{"id":1524,"date":"2026-06-01T23:35:48","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T23:35:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=1524"},"modified":"2026-06-01T23:35:48","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T23:35:48","slug":"wakes-14000-red-dots-see-a-century-of-housing-restrictions-on-new-searchable-map","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=1524","title":{"rendered":"Wake\u2019s 14,000 red dots: See a century of housing restrictions on new searchable map"},"content":{"rendered":"

AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.<\/p>\n

Read our AI Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n

On Sanderson Drive in Raleigh\u2019s Anderson Heights, a five\u2011bedroom home<\/a> is back on the market \u2014 but its glossy listing photos don\u2019t show the line in its original deed<\/a> limiting who was allowed to live there.<\/p>\n

Read more As Canes tickets top $1,000, state lawmakers push bill to crack down on bots<\/a><\/p>\n

That forgotten clause, buried for decades, is now one of more than 14,500 racially restrictive covenants lighting up a new Wake County map that reveals how discrimination spread across the Triangle, one subdivision at a time, from 1900 to 1950.<\/p>\n

After nearly three years of painstaking work, the Wake County Register of Deeds\u2019 Racially Restrictive Covenants Project<\/a> has uncovered and catalogued racially restrictive covenants embedded in historic property records \u2014 and the results are now visible in a searchable, interactive map<\/a>.<\/p>\n

(Although the Supreme Court ruled such covenants unenforceable in 1948, and the 1968 Fair Housing Act outlawed them, the painful, offensive language still exists in hundreds of deeds of homes, neighborhoods and cemeteries across the county.)<\/p>\n

\u201cThis project helps tell a fuller story about Wake County\u2019s history,\u201d Register of Deeds Tammy Brunner said in a release. \u201cThis was truly a community-driven effort,\u201d she added, \u201cto ensure that history is not forgotten.\u201d<\/p>\n

Residents can type in any address to see whether the property or surrounding parcels contain covenants. Users can zoom into areas like Five Points, Glenwood\u2011Brooklyn, or East Raleigh to see how covenants spread block by block.<\/p>\n

Early mapping analysis reveals patterns that continue to resonate today.<\/p>\n

Brunner said preliminary findings suggest that neighborhoods historically impacted by racially restrictive covenants \u201coften align with present-day areas facing lower income levels, reduced access to services and fewer opportunities for generational wealth accumulation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBy making these records publicly accessible, we hope to foster awareness and understanding about how discriminatory housing practices shaped our community and continue to influence.\u201d<\/p>\n

The launch follows the release of its time\u2011lapse video map<\/a>, published in March 2025, that shows how those covenants spread across the county over four decades: first as a small cluster of red dots in Raleigh\u2019s Glenwood\u2011Brooklyn District; then as a sea of red, mirroring the rise of \u201cstreetcar suburbs\u201d and the rapid suburbanization north of the city limits.<\/p>\n

The visual, and now the digital archives, make plain what historians have long documented: segregation in the Triangle wasn\u2019t accidental \u2014 it was engineered into the land itself.<\/p>\n

The project represents years of research and collaboration between the Register of Deeds office and nearly 200 community volunteers, led by husband-and-wife team Lisa Boccetti and Robert Williams.<\/p>\n

Read more Canes season ticket holders had early access to Stanley Cup seats. It didn\u2019t help<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThere were many rabbit holes,\u201d Williams told The N&O in 2025. \u201cWe had no idea if we were going to find 1,000 covenants or 50,000 covenants. No one had really collected this information before.\u201d<\/p>\n

Using artificial intelligence and optical character recognition, volunteers scanned and searched approximately 600,000 pages of archived records, ultimately identifying the covenants that dictated who could buy, own, or occupy certain properties.<\/p>\n

On the project\u2019s website, the public can now view the earliest recorded deed<\/a> with such restrictions dating back to 1906. Typed in a font written with an old mechanical typewriter, it reads: The Glenwood Land Company to Annie M. Wiggins \u201chereby covenanted and expressly agreed\u201d that the premises \u201cshall not be occupied by negros or persons of negro blood,\u201d except if the person is \u201cemployed for domestic purposes solely.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adding further insult, the deed also prohibits \u201cpigs and hogs\u201d from being on the property in the preceding line.<\/p>\n

Organizers have provided access to data files containing all the covenants identified, as well as geospacial data, like coordinates and addresses.<\/p>\n

