Duplex Nation? (West, Point: crime, buying a house, neighborhood)

[AtTheStillPoint]

Does anyone know anything about the neighborhood around the Duplex Nation (Kirkwood, Maplewood, Ashwood)? Are there a lot of students in this area? Specifically, should I expect a lot of loud parties and red plastic cup debris or is the neighborhood relatively quiet? I've spent some time driving around, but I'm finding it rather hard to gauge.

Any information would be extremely helpful. Thanks in advance!

[CptnRn]

That is zip code 78722, the area bordered on the West by IH35, NE by Airport Blvd, and south by MLK blvd. It is a nice neighborhood with with lots of trees a very active neighborhood association. This area used to be very family oriented, but it appears that has shifted more towards the college crowd.

You can see the detailed demographics of the area here http://www.city-data.com/zips/78722.html

We once considered buying a house in the area but moved SW instead because of concerns about crime in the areas around it. Those areas have since improved, becoming more gentrified.

I was surprised to see in the demographics that 53% of the population there are renters. Adjusted Gross Income and median household income is well below the average for the state. There is a significant peak in the age distribution around age 24, most of them have never married, and school enrollment is very high in the undergraduate and graduate college so its a good bet that many of them are students.

[Campeador]

Originally Posted by AtTheStillPoint

Does anyone know anything about the neighborhood around the Duplex Nation (Kirkwood, Maplewood, Ashwood)? Are there a lot of students in this area? Specifically, should I expect a lot of loud parties and red plastic cup debris or is the neighborhood relatively quiet? I've spent some time driving around, but I'm finding it rather hard to gauge.

Any information would be extremely helpful. Thanks in advance!

There are a fair number of students in the area, but most of them are graduate students. You're less likely to find huge keg parties than in West Campus, but it won't be dead quiet like suburbia either. There's definitely an intellectual/artistic/bohemian vibe there. Five or so years ago the first 4-5 houses on Ashwood were owned by artsy/hippie/European families, some with kids; I'm not sure if the trend (owner occupied instead of renters) has continued since then. The houses themselves were made just after WWII for fighter pilots returning home. They are pretty spartan, with pretty archaic heating and cooling systems, but they're solidly made. The location is fantastic.