Apple moves to Raleigh

Image+courtesy+of+Apple-+Studio8+Architects+and+WP+Visions%0A

Image courtesy of Apple- Studio8 Architects and WP Visions

Raleigh starts the new year with an impressive position in the real estate market. According to Zillow, the Raleigh housing market is booming and holds record high prices. WRAL predicts that these prices will continue to grow through 2022, with Raleigh now being the third hottest market in the US. This spike in prices may be partly due to the news of Apple’s move to Raleigh. The tech company announced their $1 billion budget for their new campus in the Research Triangle Park area on November 19, 2018, and plans to construct the campus in 2023. With this approaching date, more and more people are attempting to move into this growing city. 

Along with the benefits of Apple’s move, it’s important to highlight some of the negative effects as well. With demand for real estate soaring, Raleigh is struggling to keep up. In the city, there is an abundance of construction sites, and other signs of growth as Raleigh gets ready for Apple’s new campus. It is likely that because of the growing number of people, traffic will become much worse. 

“I think that’s a good idea cause we’ll have a lot of growth. But I also see that it might be a bad thing because of traffic,” said sophomore Josh Martin. Additionally, due to the high demand for real estate, many affordable housing sites and local businesses are being removed and replaced by high rise buildings and apartment complexes. To attempt to keep life in Raleigh low-cost, the city promises to create 5,700 affordable housing units by 2026. 

Apple forecasts that they will generate 3,000 jobs in the area, which will bring evident benefits to this region. The area where they are building their campus has a large population of people of color; therefore, the company will have greater opportunity to develop a more diverse workforce. Demographics relayed by CultureBanx show that currently, only 9% of Apple employees are African American. This is predicted to grow as a result of Apple’s new location. However, this isn’t the only benefit Apple will reap due to their new campus in Raleigh. The area also boasts low crime rates and above average school scores. With several good universities nearby, Apple will also have access to endless numbers of students searching for chances to get involved in tech.

Apple has various student programs and opportunities for people looking to pursue a career in technology. As stated on Apple’s website though, student programs will only be offered to students who are enrolled in a college, university, or graduate program. Accordingly, chances for high schoolers to get involved with the company are slim.