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Downtown is fairly safe, but by most of the things you listed, its probably not ideal for you.
I would also suggest the same general area around Westgate (Central&Secor). I don't specifically know what you mean by wanting to rent a Ranch style place. Like rent a ranch style, single family home? Or rent an apartment in a complex of one story, sidebyside twinplexes?. While youll have to clarify about your desired apartment style, the Lincolnshire neighborhood (north side of Central, between Secor & Talmadge) is mostly ranch homes, and its all within biking (even walking) distance of places like Starbucks & Biggby Coffee, as well as Fresh Market, Churchills, Bassetts Health Foods, Claudias Health Foods, and Krogers. Sanger Branch Library is also close. Also not far down Central to the West is Wildwood Metropark which is safe and a great place to walk or jog or just enjoy nature.
Prices of houses to rent in the area wouldn't be cheap though. Under 600 would be rare. There's plenty of apartmebts around 400-600 in this area, that are still fairly safe, are car break-in would be the worst threat if anything.
Great post, and ITA about the cost of renting in this area. The OP would probably love Lincolnshire because it's quiet, close to all the amenities, and full of mid-century ranch style homes, but to rent one of those homes would be, at a minimum, I'm guessing at least $1,000 to $1,200/month. My fil rents an older, 1920s house in Library Village for $750/month (a much less desirable area than Westgate these days) and people tell him that it's a steal and are waiting to rent it if his current tenant ever moves. If he can get that for an almost 100 year old house in a neighborhood that is in a slight state of decline and doesn't have nearly the amenities of Lincolnshire/Westgate, then you probably aren't going to find a decent house in that area for $600/month or less. As far as the 43609 ZIP, we lived there for a short time in the early '90s and I would not recommend it. We had the lid ripped off of our built-in gas grill and stolen, presumably for scrap, and our porch furniture stolen in a "nice, residential" neighborhood in the 43609, and that was over 20 years ago, so don't expect things to be any better over there now, because our old neighborhood has sadly declined since then.
Like I said, Toledo may be reasonable as compared to some other parts of the country, but it is still desirable enough to enough people that you aren't going to find dirt cheap, bargain basement rates either, because people actually choose to live here for reasons other than affordability and are willing to pay for those reasons.
You might want to consider the Old Orchard/Hampton Park areas. There are four grocery stores within a mile of each other, along with at least one produce market, a Starbuck's, and several restaurants.
I would like easy access to highways.
When all of you mention neighborhoods by name, I have no idea where those neighborhoods are. I am searching for rentals using the zillow app, which allows me to circle an area with my finger and find things within that circle. Google maps also allows you to draw circle of this sort... so would it be possible to request that someone would be brave enough to draw these circles for me?
I have been searching through all of the Toledo threads for clues as to where these are but this would really help as I am not from Toledo.
Here's a quick synopsis of a few of the neighborhoods we have mentioned here:
Westgate: The area around the intersection of Central Ave. and Secor Rd. in west Toledo. It got its name from the traditional outdoor 1950s era shopping center that used to be at that intersection. There is still a shopping center of sorts there, but it is more modern now, and the stores are not contiguous. It is generally a pretty safe area, but very busy and congested (for Toledo anyway).
Old Orchard: A beautiful neighborhood adjacent to Westgate that is filled with lovely 1920s era homes that is more upscale than most neighborhoods from that period...almost exclusively stone and brick construction, beautiful plasterwork and woodwork, leaded glass windows, large, shady yards...and it abuts the University of Toledo which is on Bancroft St. Generally a safe area to live.
Lincolnshire: Another neighborhood that is adjacent to Westgate but is filled with mid-20th century modern "California ranch" style homes. There used to be a neighborhood association with a community swimming pool, park, etc., I'm not sure if there still is or not. Generally safe.
Library Village: Another 1920s neighborhood that is north and east of the above neighborhoods. The homes are solid old, two story homes built on a grid of streets and this neighborhood was originally designed to provide housing for employees of the Willys-Overland automotive plant that was nearby and evolved into the modern day Jeep plant. Much less upscale than Old Orchard, many foreclosures and rental properties have caused the neighborhood, which was once a very safe, family oriented neighborhood, to decline somewhat in recent years, but you can get a steal on a house there if you ever want to buy and it is still somewhat safe, mostly property crimes in this area.
Hampton Park: A middle class neighborhood that is bordered roughly by Monroe St., Secor Rd., Douglas Rd., and Sylvania Ave. 1920s to post-WWII architecture for the most part, affordable, and, while it isn't as safe as it used to be, still not a bad area to live and pretty close to shopping (Westfield Franklin Park, Toledo's only mall, is nearby) and dining.
Of course, there are many, many other neighborhoods in Toledo, hopefully the above links will help you to begin to sort it all out.
I had a look on google at just which areas the 43609 zip code encompasses. It's actually a bit different than I had remembered. Probably Arlington and maybe Burroughs are the only areas worth considering for you, I would definitely tell the average person to steer clear of the rest of it unless they had some good reason to be there like family, price, or a love of older homes. Don't get me wrong, it's not like you'd be in grave danger just setting foot there, but you'd be putting up with more than you'd need to in most of that zip code.
