Living on 29K (Memphis, Midtown: apartment, renting, houses)

[JMT]

If you drive around Midtown you'll often see apartments or studios advertised that don't appear in the paper. Ideally you could find a decent place above someone's garage or in an attic apartment. Those are usually affordable and safe.

I agree with the others: Germantown will be pricey, plus you'll be spending a lot more money on gasoline than you would if you were in midtown or downtown. And even though you think you can go as high as $750/month, I can't imagine spending that much if your take-home is only around $1900. You'll ALWAYS have extra expenses, whether it's car repairs, medical expenses, or even those times when you just want to take a vacation.

Plus, being single (even with a boyfriend) you might enjoy being closer to downtown/midtown and all that those parts of town have to offer: the clubs, the cool restaurants, cafes, sporting events, etc.

Here are some pics of Midtown:

Madison Avenue looking east towards McLean. The tall building off in the distance is the Gilmore, an older apartment building worth checking out.



This is Union Avenue looking west (I think). The tall white building is Kimbrough Tower, another apartment building worth checking out. The top floors have great views of downtown.



This is a really cool little restaurant called The Beauty Shop. Yup, it's an old beauty shop. It's in a really neat neighborhood called Cooper-Young. Lots of singles live in this midtown neighborhood.



This is a railroad bridge on Cooper Street heading south towards the Cooper-Young neighborhood. I love that bridge.

[smathews]

Awesome post! I'm moving to vegas, wish someone post someting like that for me, lol

[JMT]

Originally Posted by smathews

Awesome post! I'm moving to vegas, wish someone post someting like that for me, lol

I'm not sure if you're referring to my post with the pics, but I'll assume you are. Thanks!

I have to admit, looking at those pictures just fills me with grief. I absolutely adore Memphis, especially midtown, and I would LOOOOOVE to live there again. I consider myself fortunate to have been able to spend five glorious years in Memphis, and seeing these pictures again makes me want to hop in my car and head back there today. Don't get me wrong, I love the mountains here in East Tennessee, and Knoxville is a relatively safe city. But I miss Memphis like crazy. I just wish more people would learn to appreciate Memphis for what it is and not trash it for what it isn't.

[smathews]

I was talking about the post with the pics. I've been here for 6 years and as much as i'm ready to move on. I love the memphis for what is and hate that the city is going down like it is.... knoxville, huh. You should try to make it in for the big #1 vs #2 showdown! it's gonna be BIG!

[Pearlbob]

I second the Gilmore at Madison and McLean. It's a nice area, within a block of several restaurants, bars, Walgreens and Rite Aid, and Starbucks There was a young lady who posted on here a while back who was in the same boat - didn't have a ton of money to spend on rent but wanted something safe yet fun, I recommended a few places and she ended up moving into the Gilmore and loved it. I've had friends there who LOVED it as well. It's very rare to hear person after person absolutely RAVE about an apartment building, but that place seems to be awesome.

[seh2681]

yes, you can live on that amount, though as said before, you would need to budget and live a bit frugally. What about trying to find a roomate? That way you could afford a bit more space as well as a nicer area? Also, previous post regarding the difference between germantown and "near" germantown was correct. Please realize that harbortown may be located right at downtown, but it is different altogether. For proximity and safety, it would be better than something actually in the downtown proper area. As for midtown, some of the areas are good and relatively safe but you need to be careful because some pockets aren't that great. Bartlett is suburbs, safer than downtown, but very family centered and i can't imagine being a new grad and single and wanting to live there. boring. Same for G'town or Southaven. Really downtown or harbortown would be nice for you.

[TimtheGuy]

Originally Posted by tigergal

Unfortunately, that would make the income situation even tighter because of Mississippi's income tax.

Not going to be all that much tax on $29k....maybe 3% or $870/yr or $73/mo. Well worth it if you are figuring safety into the equation.

[tennreb]

Originally Posted by Pearlbob

$2000 a month at $29,000 a year? I don't know if that adds up right. But you could easily find a 1 bedroom or even a small 2 bedroom apt in the suburbs for a little more than $600, in a fine area. Or, a smaller place in town. Most anything downtown would be fine, if you could find it in your price range. How much are you willing to pay a month towards rent?

You can thank the government for that.

[memphis2]

[quote=TimtheGuy;2874101]You should look at Southaven and Horn Lake Mississippi. They are just over the border and would not be a bad commute. You will get a nicer/newer place for the money and be more safe.>>

If you are satisfied with making 29K the rest of your life, I might agree that Horn Lake would be "nicer" than downtown. But if you are an upwardly mobile young professional that ElldT seems to be then downtown would blow Horn Lake away, just in the experiences and contacts you will make. I think they are about equal as far as safe, unless you consider panhandling unsafe.

[ElleT]

Well I'm used to Panhandlers---they were all over my college town.

A roommate would be great, but I don't trust random listings online and things like that. My idea was to maybe sign a 6-month lease and hopefully by then know enough people to where I can find someone to live with.

I'd like to drive around and look for places and neighborhoods. The catch is I am over 6 hours away and my next visit would be to find a place and sign a lease.