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I drove around west end over the weekend as well - around the west end park area and the area on the other side of Abernathy around the middle school and marta station. I like the area and definitely see the potential. However, the amount of vacant boarded-up homes was a big turn off.
About the boarded-up homes - Are these investors waiting for the market to turn around to flip? Or are they recent foreclosures?
I also checked out Westview and it seems like that area has a lot more families. I saw many people fixing their yards and families getting ready to go to church. It seems like a big difference between the two areas. Can the anyone compare the two?
I am also looking to buy in East Point. Both area have great deals for homes and its own pluses and minuses. And like the original poster had said, W.End has more house for the money than E.Point... decisions, decisions!
The realtor and I spent the afternoon looking at properties in the West End proper. The last place we visited was "for the heck of it" in the Westwood Ave / Willard Ave / Gordan Street area. Despite it not having any of my "must have" criteria, I liked it alot. Can any of the West End residents tell me anything about this area? I really liked the house, and the area had a great feel to it. Is it considered West End, or is it more West View?
I'm glad to see how much attention this area has been getting recently! My husband and I bought a house in Westview a little over a year ago. We had previously looked at all the intown neighborhoods we could think of. We even got as far as having a house under contract in "hot" East Atlanta. After getting into a frustrating battle with the homeowner we decided to start looking again. The only neighborhoods left that we hadn’t ventured to were the SW neighborhoods due to their rumored bad reputation. When we came across historic West End we gasped at the houses we saw. How could we not fall in love?! We eventually looked at houses a little outside of the historic district when we stumbled onto the house we fell in love with. It turned out our home was not in West End at all like we had initially thought, but rather in Westview (formerly Westwood Park, then West End Park as it is still commonly listed on real estate records). Unfortunately we were among the uneducated people that jumbled all of SW Atlanta into the "West End." Now we know better! To clarify where the Westview neighborhood is located, its bordering streets are I-20 and Derry Avenue to the North, Langhorn Street and Cascade Avenue to the West, Beecher Street to the South, and South Gordon Street and Westmeath Drive to the West. (Check out the map: Our Location - Atlanta Bungalows in the Westview Village)
We LOVE the house we ended up buying, and there are so many times when I say "thank goodness the East Atlanta deal fell apart." Our neighbors are all friendly and we greet each other regularly. As someone previously mentioned, when you live here you start to know who's around you and who may look suspicious. We haven't felt unwelcome in any way in Westview. It is hard not to be aware of us being white and the majority of the neighbors being black, but we have never felt threatened or unwelcome because of it. (And if you reverse the race scenario and ask the question in a Sandy Springs, Dunwoody, Snellville, whatever neighborhood - what kind of response would you get then?) Speaking of crime and Dunwoody...we had friends from Dunwoody over for dinner one day. As they were leaving they asked us "Is it safe here?" followed by "We had a rocking chair stolen from our porch." Uhmm...and you're asking ME if it's safe HERE? Crime happens anywhere, whether you live in a multi-million dollar home in Buckhead or a house in Westview (or other SW neighborhoods). Somehow people just write the crime in the other neighborhoods off easier than if something happens here due to the existing stigma.
To touch on the boarded up houses…yes, there are unfortunately a number of them. The 30310 zip code was at one point the worst hit zip code for mortgage fraud in the nation. This has left behind a lot of neglected and empty houses. So I think this area is not as much hit by foreclosures as it is by mortgage fraud. Our house was a victim of mortgage fraud twice and we bought it from the bank. (It’s sad to say that a house being hit by mortgage fraud twice is on the low end – I’ve seen houses that have been abused six or seven times!) The good news is we took it out of the cycle. And that’s what needs to happen with the other houses too. The good outcome from this bad situation is that it has opened up an almost unheard of market. We’re first time homeowners and this downfall gave us an amazing opportunity – and now we’re proud homeowners!
And back to our house…we just love it. It's a historic 1917 bungalow with tons of original wooden features that we still drool over and are working hard on restoring. We have a quarter acre lot with beautiful giant oak trees - and we're in the city limits! How many other intown neighborhoods can boast quarter acre lots? And bungalows that still have historic features? (We certainly came across none when we were looking at houses on the east side of town.) We have some incredible neighbors that are very, very active in the community. Just the other day our neighborhood association VP rode around with code enforcement to point out certain trouble-maker houses.
The one thing I can't add much to is about schools. We're a young couple with no intentions of expanding our family any time soon, so we have no need to worry about schools yet.
Overall I would say Westview is a great neighborhood and blossoming into a beautiful community. We're always working on improving it, but we don't regret buying here for a minute. This neighborhood is a gem and I wouldn't trade it for anything.
