downtown NC (Charlotte, Raleigh, Durham: apartments, rentals, condos)

[oaa1982]

Is it wise to live near or in downtown neighborhoods in NC? I think it ishould be more walkable and transitable than far areas. but of course it would be more expensive to live there...!

I wonder what are the neighborhoods that are close to downtown in raleigh, chapel hill, charlotte, and durham?

in addition, which is safer: durham, charlotte, raleigh, or chapel hill?

[lovesMountains]

Originally Posted by oaa1982

Is it wise to live near or in downtown neighborhoods in NC? I think it ishould be more walkable and transitable than far areas. but of course it would be more expensive to live there...!

I wonder what are the neighborhoods that are close to downtown in raleigh, chapel hill, charlotte, and durham?

in addition, which is safer: durham, charlotte, raleigh, or chapel hill?

Well, Chapel Hill is the smallest of these and the quaintest. Also probably the safest of the four. Charlotte has an "uptown" which I really like but living there is extremely expensive. A 700 square foot condo would start in the $200's. But it is the most vibrant of these four cities, in my opinion. My preception is that Durham's downtown is not somewhere you would walk after dark. Someone should comment on Raleigh, as I really don't know about its downtown living.

[Bull City Rising]

Originally Posted by oaa1982

Is it wise to live near or in downtown neighborhoods in NC? I think it ishould be more walkable and transitable than far areas. but of course it would be more expensive to live there...!

I wonder what are the neighborhoods that are close to downtown in raleigh, chapel hill, charlotte, and durham?

in addition, which is safer: durham, charlotte, raleigh, or chapel hill?

As LovesMountains mentioned, downtown (er, _uptown_!) Charlotte is a very "happening" place. I lived there briefly in '98 and barely recognize it. Lots of condos, apartments, townhomes, and shopping.

Raleigh has many great downtown neighborhoods and I'm sure RaleighRob or another regular can speak to those. I don't know Chapel Hill too well but what I've seen has been quintessential college town; there are some increasing condo and other in-town options, replete with some town-gown hubbub.

Durham has some terrific neighborhoods bordering downtown. Watts-Hillandale, Trinity Park, Duke Park, Old North Durham, Old West Durham, and Forest Hills are some of the best-known and most popular and you can walk/bike to downtown. To the south of downtown is the Durham Bulls park and a major mixed-use development (American Tobacco) that's the home to the southeast's largest ad agency among other tenants. To the west of downtown are the Brightleaf and Ninth Street districts, which includes nationally-ranked restaurants, art galleries, and great boutique shops. Downtown Durham itself does not have an issue with violent crime and is walkable and safe. There are some troubled neighborhoods to the east of downtown but crime is generally localized and isolated to "thug-on-thug" events. :-(

All four cities have great options for more 'urban' living and are worth a look.

[RaleighRob]

Raleigh's downtown is in a boom-development stage for sure. I won't compare it to downtown Durham or Chapel Hill though...they're different, but none are better than the other.

For Raleigh, the one problem about living downtown is that most of the recent development has been high-end condos, which are pricy. And for those doing a home search for downtown, those are the listings that always come up first, thus scaring away would-be downtown residents. There are more affordable places to live in (or near) downtown...it just takes more avid searching to find them. But once you do, it's SOOOO worth it!

[oaa1982]

very nice posts!

what do you think about the area around NCSU? is it ok? I mean safe, near downtown, and transitable...

[RaleighRob]

Originally Posted by oaa1982

what do you think about the area around NCSU? is it ok? I mean safe, near downtown, and transitable...

Yeah, quite safe pretty much.
The area north of NCSU (above Hillsborough Street but below Wade Ave) is called University Park...a very nice neighborhood with a few student rentals, but mostly homes for professionals. Very woodsy setting considering how close it is to downtown. Oberlin area is also north of NCSU, and it's a nice area of older bungalows bordering Cameron Village shopping center.

Areas to the south of NCSU along the Gorman Street and Avent Ferry Road corridors will be very heavily student rentals. Alot of houses and apartments built from the late 70s to mid 90s, with tons of young folk. Not bad if that's your thing, but if you like peace and quiet, you may not be all that thrilled with it.

Areas east of NCSU are mostly the Pullen Park, Cameron Park, and Boylan Heights neighborhoods...these are kind of a "buffer" between NCSU and the downtown core. Historical neighborhoods with some really really nice homes, but the prices are a bit higher (especially Cameron Park). Their location right between NCSU and mainline downtown make them very popular.

Areas west of NCSU include Method, Stanhope, and College Manor neighborhoods. They also have a good deal of student rentals, but no where near as much as the areas south of NCSU, mentioned above. Method was originally a village founded by freed slaves and still has some of those historical connections. Some affordable places can be found here, but the distance from downtown is greater here than the other areas around NCSU....plus higher traffic.