corsicana question for you that know the city (Ennis: real estate, renting)

[krystalt]

My husband just recently got out of college and found a job in Corsicana, Tx. We are currently renting in Ennis, Tx but are looking at buying our first home. I really love the older colonial and victorian homes and just recently found one i really like in Corsicana, but frankly the area itself looks questionable to me. The house is on 4th Ave and is in good shape .. but the area around it is a bit rundown (which at a glance seems to be a lot of the houses on several of the streets in this area) Can anyone tell me if there is a 'good' side of corsicana to move to? My husband and I have a 4 month old baby and just dont want to move somewhere without first knowing if it is a decent place to buy a home. Is 4th Avenue safe? Is that area of town falling apart? I would appreciate any and all input about this area as buying a home is an important decision. THANKS!

[spielboogie]

Again, I know I'm responding to an older post, but for what it's worth, here is my perspective on it as a former resident of Corsicana (actually, I still have quite a bit of immediate family who still live there). Corsicana can be kinda funny that way. So many neighborhoods there can tend to be real 'slummy' on the outer perimeters but have really nice cells within. But, it depends on what part of 4th Ave you were looking at. I have an older relative who lives on 4th Ave a couple of blocks (long blocks) from the college. Said relative hs been there for about 16 to 17 years now. The neighborhood was, at the time of move in, all right. In that time that area has declined somewhat though my relative still feels fairly safe there. Going east on 4th Ave from there- it's a mixed bag.
I did find that many of the nicer neighborhoods, when I lived there, tended to be in the far northwest portions of town. Then you have some pretty nice areas of unincorporated Corsicana east of North Beaton and north of Dobbins (I think it's Dobbins- whatever that street is that intersects with North Beaton at the corner where Northside Baptist is).
At the end of the day, when searching real estate in Corsicana, you just have to drive the neighborhoods. You can get a pretty good feel for what the neighborhoods there are like just by driving through them.
All that being said, I have not lived in Corsicana since 1995 and it's entirely possible that a lot has changed since that time.