Beyond documenting discriminatory practices, they say the records offer a window into broader moments in local history \u2014 the Great Depression, both World Wars, and Wake County\u2019s early\u201120th\u2011century growth.<\/p>\n

The Register of Deeds office has documented its methodology, so other communities can replicate the process \u2014 a \u201croadmap\u201d for counties across the Triangle to \u201cconfront their own histories.\u201d<\/p>\n

Research from such projects has led to legislation in other states. In Washington, the newly enacted Covenant Homeownership Account Act<\/a> compensates victims of restrictive covenants. It can also lead to reforms that ensure fair housing practices and prevent similar discriminatory policies in the future.<\/p>\n

Keep up with the latest Triangle real estate news by subscribing to On the Market, The News & Observer’s free weekly real estate newsletter. Look for it in your inbox every Thursday morning. Sign up here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Read more Durham wants more police, but budget would cut prosecutors. What the DA says.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A searchable Wake County map reveals 14,500+ racially restrictive covenants from 1900\u20131950, exposing how segregation shaped Raleigh neighborhoods and wealth gaps.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1521,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1524","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"\nWake\u2019s 14,000 red dots: See a century of housing restrictions on new searchable map - Durham Moving Hub<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=1524\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Wake\u2019s 14,000 red dots: See a century of housing restrictions on new searchable map - Durham Moving Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A searchable Wake County map reveals 14,500+ racially restrictive covenants from 1900\u20131950, exposing how segregation shaped Raleigh neighborhoods and wealth gaps.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=1524\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Durham Moving Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-01T23:35:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=1524#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=1524\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bf1f081e7f06a3ab66052e5f6015fd85\"},\"headline\":\"Wake\u2019s 14,000 red dots: See a century of housing restrictions on new searchable map\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-01T23:35:48+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=1524\"},\"wordCount\":789,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=1524#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/75b29596d482f3bf177de052b7ad6d81.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"Read today's Edition\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=1524#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=1524\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=1524\",\"name\":\"Wake\u2019s 14,000 red dots: See a century of housing restrictions on new searchable map - Durham Moving Hub\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=1524#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=1524#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/75b29596d482f3bf177de052b7ad6d81.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-01T23:35:48+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bf1f081e7f06a3ab66052e5f6015fd85\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=1524#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=1524\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=1524#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/75b29596d482f3bf177de052b7ad6d81.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/75b29596d482f3bf177de052b7ad6d81.png\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":674},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=1524#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Wake\u2019s 14,000 red dots: See a century of housing restrictions on new searchable map\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Durham Moving Hub\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bf1f081e7f06a3ab66052e5f6015fd85\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Wake\u2019s 14,000 red dots: See a century of housing restrictions on new searchable map - Durham Moving Hub","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=1524","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Wake\u2019s 14,000 red dots: See a century of housing restrictions on new searchable map - Durham Moving Hub","og_description":"A searchable Wake County map reveals 14,500+ racially restrictive covenants from 1900\u20131950, exposing how segregation shaped Raleigh neighborhoods and wealth gaps.","og_url":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=1524","og_site_name":"Durham Moving Hub","article_published_time":"2026-06-01T23:35:48+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=1524#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=1524"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/#\/schema\/person\/bf1f081e7f06a3ab66052e5f6015fd85"},"headline":"Wake\u2019s 14,000 red dots: See a century of housing restrictions on new searchable map","datePublished":"2026-06-01T23:35:48+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=1524"},"wordCount":789,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=1524#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/75b29596d482f3bf177de052b7ad6d81.png","articleSection":["Read today's Edition"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=1524#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=1524","url":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=1524","name":"Wake\u2019s 14,000 red dots: See a century of housing restrictions on new searchable map - Durham Moving Hub","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=1524#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=1524#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/75b29596d482f3bf177de052b7ad6d81.png","datePublished":"2026-06-01T23:35:48+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/#\/schema\/person\/bf1f081e7f06a3ab66052e5f6015fd85"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=1524#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=1524"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=1524#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/75b29596d482f3bf177de052b7ad6d81.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/75b29596d482f3bf177de052b7ad6d81.png","width":1200,"height":674},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=1524#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Wake\u2019s 14,000 red dots: See a century of housing restrictions on new searchable map"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/","name":"Durham Moving Hub","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/#\/schema\/person\/bf1f081e7f06a3ab66052e5f6015fd85","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/durhammovinghub.com"],"url":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1524","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1524"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1524\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1521"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1524"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1524"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1524"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}