Questions aobut Downtown Conway and Little Rock (Clinton: apartment, lofts)

[SquadDriver]

Hello all. I am currently a resident of Northwest Arkansas and am considering relocating to the Little Rock area to possibly work for MEMS, the area's ambulance service. I have talked to a coworker who used to work for them and he reccommended that I live outside of Little Rock because of the high crime. I know Little Rock has a rather high crime rate, but is the downtown area safe? I'm not looking to live in the suburbs, I want to live in the core of the city. Alternatively, I have also been eyeing Conway. Can anybody tell me which streets make up the historic downtown? I would like to visit both city's downtown areas to see if I might enjoy either. Thanks for the help.

[jenni-b]

Yes, downtown Little Rock is just fine.

Downtown Little Rock Partnership

[Funkim]

Downtown Conway is cool. Visit [url=http://www.downtownconway.org]Conway Downtown Partnership[/url]. Or give me a call at 501.548.9950 and I will be glad to give you the inside scoop.

Sincerely
Kim Williams
Director
Conway Downtown Partnership.

[txdave35]

The River Market area close to the river is fairly safe, but downtown closer to 630 is pretty bad. I don't feel safe walking to my car. At least once a week, some dude will come up to me and harass me for money. My friend who lives in the same area had her place broken into and they stole her lawn mower and tv.

[North Pulaski Player]

Originally Posted by txdave35

The River Market area close to the river is fairly safe, but downtown closer to 630 is pretty bad. I don't feel safe walking to my car. At least once a week, some dude will come up to me and harass me for money. My friend who lives in the same area had her place broken into and they stole her lawn mower and tv.

Little Rock's rule of thumb is to stay north of I-630 or west of I-430 For some reason it seems that all the bad people are afraid to cross the state's two busiest freeways...

[jenni-b]

Well, anyone who follows that rule of thumb will miss out on some pretty great neighborhoods. But if their thinking is that limited we probably don't want them as neighbors anyway.

[The Inner Eye]

When I announced I was taking a job and moving to downtown Little Rock, a friend elsewhere in the state burst into tears -- literally! "Don't do that!"

Little Rock has a history of crime. But much of the reputation is exagerated. I have lived in the heart of downtown (at the corner of Markham and Main) for more than a year. I've enjoyed the people and the place and have no plans to move from the area, though I may change to another loft. I encourage you to explore the area from East Markham/Clinton Avenue to East 3rd St between Main St and Rock St. Check out 300 East 3rd at the corner of Cumberland and East 3rd. I Wish I could afford to live there!

As an indication of how things are changing downtown, the complex where I live (Block 2 Lofts) is currently at 92% capacity -- a record for this property. Loft and condo buildings are filling up in this area. Come and find out why!

BTW, I recommend a visit to the Capital Hotel Bar and Grill when you do tour downtown. The Capital is on Markham between Main and Louisiana. For good food, good service, and good atmosphere there's nothing better in town than the Capital Bar and Grill! Live music on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

[thewizard16]

Inner Eye,
I have two friends living in Block 2 right now, it's a pretty popular place and I think that's because it is the only real offering in a mostly unfilled housing niche downtown. There seems to be enough nice high-end housing there (300 3rd (which I'm also in love with), River Market Tower, First Security tower, etc.), but there's not much competition in the mid-range housing right now. Block 2 helped get the ball rolling in my opinion, and the K-Lofts that are being built on Main are a good start on expanding that market, but I'd love to see some more large scale apartment (mixed use ideally) buildings downtown.

Originally Posted by jenni-b

Well, anyone who follows that rule of thumb will miss out on some pretty great neighborhoods. But if their thinking is that limited we probably don't want them as neighbors anyway.

Yeah, the west of 430 "rule" is complete bunk (and always has been to at least some degree), and the north of 630 policy is one that only really applies to certain areas. Hillcrest, the Heights, Midtown, and Riverdale are all east of 430 and are very nice areas (even the Pleasant Valley/Chenal residents concede that). Then you've got the Governor's Mansion area, parts of the Capitol View neighborhood, and the Quapaw Quarter that are all south of 630 and have some very nice areas too. If you follow those two "rules" you'll end up only experiencing the bland, white-flight-fueled commercial sprawl/suburbia part of Little Rock that lacks the density, personality, and atmosphere of the city itself. There are some very nice neighborhoods in west Little Rock and I can see why a lot of people like to live there, but there's no sense in thinking you're somehow living in danger if you're not in WLR.

[jenni-b]

Yeah, the west of 430 "rule" is complete bunk (and always has been to at least some degree), and the north of 630 policy is one that only really applies to certain areas. Hillcrest, the Heights, Midtown, and Riverdale are all east of 430 and are very nice areas (even the Pleasant Valley/Chenal residents concede that). Then you've got the Governor's Mansion area, parts of the Capitol View neighborhood, and the Quapaw Quarter that are all south of 630 and have some very nice areas too. If you follow those two "rules" you'll end up only experiencing the bland, white-flight-fueled commercial sprawl/suburbia part of Little Rock that lacks the density, personality, and atmosphere of the city itself. There are some very nice neighborhoods in west Little Rock and I can see why a lot of people like to live there, but there's no sense in thinking you're somehow living in danger if you're not in WLR

thank you for putting it so well, Wiz!

(there's also the lofts in the Tuf-Nut building. that area of Third Street is really coming alive!)

[thewizard16]

Originally Posted by jenni-b

thank you for putting it so well, Wiz!

(there's also the lofts in the Tuf-Nut building. that area of Third Street is really coming alive!)

I heard those stay pretty full up. Nice lofts I imagine, but not too many in that building. Rock Street Lofts are right there too, but availability is probably similarly tight. With the Brown Sugar Bakery, the new shops and the new pub open all in that little stretch, I can see a lot of potential for a nice auxiliary corridor to the River Market district. Connecting it up Main and over would be just about perfect, I think . Now if only I can find a rich developer to build it...