Need input about Midtown-Madison Ave.

[Pearlbob]

On the main streets, especially. Just because that's where people tend to walk. You might want to look into renting a duplex/unit inside of a home more back into the neighborhoods. Although, vagrants tend to not approach you IN your home Maybe just the parking lot.

[kwgrid]

Originally Posted by Deck

And while I was typing that Bob just basically said the same thing ...

If you live in Midtown, you will be approached by bums/vagrants/crackheads... A LOT.

sigh.....

Thanks so much for your input. Both of you. It is GREATLY appreciated.

[strumpeace]

I would pick the Cooper address, although in all fairness, it should be noted that nearby Overton Square is going through a long, slow death. There are still things to do there, of course, but they are much fewer in number than they were ten years ago. (That's when TGI Friday's--a hideous chain--was the life of Midtown.)

The other area you gave is ok. I used to drive through that intersection every morning and afternoon while taking my son to and from school. It seemed that there were always a lot of 'wanderers' in that area.

Have you looked for anything north of Poplar? There are lots of rentals on McLean, Hawthorne, and Evergreen on the north side of Poplar near Overton Park (between Poplar and North Parkway). There tend to be fewer 'wanderers' in those neighborhoods; the downside is that you're not within walking distance of anything besides the zoo and park.

Best wishes.

[R Z]

No where is guaranteed safe. I have friends who live in gated communities who have been robbed in plain daylight. What it boils down to is intellegence. Use common sense by keeping your doors locked, making your place look lived in, use timers for lights, and if possible consider an alarm. This ain't the 1950's any more.

[strumpeace]

Good advice.

And here's one from the 1950s that may actually help: Get to know your neighbors. Look out for one another.

[JMT]

Strumpeace, that is about the best piece of advice I've seen in a long, long time. And it's very true. To be honest, it's one of the reasons I looooved living in Midtown Memphis, it really did have that friendly feel where neighbors looked out for each other. My friends in Cordova and East Memphis didn't have that in their neighborhoods.

I lived just a couple of blocks off Cooper on Peabody and walked or rode my bike to just about everything I needed to do in Midtown: Schnuck's, Starbucks, Walgreen's, Studio on the Square, even down to Cooper-Young. Maybe it's because I'm a big mean guy, but I never got stopped by a vagrant.

Having said that, I think a single female should definitely take precautions and have a can of mace handy at all times while walking in Midtown. Not that she'll actually have to use it, but better safe than sorry.

Memphis is a big city, and with any big city it's got its crime along with its wonderful, walkable neighborhoods. It's just the way of the world these days.

By the way, my car was never broken into when I lived in Memphis and kept it parked on the street for 3 years. It wasn't until I moved over by the U of M that bad things started to happen.

[ComputerMan]

There's an apartment building on union and kimbrough near my work. It's tall so I figure one of the upper floors would be safe. I've never felt unsafe in that area.

[Senor Boogie Woogie]

Originally Posted by Pearlbob

And to put it this way, if I were younger, I would live in any of those places you mentioned happily (as long as the actual unit was updated and nice). It's a great area for younger people who don't "need" much in a home.

I am from Mempho, and I would of loved at one time, as a youngster to have a place to live in Midtown, in may ways, it really is the best part of Memphis. The old houses are beautiful, and everything is close by. I grew up in WHITEhaven and then Germantown as a teenager, and I always enjoyed going to Midtown, the zoo, Pink Palace, the old houses, Heuy Burgers, P and H Cafe.

If you go to Memphis, go to the P and H Cafe on Madison. That is Midtown Memphis in all of it's glory and bumps. Unfortunately, the owner, named Wanda Wilson (local celebrity) was robbed by some urban dwellers, and sold the bar to its original owners. If you are too lazy to drive to Tunica, you can play the illegal video "fruit machines".

I would however stay south of Poplar, north of Peabody, and east of Cleveland. I will also say that a lot of crime is property crime, there is unfortunately a lot of drugs like crack around, and people from Midtown or the slums around it are addicted and looking to steal something for a bump. I would keep anything that you want to keep inside the house and have a good alarm on the car. No different than anywhere else in America. I think that most victims of violent crime are people who are known by the attacker much more than a "wrong person, wrong time."

Senor