Questions about commuting in little rock (apartment complex, to rent, crime)

[droidor]

Hi all,
I am a college student moving to little rock this august. I am interested in an apartment complex that is near the chenal country club while my classes etc will be at UAMS. The distance calculated by google maps is about 9-10 miles. I wished to know how bad is the drive going to be since this is a daily commute back and fro.

also do people commute that kind of a distance in little rock?

thank you in advance for any input you may have.

regards,
Rod.

[Sam I Am]

Yes, of course...people commute from 50 miles away, so it is all in what you want to bear. You don't say where you are from so I'm not sure if this will be better or worse than what you're used to.

From Chenal CC you can either shoot straight on Chenal Parkway, which turns into I-630 and go right in, or you can go up to Cantrell and go east and then wind down through the Heights/Hillcrest area to UAMS. I-630 eastbound at peak travel time (7-8:30 and about 4:30-5:45) is packed. Six lanes only, slow going. Pray no one has a rear-ender. Cantrell is 4 lanes but all the red lights could give you a headache. Stay in the right lane - if anyone decides to make a left anywhere than at a light you could sit for a while. The UAMS campus - well, your hike to classes could be worse than the commute since there is absolutely no rhyme or reason to how they built that place! I'd allow 45 minutes for the commute anyway if you have to be there at 8:00.

Is there a particular reason you're choosing that location? The big box shopping is better in Chenal, but the areas north and northwest of the Med Center have tons of med students and plenty to see and do, with a very settled feel. If you're a med student I would assume shopping won't be high on your list of priorities and convenience to the school might. There are plenty of other places to rent that are much closer and could remove your stress factor and drive time dramatically.

[chiswickchic]

My Mum, who lived in Little Rock for twenty years, says about the same as previous poster.

Chenal is very nice and posh, but nearer would be better for a student. She says the commute can be a bit of a nightmare, depending on the time of morning, but she agrees with the back route short-cut of previous poster.

Consensus from Mum seems to be, live nearer, with the other students, so you can get up to jolly japes with them and not have a big drive the next day. Posh neighbours are all very well but they tend not to appreciate the 'skeleton hung on the front door' prank all that much...

[droidor]

thank you for your replies Sam and Chic. I am moving from columbia, MO which is a college town. Columbia is pretty much crime free (except for very few areas where at the most you might only get robbed of your wallet or something) hence when I was reading about the safe places in Little rock, time and again my searches seemed to fall around west little rock. Also the area seemed right for the peace and quite I am a little used being here for quite a while. Shopping is certainly not high on my list of priorities.

thats why I was looking at these specific areas. But I will certainly look into places north or northwest of UAMS as recommmended by I amSam

[bchris02]

Originally Posted by droidor

thank you for your replies Sam and Chic. I am moving from columbia, MO which is a college town. Columbia is pretty much crime free (except for very few areas where at the most you might only get robbed of your wallet or something) hence when I was reading about the safe places in Little rock, time and again my searches seemed to fall around west little rock. Also the area seemed right for the peace and quite I am a little used being here for quite a while. Shopping is certainly not high on my list of priorities.

thats why I was looking at these specific areas. But I will certainly look into places north or northwest of UAMS as recommmended by I amSam

There are safe places inside the loop, you just have to be a little but more careful about where exactly you live. Hillcrest and the Heights are both great neighborhoods and are close to UAMS. Also look at the Riverdale area. A lot of students live there. I live in Riverdale and I have never felt unsafe. Most people will steer you to west Little Rock or further because its suburban. It seems like there is currently a huge push towards the suburbs and even rural living in Little Rock, which doesn't make sense with these gas prices. A large number of people commute from up to 50 miles, like Sam said. The shopping is big box but its not necessarily better. Midtown, which is very near UAMS has the best shopping in the city. The basic rule of thumb is to stay north of I-630.

[droidor]

Originally Posted by bchris02

...I live in Riverdale and I have never felt unsafe....

.
thanks bchris, Can you recommend any particular apartment complexes I could look at and get more information online? That will atleast get me looking in the right direction.

[CAAR2008]

In West Little Rock - look up Cedars at Wellington Lake. I don't know what your budget is but a 2BR there is about $700. The price is like that bec there's a washer/dryer in each unit, a gym, and a small pool. It is near the supermarket on Chenal Parkway; there is a Ford car dealership at the corner; Villages of Wellington Hills are beside it. The drive is about 15min even in "traffic" at around 0730.
Better ask about discounts for UAMS students/employees.
Chenal Lakes is ok acc to some friends; or even Shadow Lake. Riverdale apts are pretty decent - forgot the name of that place that has the fence around it near the Canal Pointe neighborhood. I'm sure there will be available places to rent in Heights/Hillcrest area too.

[Aporkalypse]

I live in Chenal basically where you are referring to and it takes 15 minutes to UAMS/Midtown if you don't hit peak traffic, 20 if you do.

I went to med school at UAMS and most people lived closer. Riverdale is a good place to start, with plenty of similar but more reasonable apartment complexes. That area's a favorite with UAMS students. Hillcrest is very close and safe but there are fewer traditional complexes. You can find a lot of houses split into apartments there.

LR is as safe as anywhere as long as you stay North or West of 630. South of 630 and East of 430 is really the only bad part of town, and there are still a few liveable neighborhoods in that area.