Tell me about Cape Girardeau (Jackson, Pacific: best neighborhoods, to rent, crime)

[camsgirl]

My husband is considering a position in Cape Girardeau. We'd like to be able to rent a small house w/yard. (I love older houses with character.) We would be arriving without having been to the area before. What parts of town are lower crime? Suggestions for surrounding areas for living in would be great too.

He is also a musician so would like to know about the music scene in the area.

We are both in our 40's and my grown daughter is in California, so schools are not a concern for us.

[jcwill]

Originally Posted by camsgirl

My husband is considering a position in Cape Girardeau. We'd like to be able to rent a small house w/yard. (I love older houses with character.) We would be arriving without having been to the area before. What parts of town are lower crime? Suggestions for surrounding areas for living in would be great too.

He is also a musician so would like to know about the music scene in the area.

We are both in our 40's and my grown daughter is in California, so schools are not a concern for us.

Cape Girardeau was first established in the late 1700's, and it has a lot of older homes dating from the late 1800's to choose from. The older areas are in the east, near the Mississippi River, and the south side of town. Unfortunately, both of those areas, but especially the south side of town, have some problems with a bit more crime. The absolutely best neighborhoods are in the west and northern parts of the city. I would say that if you wanted an older home, you could do well by staying near the University. There are many nice older homes on North Sprigg, Bellview, North Pacific Street, and in that general area. The key word here is NORTH. South Sprigg, South Pacific, or almost any street with South in front of it, are not as safe. I should know, I grew up on South Middle and South Pacific streets. Good Hope Street is not a great area either.

You can also do very well with newer homes on Lexington Avenue on the west side, but almost anywhere on the west side is a very good neighborhood.

One caveat on the east side. Some of the oldest homes on the east side are in what is called "The Red Star District". This area has some flooding from the Mississippi about once every 5 years. Most of the worst homes for flooding have been purchased and demolished, but if I were to consider the Red Star district I would ask questions about possible flooding. The Red Star district is a bit higher crime than the rest of town, but not like the south side is.

Jackson is only a bit north of Cape, but almost anywhere in that town is great. It is neat, tidy, and well-run. I don't know of a bad neighborhood in that town. You can't go wrong there.

Scott City is south of Cape, and it is very close too. It is a fine place, and quite a bit cheaper than either Cape or Jackson. There are a few places there that are not as tidy as Jackson, but it is still a good place overall.

Gordonville is north west of Cape, and it is a lot smaller than any other place I have mentioned, but it has older homes and farmland all around it. If you like the rural life, you can find it there. There is a great restaurant there too called the Gordonville Grill. Amazing food that is not at all what you would expect in a small town.

To learn more about music and culture in general in Cape, get the free online paper at semissourian.com, and logon to SEMOEVENTS.COM. There is an event called tunes at twilight that features all kinds of musicians in local parks in the area. There is a municipal band that was originally formed about 83 years ago. The band still meets at one of the parks and plays regularly in the open air throughout the summer on Wednesdays at a band shell in Capaha Park just like it did in the 1920's.

Cape is a great place to live and work. The people are friendly and the place has a smaller town feel while still being big enough to give you places to shop and things to do. It is a great compromise. I really love it and even though I originally came from Florida many years ago, Cape is the place I will always consider to be my home town.

I hope this helps.

John

[MisT]

My husband & I recently moved to Cape Girardeau for job transfer. There are lots of nice homes older and new homes listed in the SoutheastMissourian.com also check out houseview.com. Houseview is where we found our home. There was a post regarding Jackson; since you are looking for an older home - definitely consider Jackson as well.

[YogiTim]

Cape is a nice smallish town. I live there now. Traffic isn't too bad, although it is nothing compared to city living. Crime is sporadic, and most of it is petty theft and vandalism. I definitely see police out everywhere. There are lots of beautiful old homes here, and renting or financing a home is very reasonable. For example, I only pay $400 a month for a two story townhome.

JCwill gave some good advice--Red Star is kind of run down, and sort of on 'the wrong side of town'. My addition would be, stay away from the University directly. There are lots of Frathouses, etc. close by and late night parties are in order in those neighborhoods. I can't tell you how many times I had to put in earplugs in my first place! ;-)

We do have a venue called 'Tunes and Twilight' on Thursday evenings. It is a lot of local music, everyone brings out lawnchairs, beverages and has a great time.

Good luck with your search--