Need Info. re. Downtown Rentals (Springfield, Miller: apartments, lofts, crime)

[Yoga4me]

Thinking of relocating to Springfield. Have been looking at the downtown area where there are lofts for rent/lease. Found the site www.Springfieldloftapartments.com and there were several that looked good. The downtown area looks like they have nice retaurants and interesting things to do and see there, bus service, etc. Would like to know what the locals think of these lofts and the areas they are in. Is downtown still thriving in these economic times? Do people feel safe going downtown? Crime? Thanks.

[conando]

Downtown is a nice area, and very popular among the 20-40 year old crowds. Most of the lofts are quite nice, if not a little expensive. Crime is not bad, not that I have noticed, at least. There are a lot of unique restaurants and bars in the area, and it's usually where I go when I meet up with friends. The first Friday of every month there is an Art Walk, which draws a lot of people, and the weekends can be quite busy.

You'll probably hear a lot of loud drunk people, but it's all part of living in the area.

[slyder1]

Downtown is great if you like the urban lifestyle. Lots of great restaurants, shops, art galleries, bars, etc. I lived in a loft for 2 years and loved every minuet of it, and hope to move back down there soon. I just loved having everything at my fingertips. There are many lofts to choose from, but make sure you stray away from Matt Miller Co. (Blueblocklofts.com) He builds very cheap lofts! They may look great on the inside, but you can hear everything, even talking through the walls. The doors into the apartments aren't even flush with the floor, so you can hear people walking down the hall to their loft. My friend lived in Wilhoit Plaza and alway's complained about noise. With that said, there are many great lofts downtown. You just need to walk around downtown and look around, there are tons of "loft lease" signs in windows above businesses. Somestimes the best lofts are the independent one's. The crime downtown is nothing to worry about. The reccession has had no effect on downtown so you don't have to worry about that. Hope you have some luck with finding a loft!