[cchip55]

Hello,

I recently visited Montgomery, AL checking it out as a potential place to move to. I love historic homes so I drove around Cloverdale, Idlewild, the Garden District, and Capitol Heights. I loved Cloverdale, Idlewild and the Garden District, but since those are established neighborhoods with historic designations, they are more expensive (though I could afford homes at the lower end of prices there) than Capitol Heights. There are lots of homes in Capitol Heights that would fit the small size (2 bedrooms) that I am looking for and have the kind of historic details (fireplaces, transoms above doors, nice shoe moulding, etc.) and there seem to be some good bargains, but my impression of that neighborhood is mixed. Some streets seemed very nice, but others are not as well maintained. On some streets I saw people walking their dogs or couples going for an evening stroll, on other streets I was given the stink eye just driving down the street. I am a middle-aged woman in a rental car, so it's not like anyone thought I was casing their homes to rob, so don't know why people on some streets acted unfriendly.

So can anyone give me their honest opinion of Capitol Heights? How would you describe the type of people who live there? (I realize that's hard as people are all different) What sections/streets in this neighborhood are the better streets? How safe is this neighborhood? Are there break-in, car prowls? Do you think it will get historic designation?

Just fyi, I currently live in a big diverse city and have lived all over the U.S....Midwest, East Coast, West Coast and a bit in the South. I am a single woman so I want to make sure this would be a neighborhood I would feel comfortable in. I am a professional woman who loves the arts and gardening.

[EastbrookAndy]

CH has.... pockets. That's the best way I know to describe it.
My neighborhood is literally across the street. Like my username, the neighborhood is called the Eastbrook-Morningview neighborhood.Your age bracket, martial status, and education is just right for this neighborhood.
And as concerns the pockets in my neighborhood, I've owned my house 10 years. Lost my house keys a few years ago. But don't have a real need for them.
That's how secure and watchful my neighborhood is.
Hope this helps.
P.s. It might help you to do a search by zip code for crime stats, unemployment, etc. Our zip is 36109. CH is 36107.

[cchip55]

Originally Posted by EastbrookAndy

CH has.... pockets. That's the best way I know to describe it.
My neighborhood is literally across the street. Like my username, the neighborhood is called the Eastbrook-Morningview neighborhood.Your age bracket, martial status, and education is just right for this neighborhood.
And as concerns the pockets in my neighborhood, I've owned my house 10 years. Lost my house keys a few years ago. But don't have a real need for them.
That's how secure and watchful my neighborhood is.
Hope this helps.
P.s. It might help you to do a search by zip code for crime stats, unemployment, etc. Our zip is 36109. CH is 36107.

Thanks EastbrookAndy. Eastbrook sounds like a nice community. However, I had a quick look at listings there and one of the reasons I was interested in Capitol Heights was that I am looking for an old historic home and prices there are lower than Cloverdale, Idlewild, and the Garden District which I also love. It seemed from looking at listings in Eastbrook that the homes are probably more 1950's and up? I want something with great moulding, wood floors, fireplaces and the doors that have transom windows above. So I was considering Capitol Heights for having the historic details, but lower prices, but I guess it's a tradeoff with security and community. I agree with you that it did seem to have good areas and then bad pockets.

[EastbrookAndy]

Everyone knows what is right for them.
If you're going to be here a while, I'd actually look into leasing in one of those neighborhoods. With said lease, you aren't liable for wear and tear(what if the transom breaks, for instance?) Per leasing, and the type of house you want, I would put C'dale first, Garden District second, and CH third.
I would still do my due diligence. Nit a good idea to commit to a home on the internet without having a fuller understanding what kind of neighbors you'll have.When I used to lease, I'd do at least one or two "drive-bys" after dark to see how the neighborhood as a whole acted... friendly and out walking their dogs, or hurrying in to the house with burglar bars on all window,,s?
Hope this helps.

[EscAlaMike]

Capitol Heights is in a state of transition, so it's definitely a mix.

