Grace McGavin
Live music playing at Innovation Quarters 2019 (HereWeGrow Picture)
Sheila Torres, a lifetime resident of Winston Salem, was walking in Bailey Park on Patterson Ave. The sun warmed the air and people filled the fresh, green lawn. As she walked along the sidewalk she listened to the live music playing, watched the flying frisbees, and petted the furry friends trotting past her. She thought about how much downtown Winston Salem had grown in the past years as it hasn’t always been so full of life.
“Now there are cute restaurants. There were no cute restaurants before,” Torres said. “I look at the people who live there now and it’s just a completely different group of people… they’re young.”
Lifetime residents like Torre, 48 years old, are surprised by the innovative downtown area as its culture has shifted towards a younger demographic.
Between 2000 and 2014, over $1.2 billion was invested in downtown Winston-Salem, according to a press release by the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Planning and Development Services. Based on city and county building permits, from 2000 to 2016, the total investments were $178.4 million for residential, $193.1 million for institutional/public, $445.6 million for health/technology, $100.1 million for commercial, $100.6 million for office, $50.3 million for arts/entertainment, $208.8 million for multiple uses and $222.5 million for infrastructure. In the past two years, the total investment has gone up a staggering 21%. This sizable investment has led many people to gravitate toward the attractions in the downtown area and move to Winston Salem.
Sarah Chou, a 27-year-old, moved from Greensboro to downtown Winston Salem in 2020. Chou is not the only one who has recently moved to Winston Salem. According to the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Planning and Development Services, since 2010, around 22,000 new residents have moved to the growing city, including downtown. Winston-Salem reached its highest population of 250,765 in 2021.
“I was looking for a safe area to move and I found that downtown Winston Salem had some great unique spots and seemed fun,” Chou said, recently finding a career as a barista downtown.
The Link Apartments have been the place where many new residents stay in Winston Salem for its central location and modern features. Chou along with her roommate moved into the Link Apartments building in 2020. The Link Apartment building was built in 2019 and has 6 stories with 344 units. Located on 530 N Patterson Ave. The complex offers 20,000 square feet of amenity spaces, including a roof-top terrace, saltwater pool, fitness center, and community chef’s-style kitchen.
“Living at Links is the best place to be downtown because I am within walking distance from all of my favorite spots,” Chou said. “The complex is also so safe which was my number one reason for moving.”
The Link Apartments are accompanied by other apartment complexes such as West End Station located on 206 N Green St, just west of downtown, and Plant 64 on 545 Power Plant Cir. From 2009 to 2014, 1,000 residential units were built in Winston Salem, yet today downtown has 3,058 units with more than 1,000 units planned.
“I certainly don’t see it [downtown] slowing down anytime soon,” Torres said.
Sources
Photos: https://herewegrownc.org/local-stories-list/lifting-innovation-quarter/