I'm glad to see how much attention this area has been getting recently! My husband and I bought a house in Westview a little over a year ago. We had previously looked at all the intown neighborhoods we could think of. We even got as far as having a house under contract in "hot" East Atlanta. After getting into a frustrating battle with the homeowner we decided to start looking again. The only neighborhoods left that we hadn’t ventured to were the SW neighborhoods due to their rumored bad reputation. When we came across historic West End we gasped at the houses we saw. How could we not fall in love?! We eventually looked at houses a little outside of the historic district when we stumbled onto the house we fell in love with. It turned out our home was not in West End at all like we had initially thought, but rather in Westview (formerly Westwood Park, then West End Park as it is still commonly listed on real estate records). Unfortunately we were among the uneducated people that jumbled all of SW Atlanta into the "West End." Now we know better! To clarify where the Westview neighborhood is located, its bordering streets are I-20 and Derry Avenue to the North, Langhorn Street and Cascade Avenue to the West, Beecher Street to the South, and South Gordon Street and Westmeath Drive to the West. (Check out the map: Our Location - Atlanta Bungalows in the Westview Village)
We LOVE the house we ended up buying, and there are so many times when I say "thank goodness the East Atlanta deal fell apart." Our neighbors are all friendly and we greet each other regularly. As someone previously mentioned, when you live here you start to know who's around you and who may look suspicious. We haven't felt unwelcome in any way in Westview. It is hard not to be aware of us being white and the majority of the neighbors being black, but we have never felt threatened or unwelcome because of it. (And if you reverse the race scenario and ask the question in a Sandy Springs, Dunwoody, Snellville, whatever neighborhood - what kind of response would you get then?) Speaking of crime and Dunwoody...we had friends from Dunwoody over for dinner one day. As they were leaving they asked us "Is it safe here?" followed by "We had a rocking chair stolen from our porch." Uhmm...and you're asking ME if it's safe HERE? Crime happens anywhere, whether you live in a multi-million dollar home in Buckhead or a house in Westview (or other SW neighborhoods). Somehow people just write the crime in the other neighborhoods off easier than if something happens here due to the existing stigma.
To touch on the boarded up houses…yes, there are unfortunately a number of them. The 30310 zip code was at one point the worst hit zip code for mortgage fraud in the nation. This has left behind a lot of neglected and empty houses. So I think this area is not as much hit by foreclosures as it is by mortgage fraud. Our house was a victim of mortgage fraud twice and we bought it from the bank. (It’s sad to say that a house being hit by mortgage fraud twice is on the low end – I’ve seen houses that have been abused six or seven times!) The good news is we took it out of the cycle. And that’s what needs to happen with the other houses too. The good outcome from this bad situation is that it has opened up an almost unheard of market. We’re first time homeowners and this downfall gave us an amazing opportunity – and now we’re proud homeowners!
And back to our house…we just love it. It's a historic 1917 bungalow with tons of original wooden features that we still drool over and are working hard on restoring. We have a quarter acre lot with beautiful giant oak trees - and we're in the city limits! How many other intown neighborhoods can boast quarter acre lots? And bungalows that still have historic features? (We certainly came across none when we were looking at houses on the east side of town.) We have some incredible neighbors that are very, very active in the community. Just the other day our neighborhood association VP rode around with code enforcement to point out certain trouble-maker houses.
The one thing I can't add much to is about schools. We're a young couple with no intentions of expanding our family any time soon, so we have no need to worry about schools yet.
Overall I would say Westview is a great neighborhood and blossoming into a beautiful community. We're always working on improving it, but we don't regret buying here for a minute. This neighborhood is a gem and I wouldn't trade it for anything.
Brown Middle School is a great school and cutting edge. West Enders and Westviewians...if you haven't been by this school, go in and take a look. I bet you'll like what you see.
Hi fellow 30310 neighbors! I have lived in Westend/westview (I'm actually not sure where I fall) in a gorgeous brick 1920's bungalow with all hard woods! I think WestEnd and Westview are the best intown neighborhoods to move to for people with vision. Check out the history of WestEnd on the City of ATL website; it is quite amazing.
City of Atlanta Online (http://www.atlantaga.gov/government/urbandesign_westend.aspx - broken link)
Similar to previous posts, I often drive around westend/westview and shake my head at all of the gorgeous homes that are unoccupied. This area is comprised of mostly turn of the century bungalows - the same as which you will find in Grant Park and SE ATL. I have been familiar with westend and westview since I attended school in the AUC 15 years ago, and have been seeing the transformation.
