check: Lower rates could loosen up some supply, but not enough to meet demand, Fairweather says.

New construction isn't keeping up, either. Fairweather predicts it'll take the U.S. a decade to repair its housing shortage.

Rising interest rates are stopping homeowners from selling their homes

Homeowners might have a great mortgage rate now, but likely can't move without spending a lot more cash.

Real estate

The sharp jump in mortgage rates <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="over the past year" data-vars-click-url="https://www.freddiemac.com/pmms" data-vars-content-id="7f1ce3c3-6a27-4080-9bbb-3138ce35aa79" data-vars-headline="Rising interest rates are stopping homeowners from selling their homes" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.freddiemac.com/pmms" target="_blank">over the past year</a> is locking North Carolina homeowners in place and leaving prospective buyers with fewer options.<ul><li>More than 60% of homeowners with mortgages in North Carolina have a rate below 4%, per Redfin data shared with Axios.</li></ul>Why it matters: Mortgage holders are experiencing the &quot;golden handcuffs&quot; phenomenon: They might have a great rate now, but likely can&#x27;t move without spending a lot more cash, explains Redfin chief economist Daryl Fairweather.<ul><li>Meanwhile, 19% of homeowners in the state have a rate of more than 5%, as of the latest data from October of last year.</li></ul>

Real Estate

Data: Climate Central; Chart: Alice Feng/Axios

You're not just imagining it. Allergy season has been getting longer in the Triangle.

Driving the news: Allergy season in Raleigh increased by 29 days on average between 1970 and 2021, per an analysis from Climate Central, a nonprofit climate news organization, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick and Alice Feng report.

That's based on the number of days between the last freeze each spring and the first freeze each fall — essentially, the annual window during which seasonal allergy sufferers are most likely to rely on their antihistamine of choice to get by each day.

The big picture: Allergy season increased by 15 days on average between 1970 and 2021 across about 200 U.S. cities.

From 1990 to 2018, pollen counts increased by 21% nationwide, with the greatest increases in the Midwest and Texas, according to a 2021 study, Axios' Arielle Dreher reports.

Why it matters: The lengthening allergy season is tied to climate change, per Climate Central, with big health ramifications for the roughly one-quarter of Americans who suffer from seasonal allergies — and respiratory health more broadly.

What's next: Ongoing climate change means further deviation from what was once considered the norm.

"We do expect that areas that haven't previously had substantial pollen seasons will potentially start to experience pollen seasons," William Anderegg, director of the Wilkes Center for Climate Science & Policy at the University of Utah, told Arielle.

Zach's thought bubble: Triangle natives dread the return of "the pollening" every year, when clouds of pollen descend from the pines and cover our cars and porches.

Growing up in the Triad, I never had allergies. But as soon as I moved to the Triangle for college, my sinuses were wrecked.

Despite the spring bringing some of our best weather, I'd caution any first timer from visiting during peak pollen season.

The Triangle's allergy season has gotten significantly longer

Pollen season is getting longer in Raleigh and Durham.

Allergies

You&#x27;re not just imagining it. Allergy season has been getting longer in the Triangle.Driving the news: Allergy season in Raleigh increased by 29 days on average between 1970 and 2021, per an analysis from Climate Central, a nonprofit climate news organization, Axios&#x27; Alex Fitzpatrick and Alice Feng report.

Alice Feng

Featured stories

Rising interest rates are stopping homeowners from selling their homes

Stat: Pickleball takes over Raleigh

The Triangle's allergy season has gotten significantly longer

Downtown Raleigh sees half the cell phone activity as pre-COVID