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I've just accepted a job downtown in Winston that starts on the 19th... I'm incredibly excited! I'll be moving 4 hours south from Charlottesville, VA. As part of the move, I'm looking for an apartment to stay in for 6 months to a year, while I wait to see if the job will be worth moving here permanently for.
Basically, my only qualifications for an apartment are that they are:
- within 20 minutes of my office
- pet friendly
- under $600 / month
- a place where it's unlikely I'll be shot/stabbed/robbed
That last point is where I need your help. I've narrowed my search to 10 complexes that meet the REST of the criteria, and I'm looking for locals to tell me if any of these complexes are in high-crime / dangerous areas:
Kensington Village - (479 Louise Wilson Lane) Ardmore Terrace/Cloverdale - (2325 Cloverdale Avenue) Chesterfield Apts - (3411 Old Vineyard Rd) Glendare Park - (240 Village Crossing lane) Woodsmill - (748 Jonestown Rd) Willow Trace - (114-1 Willow Trace Cir) Trails at Bethabara - (1620 Woods Rd) Plaza West - (4825 Commercial Plaza St) Carolina Woods - (1520 Woods Rd) Sherwood Station - (3535 Beacon Hill Dr)
Thank you so much for any help you can provide. I'm incredibly excited to start life in Winston!
Last edited by rohlinmt; 07-07-2010 at 01:05 PM..
Reason: * links didn't work
By the way, I've tried the police-to-citizen web site, and all that really did was make all of these places seem horrible! "Autobreaking", "Assault by strangulation", "Malicious Injury to Property", etc...
That's why I'd love to hear from you guys which of these places to truly avoid, and which are just... I don't know... having a bad week?
Avoid Glendare Park, Sherwood Station, Willow Trace, and Carolina Woods. Before I moved here I did some research on these places and seems there is several issues with each. I am not sure about the others. Try doing a search for a website where tenants have left complaints. Then go from there.
I've been checking out the apartmentranking reviews, and also the google reviews... and they're all pretty mixed. At times it's hard to differentiate the people who are slamming complexes because they feel wronged by the complex, and those who have legitimate concerns.
That's why I'm hoping people such as yourself will pop up and say things like "I drive past Plaza West on my way to work, and there are always cops and seedy people over there... it's in a bad part of town."
Thanks again for the response! Every little bit helps... I'm actually planning on checking out a lot of these places Saturday.
Anyone else have thoughts? experiences? suggestions?
Zip codes would help me to place some of these but see my few notes below:
Kensington Village - (479 Louise Wilson Lane) Ardmore Terrace/Cloverdale - (2325 Cloverdale Avenue) NO!!! Terrible seedy area!!! Chesterfield Apts - (3411 Old Vineyard Rd) Maybe-there are several complexes in this area Glendare Park - (240 Village Crossing lane) Woodsmill - (748 Jonestown Rd) Close to Old Vineyard-VERY populated area of town Willow Trace - (114-1 Willow Trace Cir) Trails at Bethabara - (1620 Woods Rd) Possibility, close to bad areas but Bethabara itself is nice area Plaza West - (4825 Commercial Plaza St) Carolina Woods - (1520 Woods Rd) Sherwood Station - (3535 Beacon Hill Dr) Maybe, not far from affluent area of Sherwood Forest
I personally suggest you stay away from communities stating they have apartment assistance, can't remember the letters they use for it. I used to live in Fox Creek Apts. in the mid 90's and they were safe then-lots of families and dog friendly. Also lived in a townhome in the Jonestown/Healy/Old Vineyard area.
I really think you should come down and visit several areas of town. There are TOO MANY choices and really being within 20 minutes of your job is easy since traffic is no issue down here. I live south of W/S and work in north W/S and it takes me 20 minutes going up 52.
Remember the bad thing about apartments is they hold a LOT of people so yes the community overall might be nice with a few people with records living there. That is why it helps to drive thru the neighborhood, see the kind of people walking around and types of cars sitting in the parking lot.
I know there are apartments downtown and I see people walking dogs but they might be higher than $600 a month. Sorry I couldn't be more help on the ones you listed, they sound familiar but I can't place them by street name.
Just one quibble with Trese's response above--Ardmore Terrace is not a "terrible seedy area." It's located in the shadow of Baptist Hospital, on the edge of the quite tidy Ardmore neighborhood, and easy walking distance to the Thruway and Cloverdale shopping areas. The area is not seedy at all, but the apartments themselves appear dated from the outside. I've never been in one so I don't know about the inside, nor do I know anything about the type of people living there. I'd guess they get a lot of nursing/medical people living there due to the location, so I would think overall it's not a bad place for those on a tight budget. I'd say don't rule it out without looking at them.
I would avoid Plaza West as it appears to be rather seedy, at least from the quick glances you get from riding by on 421. Other than that, I don't know much about the other places on your list. Good luck in your search!
OK, I was thinking of some other apartments on the east side of Cloverdale, near Peters Creek Pkwy, deifnitely not a safe neighborhood after dark.
If these are closer to Knollwood and Miller Park, etc...then that is a nicer area but if they are the ones I am thinking of they are extremely old apartments?? Maybe they have been renovated?
My wife and I will be loading up tomorrow morning to go check out each of these places firsthand... I'll write back letting you know which place we choose! Thank you all again for all of your time and assistance!
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