Does Antioch get a bad rap? (Watertown: houses, neighborhood, buying)

[rossc]

We're trying to narrow down our search to a few specific locations. We would still like to be closer to Nashville, but we've seen some great deals on houses in Antioch. Good sized places with garages and a little bit of land. I'm wondering if what people say about Antioch is true or if it is like any other area where there are good areas and bad.

Is there a part of Antioch that should be avoided? I pretty much know when I drive through an area whether or not I'd want to live there, but at this point we're shopping long distance. I look at photos of houses and photos of the surrounding neighborhood and to the naked eye, they look great. Definitely not the ghetto, yet some folks still say "Stay away from Antioch".

Thanks...Ross

[gbone]

In general, Antioch does get a bad rap. However, you are right that it is like many areas where it has both good parts and bad parts. There is a part of Antioch that has recently started being called Cane Ridge. It's an area that has nice and fairly inexpensive houses. I have some friends that have lived in this area for the past ten years and they are very pleased with it, even though it is in the Antioch zip code.
I would take what people say on this forum with a grain of salt, myself included. Most everybody is giving their own anecdotal opinion, some good and some bad. You might just want to visit the various housing developments and talk with people who live there. While doing that you might also want to stop by the police precinct that covers the Antioch area and just talk with some of the officers about areas of Antioch that they consider relatively safe versus relatively unsafe. I think that the information you get from them will be more objective and accurate than what you get anonymously on this forum. Good luck with your search.

[Mike in TN]

I wouldn't hesitate to live near Cane Ridge or Priest Lake.

[scottv]

I personally wouldn't buy in Antioch, simply because it does have such a widespread bad reputation (which I would say is deserved, but there are some decent areas to be found)...I know people who have been trying to sell for 2 years and they're stuck...I don't see it on the upswing either-just think it will only get worse when downtown gets revitalized because all those ex-residents will be displaced to places like Antioch, Madison, Donelson. It's a risky proposition buying in Antioch, hence the prices.

[rossc]

Thanks....So barring an in person visit, would it be safe to assume that the area east (lake side) of Rt24 is a better area or is sort of a mixed bag?

[scottv]

Originally Posted by rossc

Thanks....So barring an in person visit, would it be safe to assume that the area east (lake side) of Rt24 is a better area or is sort of a mixed bag?

The problem you get into over there is you are now close to the Airport and there could be noise issues.

[BCA18]

You're seeing some great deals on houses in Antioch b/c nobody wants to live there. It's pretty much as simple as that.

[Watertown Gal]

It's a shame too, because Antioch used to be a great area to live in before the illegals took it over. I know because I used to live there, and now, you couldn't pay me to live in that area.

[Steve_TN]

Originally Posted by Watertown Gal

It's a shame too, because Antioch used to be a great area to live in before the illegals took it over. I know because I used to live there, and now, you couldn't pay me to live in that area.

I agree with this. Also, would be afraid that your property resale value would be horrible since Antioch does not have a good reputation.

[Watertown Gal]

You know it's bad when Hickory Hollow Mall is referred to as "the ghetto mall", but that is an accurate description of it nowadays. I can remember when there was nothing but farms in that whole area and Bell Rd. was just a narrow, two lane road that was the quickest way to get to Percy Priest Lake.....shoot, I can remember when Percy Priest wasn't there at all and everybody thought that students at Antioch HS rode pigs to school. Guess I'm getting old because I've seen so much change in my 50+ years of living in Nashville and I can't say that it's been a change for the better in a lot of ways either..