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What are some family friendly areas of Montgomery with historic homes? I love the older, historic homes in Montgomery, but I'm finding that the areas I love (cloverdale, idlewild) aren't really the best or safest area for a family with three young kids, walking/jogging, etc....
I had heard bad things about vagrants, lots of unwanted street-walking traffic, unsettled prairie soil causing foundation problems, vandalism (such as people throwing things at drivers-by)......never heard any of this? Am I just hearing isolated incidents, or false rumors?
I had heard bad things about vagrants, lots of unwanted street-walking traffic, unsettled prairie soil causing foundation problems, vandalism (such as people throwing things at drivers-by)......never heard any of this? Am I just hearing isolated incidents, or false rumors?
I was driving through the area one evening on the way to dinner and had to stop in a safer and brighter area (pun intended), to check what was thrown on my car. A bottle or something, containing a laquer like substance.
I happened to have a case full of car polishes and other products and it took me about thirty minutes to get this substance off. In all likelyhood it would probably have ruined the paint.
The acts of stupid heathens like this has cost this restaurant at least one customer and probably more. That is how cities go down hill. I am an urban oriented person, but I don't consider being a pioneer with person or property to be something I admire. I just can't get away from the fact it goes against good judgment to put one's self in harms way once you know it is there. It is a shame. I think it is destroying Montgomery.
Even though this is an old thread, 'll try and resurrect it.
I've lived n almost all pats of Montgomery. Old Cloverdale is an outstanding neighborhood for young and old. If you can afford the price tag and aloofness that accompany it. There are many parks, close shopping, and great times to be had. If you are are a homemaker or retired, you literally have no need to leave the neighborhood except to go to the doctor.i t's all right there. I lived off Magnolia Curve, directly behind the former Cloverdale JHS, for 5 years and locked my door less than a dozen times.
Having lived in Cloverdale for so long, however, I've since mellowed and moved to the Eastbrook/Morningview area. The housing is half the price, and on my street, I have locked my door less than 12 times n 7 years here. While the parks aren't as commonplace, you still have a strong youth element, and an excellent library right down the hill, which is very proactive in children's programs and patron service. If it's of importance, you have churches of all denominations within a 2 mile radius of my neighborhood.(not synagogues, though.)Also just down the hill is Food Outlet, where the staff knows the regulars on a first-name basis, as well as the Eastbrook Flea Market for antiques and a little of everything.
I think Raj Kapoor and I have just had different karma.:-) He posted in another Montgomery thread that my luck is running out. Nah....everyone just knows me and loves me. :-) Seriously, YMMV. JMHO.
Even though this is an old thread, 'll try and resurrect it.
I've lived n almost all pats of Montgomery. Old Cloverdale is an outstanding neighborhood for young and old. If you can afford the price tag and aloofness that accompany it. There are many parks, close shopping, and great times to be had. If you are are a homemaker or retired, you literally have no need to leave the neighborhood except to go to the doctor.i t's all right there. I lived off Magnolia Curve, directly behind the former Cloverdale JHS, for 5 years and locked my door less than a dozen times.
Having lived in Cloverdale for so long, however, I've since mellowed and moved to the Eastbrook/Morningview area. The housing is half the price, and on my street, I have locked my door less than 12 times n 7 years here. While the parks aren't as commonplace, you still have a strong youth element, and an excellent library right down the hill, which is very proactive in children's programs and patron service. If it's of importance, you have churches of all denominations within a 2 mile radius of my neighborhood.(not synagogues, though.)Also just down the hill is Food Outlet, where the staff knows the regulars on a first-name basis, as well as the Eastbrook Flea Market for antiques and a little of everything.
I think Raj Kapoor and I have just had different karma.:-) He posted in another Montgomery thread that my luck is running out. Nah....everyone just knows me and loves me. :-) Seriously, YMMV. JMHO.
LOL. I couldn't be happier to know that your luck is still running strong. Karma is a funny thing, sometimes you get more for your Karma than others; just like money.
Even though so many things to say, i would say Montgomery has a lot for families. Museums, historical sites, Coosa river for adventure, Snorkeling with dolphins, golfing, baseball court, signature dishes to shop. Kids get more interesting stuff in Alabama Nature Center, Jasmine Hills Garden, Shakespeare garden and amphitheatre. Everything is available at low cost so it is fun loving place for family trip.
Even though so many things to say, i would say Montgomery has a lot for families. Museums, historical sites, Coosa river for adventure, Snorkeling with dolphins, golfing, baseball court, signature dishes to shop. Kids get more interesting stuff in Alabama Nature Center, Jasmine Hills Garden, Shakespeare garden and amphitheatre. Everything is available at low cost so it is fun loving place for family trip.
Montgomery summed up in about 1,000 words, as I don't have a picture to show you
I've lived in Montgomery virtually all of my life (with the exception of a couple of years in the early 80's) & I'm over 50. I have a strong real estate background here & know it like the back of my hand. This city is not as bad as some make it out to be, and worse than some think it is. Like most cities that are getting "urbanized" (take that any way you want), it depends greatly on where you go & where you live in it that determines your outlook, and your fate . . .
