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Old 06-06-2011, 06:56 PM
 
1,661 posts, read 3,277,407 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by stlterp View Post
There are a lot of places other than Davidson which meet the criteria...a lot closer to Charlotte. I don't get your constant shilling of Davidson. It's a great place...and the historic area is great, with nice restaurants, and some arts/entertainment scene. But I would hardly call it urban...
Dear heart, you could have least made an attempt to answer the OPs question rather than waste the opportunity to criticize my opinion. I never understood the need for some people to do this. I am sure your opinion of me is useless to her as most anyone else who might be trying to find out what was asked.

If you had actually bothered to read what I posted, I did not say that Davidson was urban. There is no such place in Mecklenburg county.
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Old 06-06-2011, 07:14 PM
 
830 posts, read 1,524,081 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chicagocubs View Post
Myers Park is hardly urban. A very slim,slim stretch might be Dilworth. But, even that is not urban.

Honestly, there is are not any urban areas here.
There are parts of Myers Park that at least fit some of the criteria...not the Queens/Kings Rd sections, but on the edges toward Providence, etc. There are a lot of smaller bungalows, though not necessarily in that price range. MP can be quite walkable, with good schools, public transit via bus, etc.

Chantilly and Plaza Midwood are great areas, but don't meet the strong school criteria.

In a way, dense/urban and the desire to have a house with a small yard don't necessarily go together...as single-family housing with yards limits the density.

Closest to the criteria IMO would be Elizabeth and Dilworth. With maybe an edge to Dilworth because of proximity to light rail and the South End.
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Old 06-06-2011, 07:26 PM
 
1,661 posts, read 3,277,407 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chicagocubs View Post
Myers Park is hardly urban. A very slim,slim stretch might be Dilworth. But, even that is not urban.

Honestly, there is are not any urban areas here.
Indeed. Myers Park historically was re-constructed as the 2nd automobile oriented subdivision in Charlotte. Eastover was the first and when the developers of Myers Park saw it's success, it converted to this as well. There was a deliberate attempt to make them this way because, at the time, only the very wealthy owned automobiles and this was a way to make them exclusive. It should also be noted there are are parts of Myers Park that are not really part of Myers Park, but rather Myers Park Manor, which came several decades later, and were 100% automobile oriented. There are not even any sidewalks in most of it. I agree, there is no urban walkability, as described by the OP, in this part of Charlotte. For the record, I was raised in MP.
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Old 06-06-2011, 08:08 PM
 
Location: Mooresville, NC
1,619 posts, read 3,859,827 times
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Does anyone remember 4th Ward? Is it still there?
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Old 06-06-2011, 08:12 PM
 
Location: Up above the world so high!
45,218 posts, read 100,452,858 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PeytonC View Post
Does anyone remember 4th Ward? Is it still there?

lol, of course it's still there! The Victorian homes are some of the loveliest in Charlotte, but they are not exactly "affordable"
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Old 06-06-2011, 08:21 PM
 
Location: Mooresville, NC
1,619 posts, read 3,859,827 times
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Yeah I guess it wouldn't be in the OP's price range. Otherwise it is definitely urban, close to museums and downtown, very walkable, etc. I didn't think about the schools either, but I don't have kids so that is not my area. Any other "wards" that might work? Dilworth is fairly urban, not Chicago urban, but for Charlotte it is urban-y. I live just south of Dilworth, and wish there was more to do there, like museums and more cool shops, maybe a couple bookstores.....
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Old 06-06-2011, 09:46 PM
 
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
23,809 posts, read 34,518,936 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by crystalf View Post
are there any urban-y type neighborhoods with old homes, trees, small yards, etc that are walkable to schools, grocery stores, entertainment, museums, public transportation, etc? ideally a safe place where families live?
is this too much to ask?
If you are currently living in a city with the type of neighborhood that you want, could you please tell us the city & neighborhood? For instance, if you asked this on the Philadelphia board, some of the neighborhoods that would be suggested would be Olde City, Society Hill, Queen Village, Powelton Village, Mt. Airey, Chestnut Hill, & University City. Each is very different, but would fit your rather vague description.
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Old 06-06-2011, 10:02 PM
 
Location: Charlotte, NC
2,353 posts, read 4,638,820 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by stlterp View Post
There are parts of Myers Park that at least fit some of the criteria...not the Queens/Kings Rd sections, but on the edges toward Providence, etc. There are a lot of smaller bungalows, though not necessarily in that price range. MP can be quite walkable, with good schools, public transit via bus, etc.
The Cherry neighborhood is right there! I'd consider it urban, but apparently others wouldn't. We can walk downtown in 20 minutes. Community Charter School is here. I'm not sure which schools the kids would be assigned to - we homeschool, so I don't ever need to think about that. The only thing we haven't found here are like-minded kids - my guys are video gamers and readers, most of the kids here are basketball players and skateboarders, and most have been raised with very different values; we haven't found a family we really click with. (Yet!) I do love all my immediate neighbors, on either side and across the street. So besides that one thing, we love it here! We can walk to Elizabeth Ave. for ice cream, or dinner, or walk a couple of blocks to the greenway and Freedom Park. It's another 20 minute walk the other way to Myers Park, and the Manor Movie Theater and the restaurants there.