The PP is right, you don't want to live in the 43609. As I said, we lived there about 20 years ago, on Hampton Ave. At that time, it was an older, still fairly decent neighborhood and a lot of our neighbors were kind, conscientious, elderly people who had raised their kids there and lived in the same house for decades. Even then, if you traveled more than a few blocks away you were in a sketchy area, and now, 20 years later, most of those elderly people are gone and the neighborhood has gone down quite a bit. I would not feel safe living there now. As I also mentioned, we were victims of property crimes when we lived there, albeit they were outside items, thank God, but again, listen to the PP and avoid the 43609 if you can. There are no amenities there anyway, except for the Walmart and surrounding strip mall over at Glendale and S. Detroit, which would not be enough to get me to live there again.
If you are interested in south Toledo, go a bit farther out to the Beverly neighborhood, which borders the suburb of Maumee. It is a much safer, well-kept area. It's the 43614 ZIP code area. There are some decent stores and restaurants in Maumee and a nice outdoor "lifestyle center", The Shoppes at Fallen Timbers, that has a Dillard's, JCPenney, P.F. Chang's, etc., etc. Much, MUCH better area than the 43609 by far!
Hampton is actually in the Arlington neighborhood which is one of the ones that I was recommending earlier. It's probably the nicest part of 43609 (not that that's saying a whole lot, but still). Only a portion of that neighborhood is in 43609, the closer to Detroit Ave or the Anthony Wayne Trail, the better; the closer to Spencer or Highland Park, the worse. Still nothing particularly crazy, but outside property crime doesn't surprise me. It's not like you'd have something happen every week or even every year, though.
Anyway, it's one of the neighborhoods where you may be able to find something well within your budget and still be biking distance to amenities. I'm not trying to be some big cheerleader, just saying not to totally overlook it in case you come across a rental that otherwise suits your needs. If you're interested in saving, as you've said you are, I don't think it would be a major sacrifice to live there (along with many other equally priced city neighborhoods, I'm sure).
I am a young (30 year old female) technology professional. I will be moving to your area in short time. My questions are, after the research I've done:
- Is it possible to live safely downtown? I will have a company vehicle and I am a bit worried about the rundown appearance of the city.
- The low rental rates put me in a (woohoo, savings!) mood, but is it too good to be true?
- I am using the zillow app to search for rental rates (not interested in buying), and the pickings outside the city are about the same as in the city. What gives?
- Proximity to my workplace is not an issue.
- I would like to be a bike ride away from a grocery store (1 mile) and a coffee shop. I bike ride a lot in my time off. A library wouldn't hurt either.
- I am not into the party scene, I do not drink or smoke. I keep to myself and I'm looking for a relatively quiet place.
Ideally what I want is a small space (I grew up in Texas and have recently become enamoured with small spaces and redesigning/remodeling to my taste. I prefer ranch style homes/apartment homes - I do not like stacked housing. Central air and relatively new interiors are on my must have list; hardwood floors and in-home laundry on the want list.
Would I be able to find something like this downtown? Surrounding area?
Quote:
Originally Posted by sanari
My job entails traveling. I do not work in one place. So location or distance does not matter.
I think the reason I am attracted to living in the city is because of the super cheap cost of living. I can put away so much money. I am able to spend up to 600 in rent, but I do not WANT to. Hehe, make sense?
I am alone, no kids. And, I am sanari. xD I've just been doing a lot of research.
Thank you very much, so far!
If Proximity to your workplace is not an issue, you would like to be a bike ride away from a grocery store (1 mile) and a coffee shop, a library wouldn't hurt either.
If you are not into the party scene, do not drink or smoke. keep to yourself and are looking for a relatively quiet place, is there any reason you are limiting your search to (downtown) Toledo?
There are many smaller communities in the area that could easily give you the things you said you are looking for, at probably lower rents than you will find in Toledo. We live in Montpelier which is about an hour from Toledo and an hour from Fort Wayne. If you want even larger cities for activities anytime, Detroit and Chicago are just a little farther away. I mention Montpelier, but there are many communities outside of Toledo that meet all the requirements you have mentioned, especially since you have said that you are not tied to a specific work location.
I would be careful with the Arlington/Burroughs area if your new to the city. My whole thing with making suggestions to new residents who are unfamiliar with the city is I dont want to see them get in too deep somewhere from the beginning. I think its best to stick to areas that are easily understood by a foreigner, ex: the rbs, unless they are a particularly confident person, ready to carve out a life in a potentially sketchy place.
The Arlington neighborhood is still decent but its declining, just like the neighborhood I just moved to, Library Village. I think the farther you are to the southwest corner of the neighborhood the better off you would be. I have family who live on National Ave and theyre relatively fine over there, but once you get past Highland Park on South, or at least Spencer for sure, you're getting into sketchier turf where there is a gang presence and that's not something I recommend to anyone. The good thing about the Arlington neighborhood is the residents are really active. There's a solid blockwatch and I think they have private security now. They're fighting to keep it a decent place.
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