In your opinion whats your favorite area of Dallas and why?

[cityconvo]

Originally Posted by galore

I am wondering: Is it just the run down appearance that repels people like billdfw or is actually really unsafe to live in parts of South Dallas.
If I, let's say, buy a couple of adjacant lots just east of the Dallas zoo (there is an interesting collection of 18 lots available covering one whole block for $150k total - very wooded and pretty) and build a nice home, I'd have a new house on several acres in a natural looking setting really close to downtown but surrounded by poor people.
I wouldn't care if there is a crack house - as long as I would be left in peace. So, is it really so dangerous down there that gentrification is silly?

To answer one part of your question, gentrification is already occurring in many areas of Oak Cliff and South Dallas and with the current energy situation as well as its proximity to downtown, the whole area is a prime target for thorough gentrification. We can discuss the pros and cons of gentrification in another thread since it is beyond the scope of this thread.

Yes, there are areas of Oak Cliff and South Dallas that are unsafe. But as has been pointed out in this thread and hundreds of others you can say the same thing about Lakewood, Lake Highlands, Plano, North Dallas, etc. I have friends that live on the nicest blocks on the nicest streets in the M Streets, but if they leave valuables unattended in the front yard they vanish. You just have to be mindful of things at all times regardless of where you are.

One thing is that many people confuse poor depressed areas with high crime areas and that is simply not the case. In my opinion that is what repels folks like Bill. Because if you look closely at the list and neighborhoods that he prefers, you can find high crime areas close by to all of them just as you can in South Dallas. Which also makes his questioning of why anyone would choose to live in area surrounded by high crime areas silly to say the least. If you live in a large city you are going to have pockets of high crime somewhere close to you.

I too have noticed all the vacant lots that have appeared on the MLS recently just east of the Zoo. Since I live just south of the Zoo I am very curious as to what is going on over there. Not sure if someone has just been sitting on those lots or if it is related to the city seizing properties that have been derelict for long periods of time.

[Macbeth2003]

Originally Posted by Lakewooder

Err...I was going to make it Mockingbird, but..

I remember somebody telling me that everything south of Northwest Hwy is South Dallas!

There is such a weird North/South thing in the Northen Half of Dallas. My family near 75 and Campbell thinks of my place in Junius Heights as a long way away, but North Mckinney is "pretty close"

[galore]

Originally Posted by cityconvo

I too have noticed all the vacant lots that have appeared on the MLS recently just east of the Zoo. Since I live just south of the Zoo I am very curious as to what is going on over there. Not sure if someone has just been sitting on those lots or if it is related to the city seizing properties that have been derelict for long periods of time.

According to dallascad, the ones that I looked at (MLS 10848278, 1434 Whitaker) belong to people from out of state. The lots don't look developed - it is essentially a forest. Whitaker (road) is actually interrupted by those lots - I find it phenominal that it is possible to buy such a property in very close proximity (!) to downtown Dallas and DART for that price. North of DTD something like this would be mega millions.

[Lakewooder]

Forget North and South -- the star is the East.

The only times I ever need to get on a freeway is to go out of town..

[JVTX72]

Originally Posted by billdfw

I have been all over South Dallas and my visits have convinced me it is a toilet, not any abstract ideas.

Some toilets are very clean, like mine.....I would say a port-A-pottie would be a closer reference!

[cityconvo]

Originally Posted by galore

According to dallascad, the ones that I looked at (MLS 10848278, 1434 Whitaker) belong to people from out of state. The lots don't look developed - it is essentially a forest. Whitaker (road) is actually interrupted by those lots - I find it phenominal that it is possible to buy such a property in very close proximity (!) to downtown Dallas and DART for that price. North of DTD something like this would be mega millions.

Also, just north of that up closer to the Corinth/8th street station there are another 16 or so lots for sale. Some commercial, some residential. They are not continuous though. I think they have all been put on the market recently. Some of them are in the 10th Street Bottoms while the others are closer to the rail station and the Moore Park Gateway. Not sure what it all means though.

[momof2dfw]

Originally Posted by galore

According to dallascad, the ones that I looked at (MLS 10848278, 1434 Whitaker) belong to people from out of state. The lots don't look developed - it is essentially a forest. Whitaker (road) is actually interrupted by those lots - I find it phenominal that it is possible to buy such a property in very close proximity (!) to downtown Dallas and DART for that price. North of DTD something like this would be mega millions.

Only on a few lots do they have their out of state address (which I'm sure is the correct location for them). The others all have the addresses on Whitaker. Looks like back in 2003 they went down the block and bought everyone out. There were a few that someone owned more than 1 but might not have ever developed it.

BTW, did anyone see the story on the news last week or so about the lady that bought that old empty apartment building and was going to revitalize it. It had some history to it as Oswald lived there at one time. She was being pressured by another developer (much deeper pockets) to sell and she refused. Just before she was to start doing any work a notice to demolish got plastered on her property and notice of condemnation and seizure because of such. She thinks that the big developer had a part in it so they could get it. The city says otherwise but I'd be willing to bet she has a clue as to what is going on behind her back. Now tell me that if land in the southern sector was NOT worth anything or worth revitalization a deep pockets developer would NOT be so eager nor playing tricks to obtain property.

[Lakewooder]

What is the company buying up Oak Cliff? There was a story about it recently.

[cityconvo]

Originally Posted by momof2dfw

Only on a few lots do they have their out of state address (which I'm sure is the correct location for them). The others all have the addresses on Whitaker. Looks like back in 2003 they went down the block and bought everyone out. There were a few that someone owned more than 1 but might not have ever developed it.

BTW, did anyone see the story on the news last week or so about the lady that bought that old empty apartment building and was going to revitalize it. It had some history to it as Oswald lived there at one time. She was being pressured by another developer (much deeper pockets) to sell and she refused. Just before she was to start doing any work a notice to demolish got plastered on her property and notice of condemnation and seizure because of such. She thinks that the big developer had a part in it so they could get it. The city says otherwise but I'd be willing to bet she has a clue as to what is going on behind her back. Now tell me that if land in the southern sector was NOT worth anything or worth revitalization a deep pockets developer would NOT be so eager nor playing tricks to obtain property.

Yeah I saw that story also. I think the property is over on Davis real close to the Bishop Arts District. It is my understanding that she is going to be able to keep the property and redo it herself. Is that incorrect? Are we even talking about the same properties?

[momof2dfw]

Originally Posted by cityconvo

Yeah I saw that story also. I think the property is over on Davis real close to the Bishop Arts District. It is my understanding that she is going to be able to keep the property and redo it herself. Is that incorrect? Are we even talking about the same properties?

Sounds like it. I have not seen or heard of any updates but she was fighting to keep it and she did get the news onto the story. Hope she does get to keep it and fix it up.