Cleveland Park, TN (Gallatin: houses, rent, lease)

[clifton]

I made offer on N 2nd St yesterday

[whithill]

Congrats!
so... how did the neighborhood feel to you? Tell us about the house!

[kimbey]

Clifton,
Which one did you get?? The one with the fireplace in the kitchen?
I loved that one. Hey will there be any houses left by the time I get there in
July?? What is the neighborhood like in and around second street? I know they are doing quite a few "flips" in the neighborhood. I'd do it myself but am scared I will "flop"! Let me know how you like it.
Thanks..............!

[kimbey]

Also, as you stated in an earlier post that Cleveland Park has the worst crime violent crime rate in Nahsville, why did you still want to buy a house there?
Just curious. I am shocked it is that bad but I guess I won't find out until
I get there in July.

[kimbey]

Good Luck in your new home Clifton! How is the crime in that area?
I also heard that guy is a stickler for his price on Stainback.

[kcnative]

I too am considering a house on north 2nd st. and have MUCH reservation about the street. The Sept. '06 crime report for the area said there was a driveby/fatality only a few houses down from the one I'm considering. I also saw a very clear drug deal go down in front of my car when we were leaving!

It has already been renovated and we can move right in. There are a few things we can do to continue to fix it up...namely a garage in the back, accessed by the alley. I am very worried about the street, but definitely want to buy somewhere in the area. The seller is asking 159k and we'd considered offering 150k...but now I'm having second thoughts. I'm wondering if 2nd is too far west, or if it will eventually improve like other parts of the area.

HELP!

[clifton]

I have started my renovation on N 2nd St and I have been working there every night after work until around 10:00. I have not had any problems. Everyone seems very friendly. There are a lot of people that gather on the streets. I think maybe the houses do not have air conditioning, so the people stay outside. I see LOTS of police patrols - I never see that at my house in west nashville.
The neighborhood is what it is. I think as more people buy home and do renovations the area will improve.
I'm curious where there is a house on N 2nd for $150K. I only paid $65K for mine, and the man across the street that is renovating only paid $37K.

[kcnative]

I believe the addy was 2015. It has already been redone. GREAT house...bad street. We decided to look in other areas.

[kimbey]

I got back from a visit to the Cleveland Park area last weekend. They have some good flip houses there but the area was just not for me. It would take at least 10 yrs or more for it to revitalize. I found it very run down. The people were great just not the area. If you are a patient person and can
wait for a major rehab of the area, this is the place for you. I was shocked
when I saw five points. I guess I was expecting it to be much more updated.
Hey, different strokes for different folks.

[Carol McCullough]

I moved to Cleveland Park in January of 2003. I am a neighborhood organizer and work with different neighborhood groups throughout the Metro area, so I think I have a pretty good gauge for comparison.

It is true that there is criminal activity in Cleveland Park, but I have never feared for my personal safety in Cleveland Park. I find the claim about Cleveland Park having the highest violent crime questionable--what boundaries are you using? I wouldn't be surprised if that was true of the 37207 zip code as compared to the others, though. 37207 is the zip code that most folks who are formerly incarcerated return to.

There are basically what I would call pockets of crime. The earlier post that suggested things vary block to block is pretty accurate. From that perspective, it pays to do your homework if you are going to move to this area.

Alternatively, if you are willing to tolerate a higher level of criminal activity temporarily, you can use the criminal activity on the block to negotiate a better price and then work with other neighbors to clean it up and have an even better investment.

What you most often encounter is street level drug dealing or a drug house. One street that bears mentioning is N 2nd Street. It has some of the most visible and dangerous criminal activity. At the same time, the police have that street in their sights and I think that it will be totally different in 3 years or less.

The area is significantly better than it was four years ago. Much of the criminal activity is getting pushed elsewhere. When I moved here, everyone talked about N 6th Street and the park as one of the worst parts. That criminal activity has dried up thanks to a solid partnership with the neighbors and police.

Cleveland Park (from Cleveland Street to Douglas and Ellington to Dickerson) and McFerrin Park (from Spring Street to Cleveland and Ellington to Dickerson) both have active neighborhood groups (respectively 4.5 and 2.5 years old) that are taking action to deal with the crime and improve the appearance of the neighborhood.

The trend I see is that increased property values and gentrification are taking hold in the urban neighborhoods and the crime is slowly creeping outward to the near suburbs such as Madison and Antioch. I anticipate this trend will continue and that the area is a very good investment.

One thing to bear in mind about the neighborhoods West of Gallatin (and really, more specifically West of Ellington Parkway) is that there is very little commercial development that is worth walking to so they would not currently be classified as walkable neighborhoods from that perspective.

These neighborhoods have "good bones," though. The older housing stock is amazing with fabulous high ceilings, pocket doors, big porches, tile and mantel fireplaces, and often significant square footage. The streets are nice and wide and the traditional grid system is so much more practical than the meandering streets in the suburbs.

One of my favorite things about my neighborhood, though, is the racial and socioeconomic diversity. I fear how gentrification will impact that diversity, even as I hope and pray for a coffee shop in walking distance.