FAMILY TIES: HISTORIC LAND OWNERS SHAPE TODAY’S CITIES & HISTORIC WEALTH + ITS EFFECT ON CITIES TODAY
Every city has it’s origins. Raleigh is no exception. With humble beginnings, Wake County was established with nothing more than plantations and the major north-south and east-west trade route crossroads contained within its boudaries. With no real established towns within the new county to grow as the state capital, Raleigh was established from family land.
This narrative paints a picture of who owned the original property, their influences at that time, and how that influence is echoed in today’s land values and city growth. Joel Lane’s family is highlighted specifically as someone who was at the onset of establishing Wake County, but the capital city itself. With this influence, you can see how his wealth and influence is transferred through marriages, land sales, and property holdings. We can also see how the land owned by Joel Lane and other prominant families at the time have influenced the location of municipalities within Wake county and how the exchanging of property contributed to the positive or negative effects of the area.