What's life like in Fresno's Tower District? (Belmont: crime, buying a home)

[IOSilver]

Thinking of buying a home in the Tower District near Palm between Olive & Belmont next to Muir elementary school.

Anyone care to comment on this area?
I understand there is some gang activity & taggers are a problem but how safe is it really? I am female, white, live alone.

Appreciate any light you can shed..
Thanks

[FresnoFacts]

I don't know specifics for the neighborhood around the school. Have you driven thru the street you are considering several times, I find that helps me by what I see. Are houses maintained, look overly secured with bars, do you see people outside that you are comfortable seeing, etc.

The reports I can see from around there indicate it is not a violent area, looks like some crime reports for thefts (like car breakins) over the last 6 months but not a large amount. That would just mean securing your belongings.

[IOSilver]

Thanks for the reply.

I've only been to the neighborhood once & to be honest I was more busy casing out the house than the neighborhood.

The house I'm considering is very nice (now).
It's been completely renovated inside & out + fencing & landscaping.
The other homes in the neighborhood look more like the before picture.
All were built around 1930.
While I don't recall seeing bars on windows, I did occasionally see some cars parked on lawns, sheets in lieu of drapes hung in a few windows & some of the houses look a little haggard.
It's a lower income area. Most of the houses aren't worth more than $80k.

I have talked to the Fresno police & was advised not to move there due to the prevalence of gangs, but the owner said he spoke to police at the station located just 2 blocks from the house & got a different story. They confirmed there are gangs but said the only recent crimes reported were taggings.

I'm concerned that since I'm female, alone & the house looks nicer than it's surroundings it might scream "Rob me!"
I can install a burgler alarm to protect my belongings but what I really want is to blend in with the community & not be fearful of my surroundings. I have no problem being the minority, as long as my neighbors don't mind that I am.

I am going there tomorrow to walk around, knock on some doors, talk to neighbors & try to get a better feel for the place.

Can you tell me where you read the crime statistics for the area?
I'm having trouble finding any that are current.

Thanks very much

[KC6ZLV]

I lived near Palm and Olive for five years. As far as problems, it is by today's standard an inner-city neighbourhood. So expect any kind of nuisance typical of that environment. Most of the people aren't going to bother you. The environment changes block by block in a few places. North of Olive has fewer problems than south of Olive. A few streets are very run down looking as you get closer to Belmont Ave, although there are a few streets with well-kept homes off of Belmont. The age of the houses varies. They are older closer to Belmont. Many were built in the early 20's. Homes built in the late 20's and through most of the 30's have stucco exteriors and have a touch of Depression Era art decco. The problem people usually keep to themselves. However, I have seen a few I wouldn't want to live next to. I would suggest walking the neighbourhood and see if you like it.

[FresnoFacts]

KC6ZLV is right the area improves as you move north of Olive. I know people (single women) living near Fresno City and near Fresno High. They don't have any neighborhood problems and many of those smaller homes in those areas are nicely kept.

Originally Posted by IOSilver

I have talked to the Fresno police & was advised not to move there due to the prevalence of gangs, but the owner said he spoke to police at the station located just 2 blocks from the house & got a different story. They confirmed there are gangs but said the only recent crimes reported were taggings.

I'd talk to the local station/precinct yourself, don't take the owner's word of what they were told.

Fresno PD has a very good crime mapping and reporting system. It is public info, ask if you can review it for that area.

Originally Posted by IOSilver

I am going there tomorrow to walk around, knock on some doors, talk to neighbors & try to get a better feel for the place.

Can you tell me where you read the crime statistics for the area?
I'm having trouble finding any that are current.

Thanks very much

Trust your instincts, don't be blinded by the house.

The Fresno Bee has this crime mapping page.
Crimes: index (http://data.fresnobeehive.com/crime/ - broken link)
Type in the house address and press find. It will give you a choice of the last 50 crimes within several distances, I'd select 1/4 mile so you are focused on the immediate neighborhood. It will then show you the locations of the crimes. You can click the crime icon to see the date it happened, what happened, etc. It is not complete, it only shows 7 major categories, not minor stuff but that should give you at least a better idea.

[Majin]

Originally Posted by IOSilver

Thinking of buying a home in the Tower District near Palm between Olive & Belmont next to Muir elementary school.

Anyone care to comment on this area?
I understand there is some gang activity & taggers are a problem but how safe is it really? I am female, white, live alone.

Appreciate any light you can shed..
Thanks

Very urban, like Manhattan.




























































































































http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/7531/coolfacebe.jpg (broken link)

[IOSilver]

Thanks for the info & the link. Very helpful