[cchip55]

I am hoping to figure out 1) why Montgomery, which is the second largest city in Alabama, doesn't have it's own forum here on City Data? 2) when I was traveling in the South, why when I told people I was heading to Montgomery the reaction wasn't positive? It wasn't just people in Birmingham from whom I might have expected rivalry as the other big AL city, but I met people in other southern states who seemed puzzled as to why I would consider Montgomery. I thought the historic designated neighborhoods were beautiful, people were nice and there were some amenities in the city.....

Thanks for helping me solve this mystery!

[EscAlaMike]

Montgomery has no subforum because there's just not enough traffic to justify it.

I don't know what it is about Montgomery. Sure it has rough parts like any city, but it always seemed pretty decent to me as well.

Just anecdotally speaking, of people I've met from Alabama's 4 major cities, people from Bham, Mobile, and Huntsville all seem to love them. But with Montgomery, there doesn't seem to be the same level of pride in their hometown.

[EastbrookAndy]

Between Birmingham and us, you have racial anxiety. Caucasians are hypersensitive about offending minorities, while some minorities are more blatant about "The Man owes me" still generations later.
Also, when the Legislature is in session, that always makes the local news. Kinda like Fox and Trump.
We have neighborhoods where some people never have to leave except to go to the doctor. Also older, established neighborhoods where you literally have four generations of the same family living within blocks of each other.
I'm probably one of the enthsiastic cheerleaders on this site that's so Montgomery. It's almost a Catch-22; the more people that know about a city, the better chance of higher crime. (:-

[cchip55]

Hello,

Well I don't get why Birmingham is so much better known as wouldn't there be racial anxiety in both?

I like what you have to say about these older established neighborhoods, as I grow older and my life slows down it's nice to have such as strong sense of community in a neighborhood.

I do think you are wise in the fact that the more people know about a city, it can have a better chance of issues, like crime. It's exactly what has happened where I live now. It's a popular place, so a lot of people have been moving here, we are exploding, and that has led to increased crime and a high homeless population, bad traffic, overcrowding and overbuilding and a whole host of problems. There are some benefits, as people moving in from all over brings things like more restaurant and entertainment options, but I didn't think it makes up for the bad side of growth.

Therefore, I kind of liked that no one every talks about Montgomery, as it would stay hidden. On the other hand, I was worried that maybe no one talks about it as there is nothing good to say about the place, but that didn't square with how I felt while there and what I saw, so I have been confused.

So I am glad you are enthusiastic about Montgomery, can you share with me Top Five list of reasons you are a cheerleader of Montgomery?

Of course I also have to ask you for 3 things you don't like/wish would change about Montgomery to get a balanced picture

Have a great weekend!

Originally Posted by EastbrookAndy

Between Birmingham and us, you have racial anxiety. Caucasians are hypersensitive about offending minorities, while some minorities are more blatant about "The Man owes me" still generations later.
Also, when the Legislature is in session, that always makes the local news. Kinda like Fox and Trump.
We have neighborhoods where some people never have to leave except to go to the doctor. Also older, established neighborhoods where you literally have four generations of the same family living within blocks of each other.
I'm probably one of the enthsiastic cheerleaders on this site that's so Montgomery. It's almost a Catch-22; the more people that know about a city, the better chance of higher crime. (:-

[cchip55]

Maybe as Eastbrook Andy has alluded to people of Montgomery are keeping it a secret as popularity brings its own problems with it. If so, then they are the smartest people in the state Growth doesn't have to be a bad thing, but much growth in cities is not managed growth by local government to protect the quality of life, etc. I am in a place with greed if fueling the growth and that has led to bad effects for sure.

Originally Posted by FSUMike

Montgomery has no subforum because there's just not enough traffic to justify it.

I don't know what it is about Montgomery. Sure it has rough parts like any city, but it always seemed pretty decent to me as well.

Just anecdotally speaking, of people I've met from Alabama's 4 major cities, people from Bham, Mobile, and Huntsville all seem to love them. But with Montgomery, there doesn't seem to be the same level of pride in their hometown.