west End / Westview Ok for a Gay Couple?

[westviewbungalow]

As far as I've researched the history Inman Park claim's the title of Atlanta's first planned suburban neighborhood, while West End claims the title of the first actual suburban neighborhood. West End has both Craftsman bungalows and Victorian houses. The Victorian's are mainly along Peeples and Oglethorpe and the bungalows surround those streets and houses. As an example, the Wren's Nest (Joel Chandler Harris' home) on Ralph David Abernathy (formerly Gordon) was built as a farm house in 1870 and in 1884 it was converted into the Queen Anne style house it is today. This is a good reminder for my husband and I to work on a timeline for the neighborhoods, which we've been meaning to do for a little while.

In contrast Westview is probably more like Candler Park like you mentioned. Westview was planned by the Westwood Park Company in the late 1800s (you can view the original neighborhood plan on Westview's website) and houses such as our own first appeared in the city directory in 1917. The street car ran through Westview and ended at the gate of Westview Cemetery, so that may very well have helped the development - but wasn't Inman Park a street car neighborhood as well considering the Trolley Barn was originally for street cars?

I understand people's concerns about the public schools - it's a frequent question we receive from people interested in the neighborhood. Since we don't have any kids of our own it's hard for us to judge or tell people what to do that have children. I suppose VirtualM is a good person to ask since she has a little one! Like you said, us breeders-to-be and non-breeders are the prefect candidates for transitioning neighborhoods. And considering how many gay and lesbian couples we have living on streets surrounding our house thomasoo should fit in well and would further help to rejuvenate the area. As you said, it's how places like Inman Park became what they are now.

[plessthanpointohfive]

Definitely, and I applaud you for moving there and investing in the community. I sometimes wish I had broadened my horizons when I was younger. But, I was born in a small town and married the nicest guy I met while in college. I was only 23! What was I thinking?!?!?!

But, we both wanted higher educations and that brought us further and further away from our small town roots. However, we also started our family young, at 26! Now that was a failure to execute our plan of starting a family in our 30s, not small town mentality.

If we HAD managed to wait till now to breed I think we would have done what you're doing. But, at 33 with a first grader we felt limited. No pioneering for us.

But I have to say - Westview, West End, Inman Park, or Candler Park...intown is sooo much better than the burbs. I've done both and I can't do the commute anymore!

[frankurias]

Another neighborhood you might be interested in could be Howell Station. There's a thread somewhere else on this forum that addresses it. My wife and I have lived here for 6 years and love it. Very diverse. Good luck with your search.

[Yonnie3k]

intoeyes2001, what street/area of the West End do you live in? I am interested in moving there, but I know that the level of development/transition varies from street to street. Can you point me in a good direction? Thanks

Originally Posted by intoeyes2001

Yah right, if you have 500K to spend then you can look over there. If not, well ... I guess you can forget about it unless you want to rent.
Historic West End and West View have a lot of beautiful, historic houses for a very decent price (100K-200K). They are located 5 min from Downtown and maybe 10-15 min to Midtown.
It just amazes me that all these people throw their opinions about West end/West View without even living in this area. I can bet some of the contributors have never been here.
I have been living here for a while now, and know a pair of white lesbians as well as a pair of mixed gay couple living here. As far as know, they do not feel discriminated or harassed here. I was able to made quite a few (black) friends here and never felt unwelcome. I do not want to point fingers at who is white, and who is black here, but we have very diverse neighborhood association working together on improving this place. A lot of blacks here, in opposition to other neighborhoods, are educated and open minded people who welcome new residents.
What are you talking about KevK ? Militant types in West End??? LOL Maybe it is time to change the channel on TV?
The neighborhood is transitional and it becomes more diverse every month. I have had two white couples buying houses on my street in the last two months. Yes, we have some Muslims here, but who says they are worse than Catholics????
If you are interested in this area, you should come to the West End Neighborhood Development Association meeting (first Tuesday of the month) and talk to the people that actually live here.

[intoeyes2001]

Originally Posted by Yonnie3k

intoeyes2001, what street/area of the West End do you live in? I am interested in moving there, but I know that the level of development/transition varies from street to street. Can you point me in a good direction? Thanks

We live on Grady Place. You can post your question on the atlantawestend.com forum or you can check thread about West End Historic West End.

