Asheville Neighborhoods? (Black Mountain: houses, school district, living in)

[EnglishCream]

Montford can be dicey...a co-worker of mine lives there and often comments on how hit or miss the neighborhood is, literally by the block. It's not considered a bad neighborhood, but it's not the greatest, either. Walking home in the dark from downtown, especially the other end of downtown like Pack Square is, could be problematic.

[cooperwx]

Generally west of Montford Ave, close in (~south of Chestnut), is the only rough part of Montford left. It's gotten really pricey and most of the run-down houses have been renovated. I'm pretty sure I'd feel comfortable walking up Montford Ave in the evening. Getting there in the areas just south of I-240, not as much.

[alice_61]

According to this article, http://www.protect.org/bellamy.html (broken link), 10% of Asheville's population lives in public housing. That seems like quite a high percentage compared to some other cities in NC.

[Asheville Native]

Probably about right, we do have a very socialists city council here, and housing all homeless is their 10 year goal, drunk, sober, or on drugs don't matter to them.

The other 90% of the people foot the bill for those that choose not to provide for them self.

Another 90% statistic, about 90% of all shootings occur in these 'projects', and the city is trying to create more of these cesspools.

[nanannie]

We noticed a few blocks of "beat up" houses that all looked alike (like "tree house" styles) when driving around Montford>are these some of the "projects" you are speaking of ?

[cooperwx]

Courtland, south end of Pearson (basically the area around Montford Park), and also the Klondyke Apts. on the north end of the neighborhood. are the last remaining rough areas in Montford.

[treehouse51]

One way to check out the safety of an Asheville neighborhood is to call the police dept. They are very happy to tell you about the safety and crime situation. 828-252-1110 for Asheville and Buncombe County is 828-255-5555. You can also check out the Asheville Chamber of COmmerce web site's relocation info. They have a section with general crime info that compares Asheville to other places. I don't know if this will help much, but if you are serious about moving to a particular area, it would be good to talk with the police. If you are interested in a certain house they will even tell you about past problems there may have been there.
Cheers!
Tree

[hesitant]

I'd like to thank everyone who answered my question about Montford -- all were very helpful, and I'll definitely check with the police before signing a lease.

[vandemusser]

I think the whole crime issue in Asheville is extremely overrated. I live adjacent to the Klondyke apartments - my back yard actually abuts the one-way road coming out of that place. Sure, it can get loud sometimes, and lord knows that there is drug-related transactions that happen in there, but very rarely do I see anything happen in my neighborhood. I've left bikes out on the front porch, cars unlocked, and even front doors unlocked (all accidentally), but I really do believe that the people that live there have very little interest in leaving their neighborhood to mess with other people's. Maybe it's just my neighborhood, but for 3 years now, all I have had to deal with is loud car stereos and the most annoying ice cream truck on the planet (I find it strange that ice cream vendors prey on people who can barely afford to keep clothes on their backs, let alone food on their tables.)

Don't let these worry-warts freak you out - I haven't seen a drive-by shooting or a break-in since I moved here. Montford is definitely not a place for people who want eveyone to look and act the same, however. Every type of person is represented here - for better and worse. It's never dull, I'll tell you that much. For the right type of person, this is a fantastic neighborhood.

[cooperwx]

Originally Posted by vandemusser

I think the whole crime issue in Asheville is extremely overrated. ... I really do believe that the people that live there have very little interest in leaving their neighborhood to mess with other people's.

Don't let these worry-warts freak you out - I haven't seen a drive-by shooting or a break-in since I moved here.

Totally agree. There is almost no violent crime in Asheville. All cities have public housing, domestic disputes, etc. but almost never does it spill out all over town.

Montford is an awesome, diverse neighborhood with historical charm in an almost unbeatable location.