Mechanicsville area! (Atlanta, Pitts: apartment complexes, lease, condo)

[ldl5112]

Is this a good. so-so, or bad area? Specifically, Formwalt St SW. I just saw an ad on Craigslist for a condo for rent in this area, and it's a good price and the interior looks nice, but I'm concerned that the price is good because it's a bad neighborhood.

[Tarzanman]

I have heard that the area around Clark/Morehouse/Spelman are pretty rough. I heard this from a student who attends Morehouse.

[bryantm3]

are you white or black? do you consider yourself an urban pioneer? are you willing to live in a rough area for a while to eventually reap benefit when the neighbourhood becomes a nice place again?

i won't tell you to avoid mechanicsville but i won't tell you it's a nice place either— you'll need to have security of some type, maybe a couple of yard blasters and a security camera— and good locks. burglar bars are not uncommon there. however, on the same token, mechanicsville is right next to downtown, right next to turner field, right next to atlanta university center, right next to castleberry hill, and a ways down the road from grant park and the zoo. the location is accessible to a lot, and someday it will be a very pricey neighbourhood. you're looking at a long wait, though. if this is a temporary setup for yourself, i would probably look somewhere else.

[cwkimbro]

I completely agree with bryant3.

The only I can see is... its better off than Pittsburgh to the immediate south.

The way I would characterize this area. It has alot of vacant land dispersed through the neighborhood, some streets with older houses that have maintained character pretty well, some older apartment complexes that are falling apart, and a really nice park for the size of the neighborhood.

Just before the recession this area was -just- getting started of people looking at it with renewed interest and some possible redevelopment, but none of that really settled in before the housing market collapsed and now most buyers are more likely to go to nicer parts of town where prices have fallen. So it might be a good while before the area can really be revitalized again. The main good parts are they fixed up the park, a few scattered new houses, and a new development at McDaniel St and Fulton Ave.

It does have great proximity to Grant Park and Castleberry Hill.

I would rent elsewhere, unless it was the only thing you could afford. You might do better off to find privatley rented homes just east of there across I-85 in Summerhill.

There are some GSU students mixed in there that walk or take the GSU shuttle from GSU's park and ride arrangements with the baseball parking lot.

[bryantm3]

yeah, there are a lot of vacant lots— do y'all know if there were historic homes there or if they were just shacks?

on the bright side, i saw some beautiful homes in mechanicsville online a while back, inman park or grant park looking victorians. let me see if i can go find those.

[pignchick]

I also have to agree with bryantm3. IMO, Pittsburgh and Mechanicsville are probably the worst neighborhoods in the surrounding area.

All of the historic homes with character are actually in the neaby ghetto neighborhoods of West End/Adair Park. Invest there first if you have some extra $$$ and want to take a gamble on gentrification. There are also some pockets of nice homes further south in Capitol View/Capitol View Manor. However, crime is much higher in this entire quadrant of Atlanta, so you will need to take precautions. Retail is also very limited. I believe that there is a Kroger on the west side of West End. However, I would not want to be walking on most of the streets in this part of town.

This part of town also skews heavily towards African American. Race is not a big deal, but due to the high crime in this neighborhood, you may be a little less of a target if you don't stand out.

[bryantm3]

west end is no "ghetto". it's majority black but it's not ghetto. west end and nearby westview are probably the nicest neighbourhoods down that way before you get to east point.

[ldl5112]

Well, I wound up signing a lease for an apartment in Grant Park (The Burnett). I looked at several different places in different neighborhoods, and that was the one that had the most amenities that I was looking for and really felt like the best fit for me. Thanks for everyone's help, though!

[pignchick]

Originally Posted by bryantm3

west end is no "ghetto". it's majority black but it's not ghetto. west end and nearby westview are probably the nicest neighbourhoods down that way before you get to east point.

To all their own opinion. To me I would not consider anything under I-20 other than East Atlanta/Grant Park for investing or living.

The houses in West End have some historic charm, but most of these homes need some TLC. This entire area of Atlanta is mostly low-income, lacks the amenities you would find on the north side, and has generally higher than average crime. I would not recommend this area for anyone moving to Atlanta. I would however recommend it to a urban pioneer because it is so close to downtown and the prices are probably more depressed than other parts of town, and who knows what the future will hold.

[bryantm3]

Originally Posted by pignchick

To all their own opinion. To me I would not consider anything under I-20 other than East Atlanta/Grant Park for investing or living.

The houses in West End have some historic charm, but most of these homes need some TLC. This entire area of Atlanta is mostly low-income, lacks the amenities you would find on the north side, and has generally higher than average crime. I would not recommend this area for anyone moving to Atlanta. I would however recommend it to a urban pioneer because it is so close to downtown and the prices are probably more depressed than other parts of town, and who knows what the future will hold.

i can see your point i guess— west end and westview are not bad at all, but look what surrounds it on all sides— pittsburgh, mechanicsville, vine city, oakland city, stewart avenue, campbellton road, etc. it's an island in the middle of some pretty bad neighbourhoods, so anytime you venture out of there you're going to have to go through some rough patches, and i'm sure being around those locations increases crime. however i still wouldn't call west end a "ghetto".