WEST END

[seyfun]

Thomasoo, go for it. I am a gay guy and I looked at West End / Westview extensively before I decided elsewhere. I never got a bad vibe from the people I met over there, in any form. I wouldn't go hanging the pride flag from the front porch, but I wouldn't run in and lock the doors either. I got the feeling there is plenty of room for everyone who wants progress. I have to say I even met Westviewbungalow! The stuff those guys and the association are doing over there is really exciting.

I'd urge you to look at Altoona, Mathewson and Inman, just south of I20. Some of the cutest little brick bungalows you ever saw, especially Altoona. Love that street!

To answer the obvious question, I decided to buy elsewhere for the same reason everyone else does - to be closer to town. My place in Bankhead is 3 miles to downtown / Midtown. If things had fallen through on this place, I would have been in Westview in a heartbeat.

[WestviewDeva]

@plessthanpointohfive

U fail to mention the brand new Kipp Strive Academy that deads into my neighboring street. Or the fire department that deads into my street. You actually couldn't ask for better when raising small children. Actually visit the community and stop using that same rhetoric that everyone here uses to downplay westview/west end. West end/Westview will always be one of the most historic and soon to be prominent areas. For Christ sakes the royal peacock was here. West End/Westview is the Grant Park of the west side. We are just liberal, ethnic and proud of our heritage. Oh yeah we have a HGTV employee that lives here as well. She lives on Peeples St. Near the famous Willie Watkins funeral home which buried Ms. Coretta Scott King.

[gerrythesnake]

No

[Staysean23]

There are lots of black gay men in that area .. u will be okay...

[afonega1]

Originally Posted by KevK

If you think the West End is diverse or that the black men over there take well to homosexuality, I would invite you to stop in to Q Time for lunch one day and make your own observations. Either there or the sandwich shop in RD Abernathy (aka Ashby) street next to club 559. Yes they do have some new condos on that street and the condos might be gay friendly and maybe even "diverse" (I have not seen the residents there) but if you are talking about living out in the neighbourhood, you might get a rude wake up call one day. The West End is not just another "black neighbourhood" like Hollywood Hills is. It is the home of many blacks that are both religious conservatives and also militant types. The Nation of Islam is very active there and there is a mosque there as well. It is no secret that Al Amin (aka H Rapp Brown) kept shop there until he killed the police a few years ago over there. There are many blacks over there that are paranoid now about whites because they saw how "white homosexuals" took over Kirkwood and East Atlanta and they fear they will be the next to be given the boot. I am not saying everybody over there is like this but I have spent LOTS of time and know LOTS of people over there and the atmosphere towards a white gay couple over there would not be welcoming. Not a place I would hang out a rainbow flag.

Ok.Ill chime in relutantly.
I was in the area of Westend by that Park.That particular areas seems to be where the concentration of NOI types USED to live maybe up untill a few years ago.Now not so much.

I was playing tennis with a black and white friend and someone yeled out "NOT in this neighborhood,go back where you came from" from a van.That was the ONLY time in all my years had I ever heard anyone including that area act in that way.
The only section I know where a lot of the NOI live is near around that small park.I think the corner store is NOI owed.
So even though there was just that incident overall Westend is cool for anybody.
I cant imagine any major incidents likely to happen like that often if you are a white gay couple.
Most people in the association are vigilant about their neighborhood.They take pains to make it better.
I enjoyed my time over there and often think about moving there again because it is rather accessible and has great architecture and desirable prices in a fairly welcoming area to anyone willing to improve it.

I lived off South Gordon for 2 years and I had a gay couple who are friends of mine who owned a huge house on Westwood for about 10 years.Even after I moved I used to visit them.
My neighbors were a gay couple as well.

Another single mother friend who grew up in a wealthy Buckhead neighborhood lived on Stokes Ave had a house and her neighbors were white and had been there for years .Still there today.

An even other person I know who is also gay ,owns a home on Westview just off South Gordon as well.
I was I recently owned an investment property and resold it that was on Allegheny.On that street are some white couples in renovated houses as well.