Blair Towers--Downtown (Memphis: rent, house, safe area)

[cardinalgurl0408]

I have friend, a young professional, who lives in Blair Tower and she loves it. It has a community feel to it because most people who live in the building are around the same age. It is close to the downtown nightlife but without all the noise. It was a good fit for her. On another note, I am getting so tired of reading all of these negative responses. No matter where you live in Memphis, you have to make smart decisions about your safety. This is the case for any place you choose to live in the country. Just be smart. I am a lifelong Memphian and I feel safe.

[unc_ajb]

cardinalgurl0408: thank you for the alternate point of view.

While I sincerely appreciate the time folks have taken to offer advice, I must admit that I rarely return to this forum as I have been put off and disenheartened by the pessimistic tone that seems to predominate here. Positive, or even balanced, postings have been few and far between. How sad! I am looking forward to my move to Memphis this summer and to discovering the city for myself: the good along with the needs-improving.

[Beretta]

Originally Posted by unc_ajb

cardinalgurl0408: thank you for the alternate point of view.

While I sincerely appreciate the time folks have taken to offer advice, I must admit that I rarely return to this forum as I have been put off and disenheartened by the pessimistic tone that seems to predominate here. Positive, or even balanced, postings have been few and far between. How sad! I am looking forward to my move to Memphis this summer and to discovering the city for myself: the good along with the needs-improving.

Please come back and post here on your experiences. We would love to hear your point of view. All the best in your move.

[Lizakabibbis]

My sister lives in midtown and she has a 2bedroom that she pays 400 for a month. It is a cute little apartment and within walking distance to Madison where the Huey's is located. My advice would be to try craigslist. I wouldn't go through an apartment complex listed online at say rent.com I would go to something that is owned independent. There are a lot of duplex and mini apartment complexes in midtown that have reasonable rates and have that wonderful old feel. I would try to stay between madison and peabody if you want feel free to e-mail me and I will be more than willing to send you apartments.

[TN Lannie]

I shared a 2 bed/1 bath with another pharmacy student, and it was ok as a starter apartment. When we first moved in 4 years ago, the rent was only $540/month total. We got in on some sort of move-in special. Well, it sounded so great until we realized that most of the older tower apartments in Memphis will bill you for utilities based on the size of your apartment. So basically, our utility bill was always over $100/month. That really offset a lot of the savings we had. If you live in a studio apartment, expect to pay ~$90-$100/month - it really doesn't make much of a difference.

Since then, however, Blair Tower has done A LOT to make its residents more comfy. The elevators and rec room have all been redone. The apartments themselves have new carpet and most of the kitchen cabinetry seem to have had a makeover.

It would only take me 10 minutes to walk to class (more time to sleep in!) and I was only solicited once by a homeless woman for change. No biggie. During the day, danger was never an issue. In the mornings, everyone's going to work so the general area is fairly busy at that time.

Some things to consider:

Every once in a while I would hear gunshots ~9 pm (thank goodness I lived on the 9th floor). But crime even happens on Mud Island too.

Parking above ground is limited but if you pay extra you can park in the underground garage (plenty space here).

Why I do NOT live here anymore:
The main reason is that I no longer have a roommate and I felt it would be safer for me to move to Mud Island. It's pricey here, and the nice area gives you a false sense of security. But I'm closer to a lot of friends and that makes me feel safer especially if I have to come home late from the library or something. Also, the Mississippi River trail is an incentive for me to exercise more!

[unc_ajb]

Originally Posted by TN Lannie

Why I do NOT live here anymore:
The main reason is that I no longer have a roommate and I felt it would be safer for me to move to Mud Island. It's pricey here, and the nice area gives you a false sense of security. But I'm closer to a lot of friends and that makes me feel safer especially if I have to come home late from the library or something. Also, the Mississippi River trail is an incentive for me to exercise more!

Thanks for your reply! Boyfriend and I will be in Memphis next month for the pharmacy school weekend welcome event. I have a good friend who has lived in Midtown for several years and loves it, so she's going to show us around that part of the city, and then we've signed up for the housing tour of downtown/Mud Island with the pharmacy school--hopefully we'll get a good introduction to it all that way.

Mud Island will most likely be well beyond our price range, but it's worth a look. Plus, I am more interested in midtown for that neighborhood vibe...though being near the running trail would be SO nice...

Your comments about Blair Towers are appreciated. Any tips on being a pharmacy student in Memphis that I can pass on to my boyfriend would also be welcome!

[unc_ajb]

Originally Posted by Lizakabibbis

I wouldn't go through an apartment complex listed online at say rent.com I would go to something that is owned independent. There are a lot of duplex and mini apartment complexes in midtown that have reasonable rates and have that wonderful old feel.

Very helpful, thanks so much! We've been frequenting craigslist and will be visiting some of the properties found there next month when we come to town to scope out housing. We're definitely leaning towards a duplex/mini apartment vs. a big apartment complex. I've done the big apartment complex thing in college and am kind of over it!

[Pearlbob]

Be aware that Blair Towers isn't midtown. If you want a "midtown vibe" you need to be somewhere around Cooper and Young, or Cooper and Madison (for example).

Kimbrough and the Gilmore are 2 smaller apartment buildings in the heart of midtown that you might enjoy. A couple people on here ended up moving into Gilmore and loved it. I have had plenty of friends like it too. You get the stability of having a company-owned complex (as opposed to a random renter who may or may not answer his phone when you have a problem) but it's still quaint and has a "vibe."

[unc_ajb]

Originally Posted by Pearlbob

Be aware that Blair Towers isn't midtown. If you want a "midtown vibe" you need to be somewhere around Cooper and Young, or Cooper and Madison (for example).

Kimbrough and the Gilmore are 2 smaller apartment buildings in the heart of midtown that you might enjoy. A couple people on here ended up moving into Gilmore and loved it. I have had plenty of friends like it too. You get the stability of having a company-owned complex (as opposed to a random renter who may or may not answer his phone when you have a problem) but it's still quaint and has a "vibe."

Yeah, I knew Blair Towers isn't Midtown...I was interested in it because it's cheap!

Now that we've become more familiar with Memphis neighborhoods and learned that we don't have to live in an apartment complex to get a reasonable rate on rent, we're totally leaning towards Midtown's Cooper Young, etc. (thanks very much in part to the advice received on this forum).

We'll be sure to check out the Kimbrough and Gilmore next month...I've heard good things about those buildings from other sources as well. Thanks for the tip!

[unc_ajb]

Any other suggestions for "non-generic" apartment buildings in Midtown?