The Wake Forest Historic District is the old college campus and North Main Street homes, listed in 2003 and zoned for Wake Forest High. ZIP code 27587.
Last checked Oct. 12, 2026. Sources: the Town of Wake Forest’s historic districts page and map (PDF), the Wake County Public School System’s current base attendance areas, the N.C. Department of Public Instruction’s 2025-26 accountability data, OpenStreetMap and Zillow Research.
The Wake Forest Historic District is the town’s historic core: the original Wake Forest College campus, now Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and the homes built for the college’s faculty, staff and students. North Main Street, once called “Faculty Avenue,” runs through it. Part of it is also the town’s local historic district, where exterior changes need the town’s approval.
What this means for you
- Zoned high school: Wake Forest High, 66.5% of state tests at grade level in 2025-26. Middle and elementary zones split; check an address with the district’s base school lookup.
- Home value: $508,282 in ZIP code 27587 in August 2026, according to the Zillow Home Value Index.
- Nearest U.S. 1 exit: Exit 125, N.C. 98 Business (Durham Road), about 2.3 miles by road.
Part of our Wake Forest neighborhoods guide.
Where it is
The district was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on Dec. 18, 2003, with a period of significance from about 1820 to 1953, the town’s historic districts page says. The town calls the college campus and the town around it one of the most significant groups of historic buildings in Wake County, with examples of each period and style from the early 19th century to the mid-20th.
On the town’s historic districts map (PDF) the district runs along North Main Street from above Oak Avenue south past the campus, and west along Durham Road and the streets near Holding Avenue. The commercial blocks of South White Street to the east are a separate district; see our Downtown page. The whole area is in ZIP code 27587 and inside the town limits.
The local historic district
Inside the National Register district is the town’s local historic district, its first, created May 10, 1979. Most of it is North Main Street from North Avenue to Oak Avenue, north of the seminary, with a section south of the campus along North Avenue and East South Avenue. The town says North Main Street is its earliest residential avenue, with examples of almost every American architectural style from 1820 to 1956.
All exterior changes in the local district need a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historic Preservation Commission, the town says. Properties that contribute to a National Register district may qualify for federal or state historic tax credits. Start with the town’s historic preservation pages before planning work.
The Wake Forest Historical Museum, in the Calvin Jones House at 414 N. Main St., is free; see our history and landmarks guide.
Schools
We checked 36 points across the district against the Wake County Public School System’s current base attendance areas. All were zoned for Wake Forest High; the lower grades split.
| Level | School | Share of points | At grade level, 2025-26 | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary | Wake Forest Elementary | 58% | 67.4% | Met |
| Elementary | Heritage Elementary | 39% | 78.0% | Exceeded |
| Elementary | Richland Creek Elementary | 3% | 73.4% | Met |
| Middle | Wake Forest Middle | 61% | 52.5% | Not met |
| Middle | Heritage Middle | 39% | 81.2% | Met |
| High | Wake Forest High | 100% | 66.5% | Exceeded |
“At grade level” is the share of state tests at grade level or above in the state’s 2025-26 accountability data; “growth” is whether students gained as much as the state expects in a year. Wake Forest High is at 420 W. Stadium Drive and Wake Forest Elementary at 406 S. Main St., both close to the district, in the federal school directory. Because the zones split, check an address in the base school lookup. More in our schools guide.
Home values
The Zillow Home Value Index for ZIP code 27587, which covers all of Wake Forest, was $508,282 in August 2026, down 0.8% from $512,457 in August 2025. Zillow’s figure for the town was $507,240. The index is a modeled typical value for the middle third of homes, not a sale price, and is not specific to the historic district. More in our home prices guide.
Parks and trails
- Holding Park, 133 W. Owen Ave., at the south edge of the district, with an inclusive playground that opened in 2024 and the town pool, according to its town page.
- Disc golf: an 18-hole course on the seminary campus; see our parks and trails guide.
- H.L. Miller Park, 401 Elm Ave., a two-acre wooded park behind Town Hall, a short walk southeast, according to its town page.
Getting around
- U.S. 1 (Capital Boulevard): Exit 125, N.C. 98 Business (Durham Road), about 2.3 miles by road, and Exit 124, N.C. 98 (Dr. Calvin Jones Highway), about 3.9 miles. Exit numbers and names are from NCDOT’s interchange inventory.
- Downtown and Town Hall: about 0.8 mile by road.
- Raleigh-Durham International Airport: about 22 miles by road.
- Bus: the nearest WRX express stop to Raleigh is at Elm Avenue and White Street downtown, according to GoTriangle’s schedule data; Go Wake Forest on-demand rides cover the whole town at 984-342-2319.
Distances are measured on the OpenStreetMap road network from North Main Street; they are distances, not drive times. More in our getting around guide.
Groceries and everyday stores
From OpenStreetMap:
- Pharmacy: CVS Pharmacy, East Roosevelt Avenue.
- Supermarkets: Lowes Foods and Harris Teeter, both on Capital Boulevard, a little over a mile west.
- Shopping center: Wake Forest Crossing, Capital Boulevard.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the Wake Forest Historic District?
It takes in the original Wake Forest College campus, now Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and the homes around it, with North Main Street north of the campus at its center. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on Dec. 18, 2003.
Do I need permission to change a house in the Wake Forest historic district?
In the town’s local historic district, mostly North Main Street from North Avenue to Oak Avenue, all exterior changes need a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historic Preservation Commission, according to the town.
What schools serve the Wake Forest Historic District?
Every point we checked was zoned for Wake Forest High. Most were zoned for Wake Forest Middle (61%) and Wake Forest Elementary (58%); most of the rest were zoned for Heritage Middle and Heritage Elementary.
What is the typical home value near North Main Street in Wake Forest?
The Zillow Home Value Index for ZIP code 27587, which covers all of Wake Forest, was $508,282 in August 2026, down 0.8% from a year earlier.
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