the truth about Highland Park (Chattanooga, Signal Mountain: co-op, hotel, new home)

[craven72]

In my opinion, things aren't so hot on the Ridgedale side of Tennessee Temple University. As I said in an early post, the other side of Willow is sketchy & I would not even consider it. I am glad the TTU campus is there to provide a buffer. Having good neighbors is key. HP isn't surrounded by fab neighborhoods but in my opinion our neighborhood is pretty sweet.

Exactly. This happened in Ridgedale, which has a host of problems. As weird as it may seem, a few blocks make all the difference. The other side of Willow is an entirely different world, and the riffraff generally stays on that side as they can get away with more.

None of these comments change the facts of statistical data that is available on the web concerning crime rates and zip codes.

HP is only a very small part of the 37404 zip code, which is HUGE. It contains part of Missionary Ridge, Highland Park, Ridgedale, Oak Grove, Dodds Avenue, and Orchard Knob/Bushtown. The zip code is pretty sketchy aside from HP and MR. The neighborhoods around us have a lot of problems and give us a bad rap; not only that, the post office for the zip is in Highland Park, so we get blamed for the entire zip code's issues when the vast majority don't happen in HP.

But here's a dose of reality for some of you, and it's not an unusual occurrence. All you have to do is go onto one of the local news websites.

Which 1) This happened in RIDGEDALE, not HP, 2), we've already been over the local news media (such as it is; it reminds me of the news channel on Family Guy - at one point they even had a reporter that looked EXACTLY like Asian Reporter Tricia Takanowa) and their inability to discern the boundaries of HP. This time, I haven't seen it called HP at all, which is refreshing. I think it's finally sinking in, and 3) it IS an unusual occurance in HP (nothing like that has happened in the 5 years I've been here), but not so much in the other parts of the zip code. I drive past the area where this occurred frequently and have noticed tons of shady behavior. If that had been in HP, the police would have been called on a near-daily basis, landlords would be called, Neighborhood Services would be summoned, etc. to hopefully stem the problem before it got to that point. If we get renters like that, they don't last long. There are reasons you generally don't see people hanging out in the street or on corners in HP.

You don't wanna listen to anybody. Move there with your children then.

That's a personal choice. I know tons of people with kids there, and they are just as healthy, happy, and safe as anywhere else. And I know kids in the "safe" suburbs who are delinquents, on drugs, etc. It's all relative. My friends chose to raise their kids in a diverse community, and most of them are pretty good parents (there are exceptions, as always) who don't take the safety and well-being of their children lightly.

lmao. hmmmm when you type in the address where the teenager was shot, look where the arrow points! LOLLLLLLLLL!!! hahaha HP fanatics just got pwnd!

The arrow points to a location nearly a mile west of where this actually happened (see Etta's map). Also, I'm a grownup and don't know what pwnd means. Nor are we fanatics; we're quite reasonable people simply trying to clear up misconceptions.

We can all agree to disagree. Those of us who live here like it, those who don't don't. It's not for everybody, but it's up to the individual to see for themselves if it's for them or not. I don't believe in hiding facts from people - when one of my friends was considering the area, I took her to the nicest parts of the neighborhood as well as the worst. She bought the house and liked it (she moved b/c she got married and moved into her wife's house, which was bigger, and probably more importantly, paid for).

If people come here, look around, talk to people, and then decide it isn't for them, fine. We're not going to lie to anyone, because why would we? YOU have to live here, and if you're not cut out for it, that's not good for any of us - it's actually kind of a PITA for all involved. Our major issue is that people who WOULD be comfortable here may be unduly scared off before they have the opportunity to see the whole picture, which isn't really fair. We've had several neighbors who have had realtors refuse to show them houses in HP (the aforementioned friend being one of them), so they simply hired new ones; we've had people scared off from locals (who generally believe if you don't live in EB or Hixson, you're going to be assaulted and murdered); and we've had people scared off from misrepresentation on the news. It's sad to think about how many potential good residents we may not get because of unjustified fear.

Again, it's not for everyone, but informed decisions are the best.