There are a few older neighborhoods that are mostly safe from vandalism, theft & whatnot, and those are most of Cloverdale, at least anything within 1/4-mile to 1/2-mile of the Capri Theatre; Hillwood & the older part of Vaughn Meadows across & south of Vaughn Rd near Montgomery Academy; McGehee Estates (but stay as far away from Carter Hill Rd & McGehee Rd as you can, i.e., in the heart of the neighborhood or close to Montgomery Country Club); Dalraida, specifically within a 1/4-mile to 1/2-mile of Dalraida Elementary; County Downs & Bellehurst, which are just south of Dalraida across Atlanta Hwy; and parts of Carol Villa aren't bad either. There may possibly be a few others inside the boulevard that I'm leaving out, but I doubt it.
As far as newer areas, you have to go far far east to find anything good, and I'm talking at least beyond Taylor Rd, though the small enclaves of Monticello Cove & Oliver Rd & Henley Way/Hedge are somewhat OK, there's a lot of crime happening on Bell Rd, and when you cross I-85 southbound, you're getting into heavily-depreciating areas.
Sturbridge is still a great community which began in 1987. Halcyon Downs is a somewhat-decent area (Halcyon Blvd runs right thru it). Halcyon, Halcyon Forest & Halcyon South are all still decent, though built out in the 70's & 80's (HF is the best of these) and a patio home in Halcyon is a great deal & great location just across from Eastchase, the premier shopping area here. Wynlakes is the premier neighborhood as it has been for 30 years now since it began. Around Wynlakes are a number of good neighborhoods, including Wyndridge, Eastern Forest, Glynwood & Tuscany. Deer Creek isn't bad, but it has a ton of patio homes & that will spell trouble for it eventually and much sooner than other surrounding areas. Breckenridge is pretty good also as is New Park. Towne Lake (circa 2000) is OK, but its connection to the older (and heavily-depreciated) Arrowhead neighborhood (circa 60's & 70's) just killed it from the start.
If you go out far east to the Town of Pike Road, you'll find a number of Stone Martin neighborhoods, which are those developed by that company. They bought a number of unbuilt developments that went into foreclosure in the Great Recession & put similar versions of the same 3,000+/SF, foursquare, Craftsman-style, 2-story, mostly-saltbox brick homes on them. I swear it looks like they had 3 plans & just changed the brick on them, but that's just my opinion. They sold these new homes real cheap, like $75/SF or even less, when the average new or used home outside their neighborhoods sold for $110/SF to $125/SF. You get a lot of total space in these homes real cheap, but that's about it, and the space you get is mostly upstairs in the guest rooms where you don't need it. You're not buying a $125/SF home for $75/SF --- it's limited by the sales comps in those neighborhoods, and thankfully the appraisers didn't assign those values to homes outside & near those neighborhoods or the entire real estate market in Montgomery would've collapsed.
If you go way out, the highest-value neighborhood is The Waters in Pike Road, where it's typically $140/SF minimum. It's like traveling back to 1920 as they're new homes, but they look like a community that time forgot. There are other places far eastside worth looking into besides these, but you've got to stay east beyond Taylor Rd. Most of Pike Road is good, but not all of it. A few other neighborhoods like Somerset aren't bad --- you'll find a gem of two if you look hard enough.
However, stay away from any neighborhoods along any part of the boulevard, including North Blvd, NE Blvd, East Blvd, East South Blvd, South Blvd and West Blvd. This is where most of the killings & robberies take place, especially South, East South, North & especially the God-forsaken Wild West. Also stay away from Downtown Montgomery. Some developers are pushing lofts & apartments & condos downtown, but don't get suckered into that.
I'm not advocating you stay away from minorities, as that's a fact in Montgomery you'll have to deal with as they're the large majority (about 70%) of this town now, yet there are a lot of upwardly-mobile & smart minorities here (what am I talking about --- us white folks are the minority here!), but if you go into the bad areas, you are subjecting yourself to a heavy probability of low property values, crime (car & house break-ins), drugs, robberies, gangs, violence, and ignorant poor people who'd just as soon spit at you while you're bleeding to death than call 911. There are people who will say "this neighborhood isn't good, but their street is quiet", but that doesn't mean it's safe.
If you don't mind a 20 to 30-minute commute across the river, I highly suggest checking out Prattville, as most of it is a good area (I said most, not all, as it's slowly getting urbanized as well), and check out the Redland Rd & Jasmine Hill Rd areas of Wetumpka & South Elmore County, which are the most convenient areas to be if you like a rural setting, but close to the big city & all it offers, as they have strong property values, quiet suburban living & cheap taxes. Both are very conservative areas in all aspects of the word. A few parts of Millbrook are OK to rent, but I wouldn't buy anything there. Everything within 40 miles of the South & West parts of Montgomery are bad investments and have been for decades. If you go north up into Autauga & Elmore Counties, that's the best places to buy land and not lose your shirt later to depreciation. I wouldn't build anything much over 3,000/SF there unless you want to take a beating on the extra footage later, but you can get 20+ acres for $2,000 to $3,000 per acre or less. Just stay away from the blighted areas where you see a lot of trailers.
Message me & I'll tell you what I think & what I know about any area you have your eye on. I don't sell real estate for a living, but my parents did for many years and I used to myself.
i live in montgomery and you pretty much summed it up. i could go on a rant for hours but my fingers will start to hurt. oh, by the way i have to say something while im here. the riverboat ride is horrible! nothing to look at and the music is usually awful. about halfway through the ride youll want to jump ship and swim back to the dock! dont go in the summer its just to hot
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Montgomery summed up in about 1,000 words, as I don't have a picture to show you
