5 Points/Old Town area (Huntsville, Jackson: relocating, work, medical)

[NicoleC]

Does anyone here actually live in (or used to live in) the 5 Points or Old Town areas of Huntsville? I am thinking of selling the country home and moving into town. Until this year, I lived in very urban areas in tight, friendly communities. Not that my neighbors aren't friendly now -- they are -- but yelling "hello!" is not quite the same. I miss being able to do my shopping by bike and having close neighbors to chat with when you run into them at the local coffee shop.

The older parts of Huntsville look like they might be appropriate from my just driving through, although you do pay a premium for the neighborhood. Can anyone comment on the safety in this area (would you sleep with your windows open?), the reliability of the public transit and general comments on the "feel" of the neighborhood?

[Reactionary]

Five Points / Old Town are not 'very urban'; the density is a little higher than other areas, but they're still just neighborhoods. You can ride your bike to Star Market or Propst Drugs, but there isn't any good bike parking. Old Town Coffee Shop is friendly, but downtown is only about a mile away - I prefer House of Brews. I've never seen my 'neighbors' at either place. Crossing Andrew Jackson Way on foot or bike can be life threatening.

Old Town is pretty safe, the parts of Five Points near Pratt Ave are pretty safe. I open my windows when weather permits - I wouldn't keep them open if I were away from the house. I've had one break-in over 20 years (several houses on my street were hit a few years ago). North of O'Shaughnessy the neighborhood changes somewhat.

Public transit? Most streets have sidewalks.

'Feel' - I like it. People take care of their yards, it's convenient to downtown / I-565; lots of people take walks in the early evening / weekends; more children around now. There are some nice bungalow homes in the area.

The elementary schools (either bad or OK), middle schools (either bad or good), or high schools (either bad or good) depend on where you live (most of Five Points or some of Five Points plus Old Town).

[NicoleC]

Thanks for the thoughts. No, I'm not looking for NYC urban, but driving an hour to buy dog food instead of walking across the street is, apparently, not for me. (Wish I had thought of that before I bought this house and spent thousands on up.)

School quality isn't a concern for me except as a (sometimes) indicator of a decent neighborhood.

One of the areas I liked but was reasonable affordable was along Pratt, so it's good to hear that you feel those neighborhoods are safe. I wouldn't go over near 565 anyway, since that's a flood zone.

As for public transit, there are a couple of shuttle bus lines that run through the area including stops in downtown. I am not sure how useful it should be for me since they only run M-F 6-6, but if they are reliable it would be a nice amenity.

[Reactionary]

My social worker sister hears about the busses from her clients - the bus lines run to DHR and the MHC. Not many people ride the bus in HSV. IIRC, the tourist trolley makes runs from downtown to Five Points on the weekends (to the bars).

BTW, I was serious about the sidewalks, some streets in Five Points don't have them.

Lots of dogs / dog walkers in the neighborhood. There is a proposed dog park at Pratt / Meridian (by the skate park), which would be walking convenient to Old Town and some of Five Points.

Pratt east of Jackson Way (toward Monte Sano) is better than westerly Pratt (except for the Old Town part south of Pratt).

[NicoleC]

Thanks again.

Anyone else have any thoughts?

[rnc76]

I think the historic neighborhoods and the nearby neighborhoods like Blossomwood and the Medical District are by far the best places to live in Huntsville. The houses have character, you are so close to everything, the neighbors are friendly and you actually feel like you are part of a community. The Medical District neighborhoods along Whitesburg between Governor's and Bob Wallace may be another area to consider. Although not historic, there are several restaurants, coffee shops, antique shops, drug stores, a very nice wine shop... within walking distance. Plus, the price is significantly lower than 5 Points or Old Town.

[NicoleC]

Originally Posted by rnc76

The houses have character, you are so close to everything, the neighbors are friendly and you actually feel like you are part of a community.

That's what I'm looking for! I don't need historic -- having an old house can be a real pain sometimes. At the moment, not much seems to be selling in the Medical District, but that may change.

I guess I have more or less decided to spruce up the homestead out here and get it in top selling condition.

[rnc76]

[quote=NicoleC;1547528]At the moment, not much seems to be selling in the Medical District, but that may change. [quote]

In our experience, that was an issue in all of the nicer areas "downtown". There just wasn't much on the market to choose from. If you are not in a hurry, something will come along. We were relocating from out of state, so we had to pick from what was on the market at the time.

[NicoleC]

Since I'll be selling at the same time, my window of opportunity will probably be rather limited unless my buyers aren't in a hurry either. I wouldn't mind going into a temporary housing situation, but I have a dog and a cat.