Little Rock- Renting- what area? (North Little Rock, Conway: sale, apartments, lease)

[Josie861]

I've read several posts and responses on living in Little Rock recommendations. But I'm still feeling rather overwhelmed as to what area to choose.

I will be coming from a Ohio in a City of 313,000 people.. but I can get anywhere in the city in 20 mins or less. After reading on here about Little Rock commutes, I've bitten off all my finger nails!

Good thing is, the Cost of living seems to be roughly the same in my current area as it is in Little Rock..
I'd be working near Alsopp park, in Little Rock... (I assume that's considered "Downtown" ? )

Here's what I'm looking for:
1. Rental living - Must be Clean and Quiet-- I'm extremely fussy about my privacy and noise control. I don't want a noisy apartment area. (I'm 40+ old fuddy duddy)

2. I don't think I can afford more than $900 a month, but would like a 2 bedroom place. I'll be selling my home in Ohio, but until a sale goes through, I'd rather rent due to doing both rent and the mortgage.. so 900 is about tops ( I'd prefer 700ish.. but can go up to 900).

3. Short Commute (under 20 mins?)... Don't know if this is possible while still keeping safety and Clean Quiet living.

I've looked at the Rent.com type sites.. and can't really tell if the apartments meet my preferences. Based on some of the posts here I'm going to look at the paper classifieds and see if anything else strikes my fancy.

I'm pretty much going into this blind.. I've never been to Little Rock and due to the job change will only have about 2 weeks to get it together and settle in.... So any thoughts will be greatly appreciated.

[bchris02]

Most people commute astronomical distances because of the reputation of certain school districts and also to escape racial diversity. Plus, this is Arkansas and many people prefer rural or semi-rural living. The truth is, a lot of it is perception rather than reality and you don't have to commute as far as many do to enjoy a safe neighborhood plus good schools. If you are without kids, and school district doesn't matter, I would consider the Riverdale area or the Hillcrest/Heights area. Both areas are safe and within 5-10 minutes of downtown. If you have kids and want suburbia, Maumelle, Bryant, and Little Rock west of I-430 would be good choices for you, and they are all within 30 minutes of downtown. Also don't overlook north of the river. There are some very nice areas in North Little Rock and Sherwood that are still within a reasonable commute. Avoid Conway, Cabot, and Benton. Those are the fastest growing communities in the area but the commutes are a doozy and it will only get more painful with $5 gas on the horizon. If there is anywhere in LR you want to avoid, its anywhere south of I-630 and east of I-430. As with everything, there are some exceptions and you can find some decent neighborhoods in that region but as a newcommer I would steer you away from there. Hope this helps.

[Josie861]

Thanks BCChris.. It's just me moving, so thankfully I don't have to worry about school districts... My current neighborhood is a plethora of ethnicity so, that's not a criteria as much as safety.

Your comments really assisted me in mapping out the area!!

[Josie861]

Along with any thoughts on my first post.. and comments about the following apartments? Same criteria as above applies..

-Governors Park on W. Capital Ave

-Rivercliff on Magnolia Ave

-Vantage Point on Rebsamen Park

-Valley Heights on Cantrel

-Forest Place on North University

Thanks!

[Sam I Am]

Governor's Park sits right on S. Rodney Parham...traffic galore.

Rivercliff has recently been re-done, I believe.

Vantage Point has great access to Murray Park and is very close to where you will be working, but I believe they also have a fairly high ratio of young and single...what the party factor is, I'm not sure.

I've heard Valley Heights has been redone - it's across from Steinmart and has had a less than stellar reputation in the past but it may have changed. Don't intend to turn east out of their parking lot in rush hour...or any other hour. Ugh.

Forest Place is right on University but was always known for being very, very quiet. However, everything turns on a dime, that may have changed as well.

I'd say take a 6 month lease if you can swing it and settle in - take a look around and pound the pavement looking for a small guest house in the Heights or Hillcrest. That will most likely give you the quiet you want. Whether you can find a two bedroom at all there, and for $900, not sure. You have to be slick and network a lot but sometimes they just pop up out of the blue and are really pretty reasonable, considering you get more of a "home" feel in a quiet and established neighborhood. Mostly you just kind of have to drive the streets in those areas and look for an inconspicuous sign. If you see walkers in those areas, stop - explain that you're from out of town - people are generally quite friendly and will help if they can.

Good luck to you! Let us know when you're settled in.

[strumpeace]

There's a really cool mid-rise place just outside of Riverdale. I can't remember the name of it. Sam, do you know what I'm talking about? It's sort of covered up by trees. You can barely see the top of it as you come down the big hill on Cantrell. There are maybe three or four 'towers' there. Gosh, I wish I could remember the name of it. I visited there a few years ago and thought it was a nice place. Rent was very decent, and it was locally-owned. And it's very close to Alsopp Park.

[Sam I Am]

Are you talking about Tree Tops? Over behind Lilac Terrace (north), between Cantrell and Riverfront?

[strumpeace]

Just found it -- Rivercliff. Neat place.

Typical 2-BR is $795/mo.

[Josie861]

thanks so much.. Again, all comments are greatly appreciated.

Sam- good thoughts about the 6 mos lease... Ideally, I'd like to purchase a home, but it's going to have to happen after I sell my Ohio house. So a 6 mos lease might be the right thing to do anyhow.

Am I correct in guessing the Hillcrest/ Heights area is in Zip codes:
72202
72205
72207
72227

I'm trying to map out/ search for Hillcrest and Riverdale.. but maps don't label the area neighborhoods.. so it's sorta just a guessimate on my part.

[paramour]

Originally Posted by Josie861

thanks so much.. Again, all comments are greatly appreciated.

Sam- good thoughts about the 6 mos lease... Ideally, I'd like to purchase a home, but it's going to have to happen after I sell my Ohio house. So a 6 mos lease might be the right thing to do anyhow.

Am I correct in guessing the Hillcrest/ Heights area is in Zip codes:
72202
72205
72207
72227

I'm trying to map out/ search for Hillcrest and Riverdale.. but maps don't label the area neighborhoods.. so it's sorta just a guessimate on my part.

I have no idea what zip codes Hillcrest/Heights fall into but I've lived within both 72205 & 72227 in areas that were not Hillcrest/Heights and that I would most definitely not recommend living in/nearby now, so be careful with "simple" zip code searches.

G'luck!