the best & the worst of Mobile (Prichard, Fairhope: sales, crime rate)

[adventuregurl]

I have not yet been to Mobile however a friend was just there and absolutely loves it. I wonder if some of you locals could give me a feel for what makes Mobile so great and what you dislike about living there? What are your favorit things to do there?

I am a single female who works from home so a commute is not an issue for me. The crime rate sounds kind of high to me, is it something that you think of / worry about often? do most people have security systems in their homes?

Any info regarding the flavor of Mobile would be great. Thank you in advance.

[humacaena]

Hello again, Crime in Mobile is very high, specially intown. There are beautiful old homes in areas like Oakleigh, ect. and the prices are lower than they should be, as these areas are bordered by projects. West Mobile is nicer, and many escape to those burbs.
I live in Fairhope and we go to Mobile for Theater, dining, ect. but we are very glad to be 18 miles away, as our crime is nearly nil. We also have a 6% sales tax vs. 9% in Mobile. We do not even lock our doors many times, and feel safe in Fairhope. Intown Mobile, a man was robbed at gunpoint recently while mowing his lawn. Stores up and down Government Blvd. (a main thoroughfare) get held up quite often.
If you are by yourself, I can assure that Fairhope is more what you might want to consider. We escaped Atlanta....too many people, too much crime, ect and feel this is Paradise.

[adventuregurl]

Thanks humacaena, is it much more expensive in Fairhope?

[southernnaturelover]

There are some ghetto areas near downtown, and also around the Dauphin Island Pkwy (DIP) area. By far, the worst area is Prichard, which is it's own city on the edge of Mobile. I lived in west Mobile near Hillcrest Road and I liked it, it never felt unsafe.

[oscottscotto]

Of course there are exceptions to what I'm about to say (like the Oakleigh district, Leinkauf area, etc.), but here is the general rule if safety is your main concern in Mobile:

When east of I-65, the safer areas are generally north of Government St. and South of Spring Hill Ave. West of I-65 is generally safe. There might be a moderate area here and there, but nothing bad.

[downtowndoll]

We've never had anything happen personally to our stuff and we live in the Oakleigh Garden District. We don't bolt down the porch furniture. Neighbors of all ages gather together on the porches and drink lots of wine. I don't get much done since I moved down here! People in Midtown/Downtown Mobile appreciate people who try to live down here. I've never seen an area of people that include you so much. Before we knew it, we were involved in clubs, mystic(Mardi Gras) organizations that seemed pretty exclusive to most people but actually aren't.

There are lots of single women who live down here and they don't seem afraid. Of course, a lot of those same ladies are very against the idea of subdivisions, gated communities, etc. Several of my friends don't have alarm systems, choosing an evil-type dog instead!

Most of any crime is black on black, sadly. Urban life isn't for everyone; I'd live here by myself if I had to.

Crime is going to happen everywhere. I know the guy that got robbed while mowing his yard-actually it was a workman.

It happens in Fairhope: there is a bad area over there too to the south of Fairhope. I see them selling drugs on the way to the Grand Hotel on Battles Road area/Twin Beech Rd. They supposedly run around robbing the hard-working Mexicans. You also probably didn't hear about this recent crime over the summer: a lady took her garbage out in Fairhope, somebody snuck in and raped her. My mom lives in Rock Creek and all of them leave their doors unlocked and it just drives me nuts. Nowhere is safe.

Adventuregirl, if you are in your late 40's , you may be a little young for that area. For one thing, noone really cares if you move there or not like they would if you went to Midtown. If you are deadset on Fairhope, try to afford a dumpy house in the Fruit and Nut section. It will have a Midtown Mobile vibe. It will also be ridiculously expensive! The subdivisions aren't very friendly; they drive in the garages and never come out. We lived over there in my mom's house for several months during renovations. Hated it. Hated the traffic, slow old people in both lanes, overpriced boutiques.

[adventuregurl]

Originally Posted by southernnaturelover

There are some ghetto areas near downtown, and also around the Dauphin Island Pkwy (DIP) area. By far, the worst area is Prichard, which is it's own city on the edge of Mobile. I lived in west Mobile near Hillcrest Road and I liked it, it never felt unsafe.

Thanks, where do you live now?

[adventuregurl]

Originally Posted by oscottscotto

Of course there are exceptions to what I'm about to say (like the Oakleigh district, Leinkauf area, etc.), but here is the general rule if safety is your main concern in Mobile:

When east of I-65, the safer areas are generally north of Government St. and South of Spring Hill Ave. West of I-65 is generally safe. There might be a moderate area here and there, but nothing bad.

Thank you Oscottscotto!

[adventuregurl]

Thanks so much for your post, could you please clarify a few things for me?

"People in Midtown/Downtown Mobile appreciate people who try to live down here".

What does this mean? Is it hard to live there?

"Several of my friends don't have alarm systems, choosing an evil-type dog instead! "

I have a Maltese...she wouldn't scare a fly!

"Crime is going to happen everywhere. I know the guy that got robbed while mowing his yard-actually it was a workman."

I'm from Toronto and for a city with a metropolitan area of almost 6 million, it is SO safe (but awfully cold in the winter)

"Adventuregirl, if you are in your late 40's , you may be a little young for that area. For one thing, noone really cares if you move there or not like they would if you went to Midtown. "


I'm not quite sure what you mean by this...sorry a little slow!

Thanks for all your help downtowndoll

[oscottscotto]

I just noticed your location. You are thinking of leaving Sedona for Mobile?? Don't get me wrong, I love the Mobile/Eastern Shore area ... but wow, Sedona is like heaven on earth (to me at least).