Trader Joe's is just a couple blocks away, and when we take the bus out, there are several routes that go right through here, so we don't have to transfer downtown. We have a car, but one bus goes straight to SouthPark from here, so we take that sometimes to go to Barnes & Noble or Earth Fare. (not crazy about the mall itself)

Besides Freedom Park, there's Cherry Park right in the center of the neighborhood, a sweet little neighborhood park with a playset and ball field.

I know some people on C-D have said they aren't comfortable here - but they don't live here! It can be uncomfortable seeing a group of young African American men standing around talking on the corner - but when you see they're just talking, and you've lived here long enough to not see just "a group" but Shorty, Lee, James, and Darius, then that discomfort magically disappears. Or, it did for me!

I love it here. Years ago, you wouldn't even catch me driving close to here, because of crime, but the residents here took it back, and folks invested in the community. It is a sweet little gem of a community, and a true neighborhood. As in - the week I moved in, folks came up & introduced themselves, and I've gotten to know them. I know nearly every person that lives on my street, and that did not happen at the last two places I lived, both in the Plaza-Midwood/Country Club area.

It might not be developed to the point you would want a neighborhood to be - but I believe it soon will be. There's also a belief that no one can buy here, but that's not true. It might take some looking, but it can be done.
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Old 06-07-2011, 07:11 AM
 
Location: State of Being
35,879 posts, read 77,226,441 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CharlotteGal View Post
The Cherry neighborhood is right there! I'd consider it urban, but apparently others wouldn't. We can walk downtown in 20 minutes. Community Charter School is here. I'm not sure which schools the kids would be assigned to - we homeschool, so I don't ever need to think about that. The only thing we haven't found here are like-minded kids - my guys are video gamers and readers, most of the kids here are basketball players and skateboarders, and most have been raised with very different values; we haven't found a family we really click with. (Yet!) I do love all my immediate neighbors, on either side and across the street. So besides that one thing, we love it here! We can walk to Elizabeth Ave. for ice cream, or dinner, or walk a couple of blocks to the greenway and Freedom Park. It's another 20 minute walk the other way to Myers Park, and the Manor Movie Theater and the restaurants there.

Trader Joe's is just a couple blocks away, and when we take the bus out, there are several routes that go right through here, so we don't have to transfer downtown. We have a car, but one bus goes straight to SouthPark from here, so we take that sometimes to go to Barnes & Noble or Earth Fare. (not crazy about the mall itself)

Besides Freedom Park, there's Cherry Park right in the center of the neighborhood, a sweet little neighborhood park with a playset and ball field.

I know some people on C-D have said they aren't comfortable here - but they don't live here! It can be uncomfortable seeing a group of young African American men standing around talking on the corner - but when you see they're just talking, and you've lived here long enough to not see just "a group" but Shorty, Lee, James, and Darius, then that discomfort magically disappears. Or, it did for me!

I love it here. Years ago, you wouldn't even catch me driving close to here, because of crime, but the residents here took it back, and folks invested in the community. It is a sweet little gem of a community, and a true neighborhood. As in - the week I moved in, folks came up & introduced themselves, and I've gotten to know them. I know nearly every person that lives on my street, and that did not happen at the last two places I lived, both in the Plaza-Midwood/Country Club area.

It might not be developed to the point you would want a neighborhood to be - but I believe it soon will be. There's also a belief that no one can buy here, but that's not true. It might take some looking, but it can be done.
Actually, in years past, many of us recommended Cherry for the "urban pioneer" types - who were willing to see the potential for the future and be part of an evolving, up-and-coming neighborhood.

I am glad you posted a bit about your lifestyle, your observations and how much you are enjoying your home and neighborhood.
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Old 06-07-2011, 08:55 AM
 
308 posts, read 615,434 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by yantosh22 View Post
Answer to the first & 2nd question combined - No
Answer to the 3rd question - Yes

The only place that remotely meets your criteria is Davidson. Otherwise, you best be looking elsewhere.
There are several areas that fit the aforementioned criteria that are safe and walkable.

Davidson is a quaint little college town but really and is somewhat walkable, Cornelius, Huntersville, and even Mooresville have much more, ie. clubs, restaurants, movies, shops, etc. Mooresville is really building up around Williamson Road and becoming very walkable to many, many ammenities.

If one wants to live closer in to town, there is Southend, Dilworth, Myers Park, Fourth Ward, uptown (normally), most of south Charlotte, Ballentyne, and other safe areas with good schools.
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