[u4icmusic]

The situation here is based on personal opinions. Two families both looking at Highland Park may have two different opinions. One family may say it's great and they feel safe there, while the other may say they fear for their lives there. I think Highland Park can be a great place to live if you take some precautions, most of which have been posted here already. For instance, never leave ANYTHING in your locked vehicle. Mak sure your home is well lit at night and locked. Get a monitored alarm system. Get to know your neighbors. Get active in your community. Get a large dog for your yard and buy a handgun and know how and when to use it should the need arise to protect you or your family. You can probably say this about many areas across the US, and most of it is just plain common sense. Many people feel these minor trade-offs are worth it for the great homes you can buy in Highland Park and for being so close to downtown Chattanooga. Others won't want to deal with it. That said. It is an individual issue about what you are willing to do to live close to the downtown area.

[financelife]

Originally Posted by craven72

we've had people scared off from locals (who generally believe if you don't live in EB or Hixson, you're going to be assaulted and murdered);

If there are misunderstandings of neighborhood boundaries and location of crimes, then it is the local population that perpetuates them.

[etta]

Originally Posted by u4icmusic

The situation here is based on personal opinions. Two families both looking at Highland Park may have two different opinions. One family may say it's great and they feel safe there, while the other may say they fear for their lives there. I think Highland Park can be a great place to live if you take some precautions, most of which have been posted here already. For instance, never leave ANYTHING in your locked vehicle. Mak sure your home is well lit at night and locked. Get a monitored alarm system. Get to know your neighbors. Get active in your community. Get a large dog for your yard and buy a handgun and know how and when to use it should the need arise to protect you or your family. You can probably say this about many areas across the US, and most of it is just plain common sense. Many people feel these minor trade-offs are worth it for the great homes you can buy in Highland Park and for being so close to downtown Chattanooga. Others won't want to deal with it. That said. It is an individual issue about what you are willing to do to live close to the downtown area.

Either all these precautions aren't necessary or I don't have much common sense... My current car is no prize, so I just leave it unlocked. I turn out all the lights on my house before going to bed(no need to waist energy). Of course I lock the doors to our house at night but I don't have a security system. I don't have a dog! Also don't have a huge fence or barred windows. & I sure as hell don't have a gun!

[u4icmusic]

Then you are a brave soul!

[craven72]

I have an alarm system, I leave my outside lights on, and I have a yard light. I don't have a gun, or a dog, or a fence, and I'm completely ok with that. In 5 years I haven't had any issues.

If there are misunderstandings of neighborhood boundaries and location of crimes, then it is the local population that perpetuates them.

Wrong. The local news media (such as they are, they pretty much suck) refers to anything from 24 to Wilcox as HP. They're getting better, but we've had to stay on their asses about it.

[VolDude]

Originally Posted by financelife

You don't wanna listen to anybody. Move there with your children then. lmao. hmmmm when you type in the address where the teenager was shot, look where the arrow points! LOLLLLLLLLL!!! hahaha HP fanatics just got pwnd!

Wow.

So, with that logic, I guess if you want your children to get beat up you'll move them to Signal Mountain. 'Cause there was that fight up there between those students from SMMHS and those McCallie boys.

Anyone hear about that Ooltewah (or East Brainerd, cannot remember) couple that was recently held at gunpoint in their home? If you want to get held up at gunpoint and robbed, move to the east county. It's obviously dangerous.

[craven72]

So, with that logic, I guess if you want your children to get beat up you'll move them to Signal Mountain. 'Cause there was that fight up there between those students from SMMHS and those McCallie boys.

Anyone hear about that Ooltewah (or East Brainerd, cannot remember) couple that was recently held at gunpoint in their home? If you want to get held up at gunpoint and robbed, move to the east county. It's obviously dangerous.

THANK you. That kind of stuff can happen anywhere.

[financelife]

Originally Posted by VolDude

Wow.

So, with that logic, I guess if you want your children to get beat up you'll move them to Signal Mountain. 'Cause there was that fight up there between those students from SMMHS and those McCallie boys.

Anyone hear about that Ooltewah (or East Brainerd, cannot remember) couple that was recently held at gunpoint in their home? If you want to get held up at gunpoint and robbed, move to the east county. It's obviously dangerous.

But in some places, it's a daily or weekly occurence.

And I heard about the McCallie students who drove to Signal Mtn to fight, and thought WHOA. I wonder if the McCallie parents are fuming. I would be if I was paying $20K per year for school, and my son got kicked out for some dumb stuff like that.

[MountainAire]

Ok who's calling me?
I heard someone on this thread mentioned "poor and redneck"
(bangs head on desk)