California to Memphis to teach (Cleveland, Central: apartments, rentals, houses)

[Caligurl619]

Hi everyone!

I am moving to Memphis for a teaching program next July. I am very excited and I have spent quite sometime kind of lurking around trying to get a feel for the city (as best as you can via the internet).

The school I will be working at is in Orange Mound. I have done my research and I know this is kind of an unsafe area but I am looking for advice on neighborhood not to far. I am a 27 year old, African American female, I would like to live in a studio/1 bdr my own if possible, I have a car, and my budget is $600/month for rent (being paid for by the program will be in).

I saw that Tennessee is pretty rural but are there any nice, walkable neighborhoods near Orange Mound. I currently live in downtown long beach and what I love the most about it is I can walk about 7 blocks and get to Walmart or the grocery store or a CVS or a beauty supply. I would love if possible to live in a similar area.

[Blutbad]

If you're not interested in living in Orange Mound but want to find a nice area nearby, the Cooper Young neighborhood is one you should check out. It won't check off all the boxes on your wish list (you'd likely end up driving to Fresh Market or Kroger get your groceries, though it wouldn't be too far, and it may take some creativity/flexibility to find a studio or 1-bedroom), but it is a popular area very close to Orange Mound.

If you're ok with being just a bit further from Orange Mound, it might be easier to find a studio/1-bedroom farther north in midtown - I'm thinking (roughly) between Central Avenue to the south, Cleveland Street to the west, North Parkway to the north, and East Parkway to the east (please note that I don't mean these as hard boundaries). While this may seem like a large area, it doesn't seem to take too long to get around in Memphis by car. Some examples of apartment buildings in this area you may check out include, in no particular order, Kimbrough Tower, The Gilmore, The Venue, Town House Apartments, Rosecrest, and any number of smaller places that don't have names.

[jabogitlu]

Studio/1-br for $600 is challenging IMHO. My immediate reaction is to look to the neighborhoods immediately to the east of Orange Mound. These neighborhoods are filled with U of M students so they're older, smaller houses, and cheaper.

I would recommend staying east of Highland and north of Park if possible, when you're looking out that way.

In general, though, I think you would enjoy Midtown much more. I'm thinking you might be largely priced out of the area. There are some pretty shady apartments in Midtown (especially over towards Cleveland St.) that you wouldn't want to end up living in.

If I were in your situation I would be looking for a roommate. That would allow you a lot more flexibility with your housing options. If you both could pay $600 you could live practically anywhere in the metro.

I took a look at the first page of Craigslist rentals for under $600. Here's two you might want to explore. They're both in solid parts of Midtown. Edited to add: Nevermind, I see you're moving next July. I doubt these would be available. But they're examples, I suppose, that you can find what you're looking for in Midtown if you so desire!

http://memphis.craigslist.org/apa/4626903133.html
http://memphis.craigslist.org/apa/4631967647.html

[CristenS]

Orange Mound is not a safe area. And I agree with PP that $600 is pretty low for Memphis, if you want to live somewhere safe. Can you pay more than that? If they reimburse $600, you could pay $200 yourself and find a place for $800 instead. That would give you a lot of better options.