Small town charm and big community values in Clayton
Clayton is a suburb outside Raleigh with small-town charm and a bustling downtown brimming with local businesses and community events. Its population has grown to just over 30,000, a 14.8% increase from 2020, when it was just over 26,000. The area attracts many residents from out-of-state. It’s still more rural and spread out than other sections of The Research Triangle. There are multiple large master-planned and mixed-use communities offering a range of home types and prices. “There is still a great amount of affordability there,” says Julie Toy, a life-long North Carolina resident and realtor with Coldwell Banker Advantage.
Many of Clayton’s residents commute to Raleigh or Research Triangle Park for work. With over 300 companies, RTP is the largest research park in the country. “There are some major employers in the area,” Toy says. “So, living in Clayton can put them close to work. The backbone of Clayton for the last 50 years has really been the pharmaceutical industry.” It’s home to a biotherapeutics company called Grifols and Novo Nordisk, which is an insulin provider. Summers in Clayton see highs in the 80s to 90s, but the temperature drops to the 30s to 50s in the winter with little to no snow. Its location south of Raleigh means that Clayton is closer to the beach, which is less than a two-hour drive away.
Discover what Downtown Clayton has in store for you.
Check out the "Process" by Christian Happel at the Town Square on Clayton's Sculpture Trail.
Check out the artsy vibe in Main Street Community Garden downtown.
Jones Lunch is a Clayton legend, they've drawn crowds downtown for over 65 years.
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Downtown and the Clayton Farm & Community Market
While the residential areas of Clayton grew quickly, it’s taken a bit longer for the commercial side to develop. However, new residents have brought a greater demand for more shopping and dining. “The downtown has drastically changed,” says Melissa Grodecki, a local who has lived in the area for over 15 years and a Restaurant Manager at Vinson’s Pub + Eatery. “More restaurants are opening; there’s more retail, and the nightlife scene is growing.” Locally owned restaurants, cafes and breweries sit on a charming Main Street strip downtown. The town has committed to improving the downtown, making it even more attractive to new businesses. The city plans to renovate the historic and vacant town hall building into The Station Clayton, which will have a grocery store and market on the ground floor with office spaces on the upper level.
Clayton Corners is a shopping center with restaurants, pubs and chain restaurants. Flowers Crossings is a newer commercial area in the Flowers Plantation neighborhood. It’s planned to expand in 2025 with a new mixed-used development called The North Waterfront District. Small grocery stores and markets can be found all along Route 70. The community can also buy locally grown produce and artisan crafts at the Clayton Farm & Community Market in Horne Square every Saturday morning from March to December.
Aerial view of Downtown Clayton.
Downtown Clayton sign.
Clark Hippolito's abstract mural on Crawford Cookshop is meant to inspire imagination.
Whirligigs at Main Street Community Garden in downtown Clayton
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Harvest Festival, Concert Series and the Clayton Center
The Clayton Harvest Festival is an annual event hosted by the Clayton Chamber of Commerce, and it includes carnival rides, the city’s largest vendor fair and a Latin American festival in a four-day celebration. The Annual Downtown Clayton Concert Series is a yearly tradition with food trucks, beer, wine and live music buzzing in Town Square. The Clayton BBQ Challenge is a new competition in which Kansas, Missouri, and North Carolina put their barbecue to the test in an event with live music and beer from local breweries.
The Clayton Center has been a cornerstone of community life since 1915. When it closed in 1997, the Clayton Cultural Arts Foundation saved the center, and the auditorium remains the best place in town for residents to view comedy shows, live music performances, murder mysteries and more. Walking around downtown may lead pedestrians across 13 sculptures created by artists and placed along the sidewalk, known as the Downtown Sculpture Trail.
Walking along the Neuse River Greenway
The Clayton Municipal Park has a splash pad, a large field, covered shelters and new playground equipment near downtown. At East Clayton Community Park, people of all abilities can play on the new, inclusive Harmony Playground. It’s also home to a dog park and disc golf course. Those with an NC Fishing License can cast their lines at Clayton Community Park. The community center has an indoor walking track and a classroom for art classes.