I also spent 3 months looking in the SE Atlanta area (Grant Park, Reynolds Town, Edgewood) and gave up after I realized I could trade a shack in SE ATL for a decent home in the WestEnd. After much searching I found a location in Westview. WestEnd and Westview seem to be where SE ATL was 10 yrs ago. So I think this is a GREAT place to live if you want an investment in an intown neighborhood that's affordable.
As far as my neighbors, they are all friendly but honestly I don't have many (lots of vacant homes). What I have loved is the NPU T and neighborhood organizations are very active and filled with people invested and committed to our neighborhood. I also am surprised at the racial and economic makeup of the community groups - it is obvious when you attend that WestEnd and Westview are transforming neighborhoods in which people are moving.
About safety, as with any intown neighborhood this is not sesame street. Get an alarm and a dog. Unfortunately, I have been burglarized (prior to having an alarm) but so have most of my friends who live intown. I have a friend in Reynoldstown who has been robbed twice and had a neighbor robbed at gunpoint. Another friend who lives in East Atlanta closer to Decatur where all neighbors on the street have been burglarized. And another friend in Edgewood a block from Moreland who moved in the early 2000's when their were still prostitutes on his corner. I can say that is where we have a leg up on SE ATL . . . haven't seen any hookers yet.
last but not least my neighborhood is going to be home to the first Beltline park (Enota Park). If the Beltline succeeds it is inevitable that this is going to be the place to live.
so for anyone interested in this area - it is no doubt a great place to move. since I have so many vacant houses around me (i think mostly due to mortgage fraud) i have to advertise to check out Inman St., Lucile, Matthewson, and Altoona off of Lucile
This post is for the benefit of those that aren't certain of the boundaries for West End Historic District.
West End Map (http://www.arch.gatech.edu/~dapa/reports/atlneighchg/page-Images/t05m.html - broken link)
Here are the actual boundaries.
On the North by Sells and Lucile Avenues and Park Street;
On the West and South by Louisville and Nashville Railway; and
On the East by Central of Georgia Railway.
That roughly translates into I-20 (N)
The rail that will become the Beltline (S) & (W)
The rail a bit beyond Lee St (E)
Because Atlanta was a very rail oriented city during its formative years many of the neighborhoods have railroad lines as boundaries. This is evident along the Beltline which is the boundary between Midtown and Va Hi or Grant Park and Ormewood Park.
Also, a new Coffee House "The Grounds" is opening today at Sky Lofts (Corner of RDA and Lowery Blvd). It is one of those Wi-Fi Coffee Lounges that will have local art and open mic. Just in time for winter.
One of the things I like most about West End is the large amount of retail space spread through the neighborhood. Whatever street you live on you don't have to walk far to get to it. And of course the houses… Many of which date back to the 1800s. Only a handful of intown neighborhoods have Victorian, Eastlake, Queen Ann, and Craftsman houses. There is something here for every type of old house enthusiast.
I went to the West End Neighborhood Association (WEND) meeting on Tuesday night and was impressed. The room was packed (standing room only) and no one seemed to mind that my very 'curious' toddler was cruising around, interrupting everyone. We did decide to buy in the neighborhood and if all goes well, we should be in the house sometime in January or February. We met other people that recently moved in on our street, and I'll be proud to call everyone I met the other night my neighbor. I'm excited about the possibilities of living in Historic West End. I know that it's not going to happen overnight or maybe even while I'm living there, but I got a sense that things are moving in the right direction to make this a fantastic neighborhood.
I checked out your website and was FLOORED at the low prices of some of the homes in westview! Many of them I visited when looking for my home, so I know they are quality. Even if you have to drop 20-50K for renovations, it still would we a great deal. I sent it to a few friends who were thinking about buying here, and some of them told me they've already picked their houses.
Quote:
Originally Posted by westviewbungalow
Overall I would say Westview is a great neighborhood and blossoming into a beautiful community. We're always working on improving it, but we don't regret buying here for a minute. This neighborhood is a gem and I wouldn't trade it for anything.
Welcome to West End. I saw the home on your blog and it is a beautiful Queen Anne. That home is definitely pre 1920s and is most likely 100+ y/o. I bet it has a rich history waiting for you to discover. I'm sure you will see positive changes happening rapidly, because the Beltline is a stones throw from that home. They will begin the first 2 miles of the Beltline in Jan 2008, and the portion over by that home is planned to have Palm & Ginko trees. I'm not kidding :-) The Beltline is part Light Rail, Bike/Walking PATH, and Arbortorium (living tree museum). You will get caught up at the WEND meetings. Also, there is a community garden where you can meet other neighbors (and get free food too. Thanks again for the peppers Vonda). See you around.
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Living in WestEnd/Westview
Buying in Westview
Squalor, crime follow wave of foreclosures.
