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My husband and I are considering a move to Old Town. I have a few questions...
What is anyone's take on living in a quadrant where the school is Jefferson instead of Lyles Crouch? From what I heard, Jefferson leaves a lot to be desired. Is that true? Thoughts? There seem to be some great houses where the school is Jefferson.
Also, are there any 'coveted' blocks/areas in Old Town? I've heard SE but is there anywhere to be/avoid?
Lastly.... how does one get an historic plaque? Some houses that were built in the early 1800's have them and some don't. How does it qualify? Just curious!
Thanks for answering any of these many questions!!
My husband and I are considering a move to Old Town. I have a few questions...
What is anyone's take on living in a quadrant where the school is Jefferson instead of Lyles Crouch? From what I heard, Jefferson leaves a lot to be desired. Is that true? Thoughts? There seem to be some great houses where the school is Jefferson.
Also, are there any 'coveted' blocks/areas in Old Town? I've heard SE but is there anywhere to be/avoid?
Lastly.... how does one get an historic plaque? Some houses that were built in the early 1800's have them and some don't. How does it qualify? Just curious!
Thanks for answering any of these many questions!!
Old Town is sort of a patchwork of more/less desirable areas. You really need to just drive around and see what appeals to you. If the surrounding blocks to a place look good to you, then you'll probably do fine there. Generally everything East of Washington St. is pretty nice (and expensive) but there are plenty of good neighborhoods on the other side as well, particularly in the South end of town.
I don't know the answers to all of your questions but I can probably answer a few.
Hard to say what the most coveted blocks of Old Town are as the vast majority of it would be considered upscale. However, most anywhere east of Washington Street/GW Parkway up to the waterfront would be (even) more sought after than points west. What is your budget?
The only questionable area would be the Parker-Gray neighborhood which includes a lot of city-subsidized housing. Ironically, some of the more expensive homes in the city bump up against it. If you're looking at any of these homes east of Washington St, then I wouldn't worry about it. Any minor issues seem to occur west and closer to the Braddock Road train station. I wouldn't come stumbling home through there at 2am but daytime and normal commuting hours would be just fine.
I'd say that the SE side is more sought after for a couple of reasons.
The close proximity to the river. -- some people like to be near the water and the bike path. But another benefit is that the river blocks any outside traffic from the east cutting through that sector. So, I'd say that 80% of the traffic will be local residents. It's nice not to have cars driving through your neighborhood all the time.
I live a couple blocks north of King and east of Washington. In my opinion, this is a great location if you want the European city-life feel. Close to the core of Old Town yet relatively quiet (we do get tour buses, though). Easy walk to Market Square and the water. Walk to to shops, restuarants, etc. It's further from Metro, but there is get service on DASH or Metrobus if you don't want to walk.
If you have kids who will be going to public school, though, you might want to be in SE because of schools. As you go further south or the blocks closest to the water (Union, Lee), though, you'll want to pay attention to the flood hazard zone as flooding can be a problem. We're out of the flood hazard zone but got the insurance just in case.
West of Washington and South of King is pretty safe, although through traffic can be heavier. We almost moved there. It's closer to Metro but further from the heart of Old Town with a little less historic charm.
West of Washington and North of King has more problems with crime and public housing. Access to Metro and slightly lower prices are the big pluses. As a result, this is a slightly younger area. I also lived in this part (Parker Gray) for a few years. It works out well for many people, but I would do more research and definately visit at night. Things have been improving here although not as fast as many would like.
I won't get on my soapbox against about the Parker-Gray area of Old Town. I'll just say that if you look at crime stats for this year, you'll find that there isn't a significant difference in crime between West of Washington and East of Washington on the northern side of King Street. South of King Street has the least amount of crime in Old Town.
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