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We're looking to move to RDU in a few months. My husband has been offered a job on E. Pettigrew street, which I know is a changing neighborhood. We're wondering how dangerous it is at this point. The area is between Fayettville and Alston.
I realized I didn't clarify...I'm talking about E Pettigrew in Durham, between Fayetteville and Alston. It's right along the tracks.
Last edited by Darby Cutty; 04-18-2007 at 08:36 PM..
Reason: to clarify
We're looking to move to RDU in a few months. My husband has been offered a job on E. Pettigrew street, which I know is a changing neighborhood. We're wondering how dangerous it is at this point. The area is between Fayettville and Alston.
There is North and South Pettigrew Street in Raleigh....Alston street is short street off Lenior (across from Ligon Middle).
Fayetteville (and Alston)....they both run North/South....not East anyway.....and Pettigrew is not between them.
However, the area all around there is, while not the best or upscale...it is improving (several homes are being remodeled, that sort of thing) and it's safe enough that I don't have an issue sending my daughter to school there and I wouldn't mind working in the area.
We're looking to move to RDU in a few months. My husband has been offered a job on E. Pettigrew street, which I know is a changing neighborhood. We're wondering how dangerous it is at this point. The area is between Fayettville and Alston.
I realized I didn't clarify...I'm talking about E Pettigrew in Durham, between Fayetteville and Alston. It's right along the tracks.
There are a lot of industrial businesses along that corridor. I would not at all be worried about having a job at one of the major employers along that corridor, or for that matter anywhere in downtown Durham.
Some of the neighborhoods to the north of that area have had troubles with drugs and crime, but I'd by no means be worried about holding a job there. And as you know, the area *is* changing quickly, with projects like the Venable and Heritage Square.
There are a lot of industrial businesses along that corridor. I would not at all be worried about having a job at one of the major employers along that corridor, or for that matter anywhere in downtown Durham.
Some of the neighborhoods to the north of that area have had troubles with drugs and crime, but I'd by no means be worried about holding a job there. And as you know, the area *is* changing quickly, with projects like the Venable and Heritage Square.
Thank you to those who replied. We are not living in the area, so please forgive my unclear post. I truly appreciate guidance!
We're not unfamiliar with living in an urban area, coming from NY. And we've been to visit Durham a few months ago, and it looks like a wonderful and exciting place to relocate. We love the diversity, and would much prefer a community with interesting multicultural influences over the Whitelandia suburbs we've run across in so many parts of the country...strip malls, chain stores, Wal-Mart, .33 acre subs with 4/2.5 homes, etc. I can do with out that kind of blandness. And I hate Walmart anyway.
But we've been reading about urban blight in Hayti and how original AA businesses and neighborhoods had been destroyed and relocated, we weren't sure how safe the neighborhood would be for old fuddy-duddy white people. (that would be us.) I got the impression that the Heritage Square development was being resisted because the developer was white, despite the fact that the improvement would allow better facilities for predominantly AA businesses. From what I read, crime in Heritage Square is still a continual issue, with theft, assault, etc.
It's very difficult to gauge the personality of a city from 500 miles away. I know the areas of NY to traverse briskly at night, and the areas which are perhaps ugly, but funky and safe. But I've lived here all my life, yanno?
Anyway, thanks for the feedback. We're really thrilled to think about moving to Durham. Not sure where we'll live yet, but there are many, many great options, it seems.
Thank you to those who replied. We are not living in the area, so please forgive my unclear post. I truly appreciate guidance!
We're not unfamiliar with living in an urban area, coming from NY. And we've been to visit Durham a few months ago, and it looks like a wonderful and exciting place to relocate. We love the diversity, and would much prefer a community with interesting multicultural influences over the Whitelandia suburbs we've run across in so many parts of the country...strip malls, chain stores, Wal-Mart, .33 acre subs with 4/2.5 homes, etc. I can do with out that kind of blandness. And I hate Walmart anyway.
But we've been reading about urban blight in Hayti and how original AA businesses and neighborhoods had been destroyed and relocated, we weren't sure how safe the neighborhood would be for old fuddy-duddy white people. (that would be us.) I got the impression that the Heritage Square development was being resisted because the developer was white, despite the fact that the improvement would allow better facilities for predominantly AA businesses. From what I read, crime in Heritage Square is still a continual issue, with theft, assault, etc.
It's very difficult to gauge the personality of a city from 500 miles away. I know the areas of NY to traverse briskly at night, and the areas which are perhaps ugly, but funky and safe. But I've lived here all my life, yanno?
Anyway, thanks for the feedback. We're really thrilled to think about moving to Durham. Not sure where we'll live yet, but there are many, many great options, it seems.
Aha! Thanks for clarifying. So I'm going to try to touch on a few things:
First, there's a lot of history around the Hayti community, obviously. Heritage Square is sensitive as a result. However, most of the opposition to the H.S. redevelopment comes from the owner of a shopping center around the corner. That center, and a failed townhouse community next door, were both developed by a local husband-and-wife developer (with city/federal dollars) who have a relatively poor track record, and they've gotten some people behing them in opposing the *new* Heritage Square. On the other hand, the city council unanimously supported it -- in part due to the fact that the developer has promised to maintain spaces in the new project for current H.S. business owners. A number of them (who are largely African-American) have been very supportive of the redevelopment, because the current Heritage Square project has a range of structural and maintenance issues.
Honestly, most folks don't put a lot of stuck in the shopping center owners who are opposing the Heritage Square project, from what I've seen. There is a lot of sensitivity around trying to prevent rampant gentrification from happening in Durham, though that's always a fine line to walk. Note that the old Heritage Sq. is still there - the new one won't be built for a few years.
The Venable is an interesting project. The warehouse was falling apart but did have good use as really cheap space for local artists. The developer (who is also doing H.S. -- he's a local guy) had to displace the artists, but bought another building near Central Park downtown as a new home for several of them. In addition, he's redeveloping Golden Belt Manufacturing, a former factory in east Durham, as a live-work space for artists. The Venable is home to the Independent, the alt-weekly in the Triangle, along with other businesses.
You guys should check out Golden Belt. www.goldenbeltarts.com It is a cool, newly rehabbed arts development with some residential lofts. The area with the rehabilitation of Golden Belt is really improving--you can read about it in this article from the N&O. The Durham News | Golden Belt area 'looks alive again'
I am really looking for cheap space in Durham for a photo studio, we are a local photo group that needs to expand and grow, now when i say cheap, i mean $100-300 a month, where i am from there are many places for art studios (Grand Rapids, MI) is there any thing in the area like that, even a empty building? thanks
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