Safe yet Affordable Areas Near but not on Campus (Madison: 2010, apartment)

[Indi9]

I just had a couple of walks through craigslist, and it seems that the lower the rent the more dicey the neighborhood. Is this true? As I plan my move to Madison, I am also of course working out a budget, knowing that housing is costly in Madison. So, how much rent is reasonable in an area that is reasonably or even very safe? What can I expect for, say, $800/month ($900 max.)? A studio or a one-bedroom is fine for now; I am single. Any chance of finding an apartment in that ballpark in the Willy Street area or near east side? What key words, streets, etc. should I look for when I walk back though craigslist again?

Questions, questions, questions...

Thanks for any information you can offer.

[katreese]

Originally Posted by Indi9

I just had a couple of walks through craigslist, and it seems that the lower the rent the more dicey the neighborhood. Is this true?

Definitely.

$800 will be plenty for a nice 1 bedroom. I'm not sure about Willy Street/East side prices as I always lived on the west side. Stay away from the following streets: anything around Raymond, Rimrock, Allied, or Broadway (these are all south or west side, though).

[gold*dust1]

Originally Posted by Indi9

I just had a couple of walks through craigslist, and it seems that the lower the rent the more dicey the neighborhood. Is this true? As I plan my move to Madison, I am also of course working out a budget, knowing that housing is costly in Madison. So, how much rent is reasonable in an area that is reasonably or even very safe? What can I expect for, say, $800/month ($900 max.)? A studio or a one-bedroom is fine for now; I am single. Any chance of finding an apartment in that ballpark in the Willy Street area or near east side? What key words, streets, etc. should I look for when I walk back though craigslist again?

Questions, questions, questions...

Thanks for any information you can offer.

Honestly if you've been living in NYC anywhere but the worst areas of Madison should be a walk in the park. Yes price can be indicative of a dicey or unpleasant area, but there are probably a few cheap deals to be had that aren't dicey.

Have you found any rentals for that price on Willy? If you are more specific about "near east" locations I may be able to give an opinion.

[Indi9]

Thanks, katreese and gold*dust1. I'm going to come back to this with some specific listings. Good night...

[Indi9]

Ok, so here is an example that sounds very good to me. What is the neighborhood like? Is this anywhere near Willy Street? What do you think?

$625 / 1br - Atwood and Ohio , pet friendly (East Madison) (map)

Reply to: hous-823132139@craigslist.org [?]
Date: 2008-09-01, 11:25PM CDT



1st floor 1 bedroom in 3 unit building with neighborhood character.
Nice area. South East facing unit.
total remodel a few years back so everything is like new.

Great neighborhood. Across from Community Garden.

Available Oct 1st. or sooner.

small pets welcome.

608-216-6903

[Megan1967]

That's a nice area. Bit of a hike to Willy, but an easy bike ride. The Atwood neighborhood has it's own charms. I like it better than the Willy Street neighborhood actually. One thing to watch for is where the house is located in relation to the train tracks. Plenty of people live by them happily, but I think it would bother me.

[MidwesternBookWorm]

Originally Posted by Indi9

Ok, so here is an example that sounds very good to me. What is the neighborhood like? Is this anywhere near Willy Street? What do you think?

$625 / 1br - Atwood and Ohio , pet friendly (East Madison) (map)

Reply to: hous-823132139@craigslist.org [?]
Date: 2008-09-01, 11:25PM CDT



1st floor 1 bedroom in 3 unit building with neighborhood character.
Nice area. South East facing unit.
total remodel a few years back so everything is like new.

Great neighborhood. Across from Community Garden.

Available Oct 1st. or sooner.

small pets welcome.

608-216-6903

I drive through that neighborhood on my way to work every day (only a mile or so from my own house) and I like it a whole lot. If I were hunting for a place to rent as a single, I'd definitely flag that one. You'd be within a couple of blocks of the Barrymore Theatre, Monty's Blue Plate Diner, the Jenifer Street Market and the local headquarters for United Way. Also Gail Ambrosius Chocolatier, if you like heavenly hand-made dark chocolate truffles... one of my favorite places in the area! You'd be about half a mile from the point where Atwood curves into Winnebago Street, which in turn becomes Willy Street a few blocks farther on. Maybe a mile from the Willy Street Co-op.

There'd probably be younger folks in the area, and there are a couple of little taverns nearby, so you shouldn't expect a cloister-like silence in that area. But we just had dear friends visit here from NYC last weekend, and they both commented on how much quieter this area is than their neighborhood, so compared to what you're accustomed to, it may seem very quiet.

[gold*dust1]

I would consider that a steal for that price sight unseen, especially since they allow small pets. You would be very close to Lake Monona, Olbrich Gardens and the bike trail behind that area. I too would prefer Atwood neighborhood over Willy to live, for sure.

[Indi9]

Thanks folks. But would someone please say more about why you would prefer the Atwood neighborhood over the Willy? Pros and cons?

[Indi9]

Wow. Now this is what I'm talkin' about! Is this real? lol... omg...

$725 / 1br - Nice size flat w/hardwoods in Atwood neighborhood! (2034 Rusk St. #4-Madison) (map)

Reply to: hous-776584435@craigslist.org
Date: 2008-07-30, 5:00PM CDT



This unit is available for 8/15/08 move in.

Spacious 2nd floor flat in 4 unit house with refinished hardwoods, lots of windows through-out, new vinyl in kitchen/bathroom, new stove and fridge. New furnaces were professionally installed in fall 2007 so you have your own furnace w/control and c/a. Nice backyard and parking available for $50/month.

Water & sewer included, full month security deposit, and coin laundry in the building.

For questions or a viewing please contact us at 608-255-3753 or ngoins@apexrents.com. You can also view more units and pictures at Apexrents.com - Home

Rusk at Atwood [SIZE=-1]google map yahoo map[/SIZE]

• cats are OK - purrr
• Location: 2034 Rusk St. #4-Madison
• it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

PostingID: 776584435