Sights on the Sam's Branch Greenway feature outdoor art and colorful murals crafted by local kids along the fence line of a 1.25-mile trail. The greenway connects to the River Walk on the Neuse, a 4-mile trail by the Neuse River, which is part of the larger 30-mile Neuse River Greenway that goes all the way to Falls Lake Dam in Raleigh. The Neuse Country Club, on Glen Laurel Road, includes a members-only, Olympic-sized pool and a semi-private 18-hole golf course. Residents who are not members can play through all holes with a cart on a Saturday afternoon for $45.
New high school in Johnston County
Johnston County Public Schools has a B-plus overall Niche grade and serves over 37,000 students. Clayton High School, rated B on Niche, is currently the only high school in Clayton. The town’s second high school, Wilson’s Mills High, is in the construction process and is expected to accept students in the fall of 2026. There are also five private and one charter school option. Some small sections of Clayton are zoned for Wake County Schools, receiving an A grade on Niche.
North Carolina State University is about half an hour away, while the drive to Duke University and University of North Carolina Chapel Hill will take closer to an hour. Johnston Community College is just south of Clayton.
Newly built homes and development
The town of Clayton is considered one of the more affordable Raleigh suburbs. A larger portion of homes currently being sold are new construction. Older properties tend to have more land. The median price for a single-family home is $386,990, while the median price of a townhouse is $299,900. Housing styles include everything from new traditional builds to colonials and ranch-style homes. There is an increasing amount of residential development and newly built homes to accommodate a growing population. Many of these are in subdivisions on the east side of town. “As a realtor, when I get calls from people going ‘well, we kind of like Clayton, we want to live in Clayton’ It tells me a lot,” Toy says of Clayton’s growing popularity.
Single-family homes in the Flowers Plantation neighborhood range from $279,000 to $890,00, while townhouses go for $267,000 to $340,000. In the Portofino equestrian neighborhood, single-family homes start at $578,327 and go as high as $1.5 million.
Big yards are easy to find around downtown Clayton.
Ranch style hoouse in Clayton.
New Traditional style home in Clayton.
Large lots give families room to run near downtown.
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The drive to Raleigh and getting around
The commute to Downtown Raleigh takes around 16 miles on U.S. Route 70 and Interstate 40. This drive can take anywhere from 25 to 30 minutes, depending on traffic. It can take 30 minutes just to drive to the other side of town because Clayton is so spread out. The commute to Research Triangle Park is 35 miles or longer depending on where in Clayton residents are driving from. Raleigh-Durham International Airport is 31 miles northwest. Driving is necessary here as public transportation is not usually an option and roads are not walkable or bike-friendly outside of downtown. The local government is working to add more sidewalks and crosswalks in the coming years.
Clayton Police Department’s new citizens academy
Clayton's crime rate has increased as the population has grown but remains low compared to national figures. Clayton had 246 incidents of violent crime in 2023, according to FBI crime data, compared to 132 incidents in 2018. There were 480 incidents of property crime in 2023, a 14% increase from 2018, when there were 422. The Clayton Police Department’s "Not So" Teen Citizens Academy allows applicants 21 and older to attend classroom sessions and activities to better understand a police officer’s duties and responsibilities.
Written By
Joyelle Ronan
Photography Contributed By
Lawrence Hiatt
Video By
Khalil Chisholm
Interested in learning more about homes in this area?
Reach out to
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On average, homes in Clayton, NC sell after 55 days on the market compared to the national average of 70 days. The median sale price for homes in Clayton, NC over the last 12 months is $369,000, down 1% from the median home sale price over the previous 12 months.
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Parkside Village, located in Clayton, is the perfect lifestyle choice for those working in the Raleigh, NC area who wish to come home to "small town living"! Conveniently located just a few miles from Routes 40 and 440, Parkside Village offers the perfect blend of neighborhood, community and lifestyle amenities. Clayton’s Community Park is adjacent to Parkside Village and offers 42 acres of sport
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