bad areas in HSV (Huntsville, Madison: relocation, real estate, houses)

[clamoore]

I am thankful every day for the internet! Sincerely, without it I wouldn't have the opportunity to engage in conversations like this. I 'preciate ya, Reactionary! You do indeed make some valid points and I have thought about them a little bit.

If you have school age children, the school district may not offer the ideal situation. I believe the schools in the area have received some fairly poor performance reviews with respect to the standardized test scores. I have known people employed in these schools and they sing the praises of the administrations. I can tell you from experience that you can get an education whenever you are. I went to a school that had 85% of the student body on free lunch. I graduated, received a scholarship to a decent public university, got my MSEE from GA TECH and have been employed as an engineer for 12 years. My school system was plagued with a bad reputation, but my parents saw to it that I received a good education.

As to the location near projects, you are indeed correct. I believe there are also low-income apartments and the homeless shelter to consider. I would add that Twickenham, a very prestigeous area of town, is also located very close to projects. I believe that the active Neighborhood watch, a responsive police department and a concerned Councilman Kling provides some protection/push-back against the crime that is usually associated with public housing projects. The men's section of the homeless shelter is slated for deconstruction in the next year. I believe that the prostitutes will find more low-key areas to frequent after the HPD annoys them from Neighborhood Watch tips.

As for the crime, I have looked into the issue. My wife recieved the police reports for the past six months. We compared them to the reports for Five Points/Old Town and found them to be comparable. The incident where the dead prostitute was found under a house a couple years ago gave the area a bad news cycle, for sure. But, then again, Madison had a similar incident and there was also a large heroin bust in Madison. We all know that Madison is a nice area, still.

I thank you for providing the pictures of the Hall. That is a jewel of the neighborhood. I think that it will be an anchor in the commercial redevelopment of the area. Also, Soul Burger is the finest hamburger place in town.

I appreciate the opportunity to continue this discussion. You are to be commended for being interested and involved. Katchrist, I am sorry that you had bad experiences growing up with crime. I can't speak to your experiences, save to express my regrets. I don't know how an area breaks the chain of crime and/or the reputation of having crime. When we bought in Five Points in '98, we were told that we didn't want to live there because of the crime. I found the area to be as safe as any place I have ever lived. The reputation got started and it persisted for a long time. The media, word of mouth or rumors are hard to counter.

By having this discussion, we are helping to education Ezio about all the choices. I can give a perspective from someone who likes being in the city, in old neighborhoods and interested in being involved with my neighbors. I like old buildings, walking to destinations and having drinks/cookouts with my neighbors. From my experience, Five Points and Merrimack Mill are awesome locations for those activities.

[Huntsville_secede]

The Madison part by Shelton Road is crime ridden too, I can think of a few incidents that have happened in the last year, including somebody being stabbed and attacked dozens of times, and Rite-Aid being robbed. But I personally don't like the "North Side" in Huntsville especially that horrible Wal-mart on Sparkman... and the area around Bob Wallace/Triana.

[Reactionary]

clamoore - you can't spell GEEK without 'double E'

I live in the 5 Points area, and have lived on almost every street from McKinley to Randolph. Some parts of 5 Points are still 'bad'. And 5 Points earned it's reputation as a high crime area (mostly drugs but some violence) back in the day. BTW, I wouldn't recommend 5 Points either, mostly because of the schools.

I think we can agree that Councilman Kling is a good public servant. And that Merrimack is (thankfully) on the way up.

[deesonic]

Smiles!!! I preface my post with smiles because my intent is not to get in a heated discussion. I know the emotion behind the written word can often be misunderstood. So I just want to make it clear I'm not angry or banging around on my computer like a madman.

Well I know Ezio's post was innocently posted to request information about Huntsville neighborhoods. Unfortunately these kinds of posts lead to a lot of people venting a lot of misinformation and unnecessary fears about this area is bad or that area is trouble, etc. There's always someone who will disagree or be offended. I'm not offended, but I mostly disagree with some previous statements about "bad" parts of town.

I grew up in Holiday Homes in the dreaded Bob Wallace/Triana area. After spending 12 years in college, grad school, and the military I have returned to that very same neighborhood. I attended Stone Middle and Butler High (c/o 91). They are arguably bad schools when you consider performance reports and whatnot. I won't deny that. Most considered them "bad" schools back when I was there too. But I turned out okay. I was an English teacher and football coach at one time in Georgia and now a college administrator and I will tell you that overall poor school performance is generally a result of widespread lack of parental involvement in their children's lives. No teacher can turn out good kids without parental involvement. And I guess that's the difference between "good" schools like Grissom or Bob Jones and "bad" schools like Butler or Lee. I know of a kid that grew up in the worst projects in Huntsville who went on to graduate with honors at Vanderbilt. His family was dirt poor but they were very involved in his life. I'll get off my soap box about it I guess. I don't blame people for wanting their kids in "good" schools. But don't count on educators to turn out good kids just because their school has high marks. Parents make the biggest difference in a child's achievement.

