Afraid of St Elmo..... (Signal Mountain, Ooltewah: 2009, homes, neighborhood)

[dasmarian]

Our real estate agent told us pretty frankly that while the grand idea of redone houses in St Elmo / Highland Park was good, that the areas have sort of run out of steam in regard to redoing them, whereas N Chatt keeps chugging along. She expressed concern that while the areas are "ok" right now, a lack of continued interest might cause a slide backwards, and property devaluation, for these areas. I'd personally be really careful in a down trending market about bargain hunting in a 'maybe' type of area, but of course everyone has constraints they have to work with and these are factors that strongly impact the home buying decision.

I have read here that Lookout Valley / Tiftonia is a pretty nice area close to downtown (10 minutes on 24) but I've never been there.

[u4icmusic]

I don't think Highland Park or St. Elmo are running out of steam. I think just the opposite. It takes time and dedication to bring back areas of town that are run down. The Highland Park civic association is very active in getting things done and crime off the streets. St. Elmo, while it does have some drawbacks, also has many plusses. I've said it before. I wouldn't suggest St. Elmo for a single female, or families with children, but it's an excellent location for empty nesters or single men or gay couples for that matter. I would have an alarm system if I lived there, and maybe a big outside dog. Many areas of St. Elmo are very safe, and some are not, but you can tell by driving by and looking around. You can also stop and talk to the neighbors that already live there to get better opinions. There are some absolutely gorgeous homes in St. Elmo, many with very affordable prices. Some people don't mind a little crime or noise from busy streets if they get their "dream-home" for a good price. Just watch out for "historic" homes if you want to remodel. That can turn into a nightmare with the city's code enforcement department. I'm also not sure your real estate agent can legally "steer" you away from an area because of US housing laws. You might want to check further on that.

[Jon F Moss]

Chattanooga Times Free Press | Chattanooga: Poverty concentrations St. Elmo, Downtown, East Lake draw poorer workers

Don't believe all the hype though.

[jkmewright]

Crikey! That was quite a report! I remember someone (we both know this person ) mentioning coming off of Missionary Ridge and being shocked at the level of poverty/poor just one block down, or something of that nature.

[Jon F Moss]

there are unsolved crimes being committed in our house, but that doesn't mean it's an unsafe place to live.

can opener + can of worms = opening myself up to frolic

[Quonset]

Originally Posted by TriDad

Chattanooga Times Free Press | Chattanooga: Poverty concentrations St. Elmo, Downtown, East Lake draw poorer workers

The reporter seems to have made an important error when writing his article. The original report cites area code 37410 as a "high poverty" area. The problem is that St. Elmo is zip 37409 while Alton Park is 37410.

He should have checked his zip codes - the fact that he mentions St. Elmo so prominently in an unfavorable headline did the neighborhood no favors.

BTW, for the out-of-towners, the scariest streets in St. Elmo look pretty good compared to Alton Park. I'm not looking for a net-fight, just stating what I see.

[Katsmeeyow]

Originally Posted by jkmewright

Crikey! That was quite a report! I remember someone (we both know this person ) mentioning coming off of Missionary Ridge and being shocked at the level of poverty/poor just one block down, or something of that nature.

Did you just say "Crikey"?

[u4icmusic]

Originally Posted by Quonset

The reporter seems to have made an important error when writing his article. The original report cites area code 37410 as a "high poverty" area. The problem is that St. Elmo is zip 37409 while Alton Park is 37410.

He should have checked his zip codes - the fact that he mentions St. Elmo so prominently in an unfavorable headline did the neighborhood no favors.

BTW, for the out-of-towners, the scariest streets in St. Elmo look pretty good compared to Alton Park. I'm not looking for a net-fight, just stating what I see.

You won't get a fight here. It is what it is. Unfortunately, Alton Park is poor, unsafe and crime ridden. There are some beautiful homes there, so one can only hope the area turns around.

[jkmewright]

Yup Crikey! Trying to cut down on the cussin' as I have a little one with big ears

I agree u4icmusic. There are some beautiful homes down that way. I hate it for the good people who live there but I wouldn't chose it on purpose. Not me. I am not that brave.

[Katsmeeyow]

Well, all I have say to that is Crikey!

Like I should talk, I have been around my Mom so much lately that she has me saying, "Doodle"! As in Oh Doodle!