How would you describe safety in West Salem, Ardmore and Washington Park? (Winston-Salem: rentals)

[cchip55]

Hello,

As a single woman looking to move to Winston Salem I am hoping some people can weigh in our crime and safety issues. When I visited WS, I did notice a fair number of houses with security alarm system signs in their yards, but a couple of people I met and asked said they don't have an alarm system. Therefore, I am a little confused about whether there are significant safety issues in certain neighborhoods, so would like to hear from people who live in, or simply know, the following neighborhoods:

Ardmore
West Salem
Washington Park
West End

As always, thanks for responding.

[Coastal Planner]

Ardmore, Washington Park and West End are generally all very safe. The only real issue is occasional minor property crime. For example, I once dated a girl who lived in the area or Ardmore between Peters Creek Pkwy. and Hawthorne Road (kind of between Ardmore and West Salem), and I left a bicycle unlocked on her porch for a couple of days, and it disappeared one night. The edges of Washington Park can get a little rough, and I'd say West Salem is a little rough too, although I know less about it than the others. In general, they are safe neighborhoods.

I lived in Ardmore for several years and never had any issues.

[SanMateoMom]

There was a murder on Magnolia Street in Ardmore not too long ago, but as far as whether it were a random act of violence, I am not sure. In addition, two separate households that I know of in the nicer part of Washington Park have experienced break-ins. Check out the neighborhood association webpages for information. I would think that you could contact the police department for crime statistics (or perhaps find this online). A murder in Ardmore is unusual, of course, and Ardmore is filled with medical residents, families with young children, and many others who love living there. My sense is that the West End is the safest of the four neighborhoods that you listed, but without statistics in front of me, I don't know for sure. Cascade Avenue in Washington Park is quite high-class, yuppie, even, but it is not immune to break-ins or property crime (nor is any neighborhood in Winston-Salem). I am the least familiar with West Salem of these four. I pass through it but usually do not spend a lot of time there, though I have spent significant time in the other three neighborhoods.

I went to a playground a few times in West Salem and saw a lot of unsupervised children there. One young boy kept asking me for help lifting up his younger (two-year-old?) sister onto high playground equipment, which I did not feel comfortable doing. It was just culturally different than other playgrounds in town I have visited, and I did not feel comfortable being the only adult there with so many children, as I somehow felt responsible for them. The children were pleasant, polite, and enjoying themselves, though. I think there were a couple of other adults around, but very much on the periphery--definitely not the helicopter parenting that is more familiar to me! Crime can happen anywhere, and using good sense will go a long way toward keeping you safe. It would be nice if you could rent for a while in order to try out a neighborhood or two, but I do think you should at the very least look into a home alarm system, especially if you are living alone near the center city. Good luck! All four of these are exciting and vibrant urban neighborhoods, but you'll need to figure out what makes the most sense for you in terms of personal safety.

[UnderTheLiveOaks]

The murder you mention, SanMateoMom, was most definitely not random. It's actually a really sad story about some very troubled people. I'll edit the thread and post a link when I get a chance.

Of the neighborhoods you mention, West Salem is probably the dodgiest. Ardmore and Wash Park both have areas on the fringes that aren't great, and West End butts up against a few undesirable areas. That's the rub in most any older city. But as others have said, you're really talking about property crime, not violent crime. I've never personally heard of a mugging, assault, etc. committed randomly. The biggest issues are cars being rifled through and stuff being taken from porches, etc. Home breakins do occur, but they are almost always deliberately targeting houses where no one is home. Hence the security systems. I don't think it's so much that people don't feel safe when they're home. More that they want to keep an eye on things and dissuade property crime when they aren't home.

[SanMateoMom]

Agreed. It is unlikely that you would become a victim of violent crime in any of these neighborhoods. Property crime would be the main concern. Having a burglar alarm would give me greater peace of mind if I were in your situation, but it is a personal choice.

[ukgirl]

West Salem is not as middle class as Washington Park or Ardmore and is more cosmopolitan, but it is definitely an up and coming area. It has a historic designation, as the second oldest neighborhood in Winston-Salem and adjoins Old Salem to the East and Washington Park to the South and is in a great location for getting to downtown. I live in the West End but have two very nice houses in West Salem, which are successful short term rentals. I do not have alarms on any of my properties and have not had any problems at all. My neighbors at one house in West Salem are very nice young professionals and at the other, very nice, hard working respectable folk. Although I live in the West End, I would very happily move to West Salem, largely because I love its proximity to Old Salem, the Strollway to downtown, and a great park (Washington Park), all of which are within easy walking distance, and UNC School of the Arts which is one mile away. Do not be put off by people who do not know the area ... it does not deserve the negativity.