As for neighborhoods... I moved right back into my old neighborhood after being gone 12 years. It has changed a lot and we certainly have lots of issues to work on. Although I have not spoken directly with Bill Kling, I have heard lots of good things about him and his campaign to revitalize SW Huntsville. As clamoore pointed out, Merrimack Village is the heart of the revitalization efforts in this area. There are fantastic historic homes which have been restored. The new Merrimack Hall is a wonderful addition to the area too. The Lowe Mill area off of 9th Ave is starting to turn around as well. I think the future of this area of town is the influx of young professionals without school-aged children who want to be close to everything (downtown, RSA, Research Park, malls, parks, and my favorite neighborhood pub the Nook).

So take my statements for what they're worth. I don't blame people for wanting their kids to go somewhere else. My wife and I don't have kids and we certainly would have to really think long and hard about putting our kids in the schools we attended. But these comparisons about "bad" areas and "good" areas are very subjective and I couldn't stand idly by while another suburbanite beats up on SW Huntsville (and my property value). I've lived here most of my life without incident. Good luck and welcome...no matter where in North Alabama you ultimately choose to live. Having lived all over the country before returning including a few major cities, there are not many bad areas in the Huntsville area...all things considered.

PS to clamore... I'm a UGA alum (M.Ed. c/o 2001) ...GO DAWGS!

[Reactionary]

Originally Posted by deesonic

while another suburbanite beats up on SW Huntsville

That has to be me, so I'll note that it's been a long time since 5 Points was the 'suburbs'

[clamoore]

I think to further the conversation a little, I would propose that a "bad area" is a relative term. Maybe it is a function of where you are from or where you have been. I can't think of any bad areas other than those across from industrial zoning or public housing projects. The first because of the blight and noise, the second because of the depressed property values.

My current property in Five Points is damaged in price because of a quad-plex across the street. The property is unsightly to look at with it's large ac units protruding from the front windows and the cable distribution along the front face of the property. I also find the tenants to be a little disrespectful to the neighborhood, as they throw trash on the street. So, I would put my Five Points house in a "bad light" from this perspective. I won't ask you to weep for me as I will sell for a handsome profit.

deesonic has emotional attachment to the neighborhood and does not agree with the term "bad area". That is to be understood because it is home. I would argue my backward little home town in Kentucky is a great place, but my wife would leave me if I relocated us back there.

So, maybe the term shouldn't be levied casually. I'm not for sure the residents of Terry Heights would think of their neighborhood as a bad place, even though they live across the street from the Sparkman Homes. I know that residents of Hazel Green think they live in a good place, even though their commute is getting longer every day.

I guess we need Ezio to refine what a bad area is so that we can make better recommendations.

[Reactionary]

clamoore - I drove through your neighborhood yesterday, big homes, big yards, well-kept. I hope you profit there too

FWIW, I've done OK in 5 Points, too (best was selling at 10x purchase price - took 20 years).

I also think parts of Merrimack / Lowe Mill have good potential for profit - lots of well-made, sturdy bungalow (some four square) houses. The problem is that many of the apts (like the ones by the abandoned Winn-Dixie) are crime havens. And the projects. And the mission. And then there's the Seminole to 1st to Knight prostitute route.

It's a big risk... and not just financial...

[bavadicane]

Hi keeper
here there are the answers to your questions:
I can spend max 1400 Dollard/month
I would like to have a songle house with a little garden for my children, but not too much big (3 rooms and 2 bathrooms)
I am going to work at redstone arsenal
I've got two children

HAving a look to the map the best area could be madison.

Best regards Ezio

[bavadicane]

HI to everyone

iti si my first time in this forum and I have noted that thre were very much reactions to my simply questions.
BAd area for me is an area in which you cannot leave easily with your family without robberyy, drugs and so on.
I want to stress that i'm from Rome but since ROme is tha most beautiful city inthe world (many people say this) even in RMe there are much much place in which is better not to go especially during the night.
SO I would like to know what area in your opinion is the best for a family that has to stay in HSV only 3 years.

By Ezio

[deesonic]

To clarify my point a bit and offer some perspective...

Regarding crime: I have never been a victim of crime in SW Huntsville and have lived in the area since 1976 minus a 12 year period in the 90s and early 2000s when I was in college, military, etc. I'm not afraid to go anywhere in SW Huntsville. I've lived in Denver, Los Angeles, Baltimore, Augusta GA and Savannah, GA. Huntsville's worst areas are fantastic next to these cities. Huntsville is not a high crime city in general when compared to similarly sized Southern cities (how bout that for alliteration!).

SW Huntsville is not the sexy part of town I will admit. Honestly, I hope to someday buy about 10 acres and move on out to the country, but not for fear of anything here. I would just like some space and my wife would like to start a greenhouse business. I am not particularly "attached" to the area. I'd really rather live in 5 Points or Blossomwood.

Some areas are more desirable than others for various reasons and that's fine. I just get frustrated by the stereotypes that perpetuated about certain areas. I think the best way to describe SW Huntsville is 'blue collar.'