Is Southwest a bad side of town? (Charlotte, Huntersville: apartments, to rent)
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We are moving to CLT in January and are trying to decide wether to rent in Ballantyne or Southwest.
We found the Courtney Ridge Apts which seem nice, but we are not sure about the area. They are close to Uptown, which will be nice since we will be close to our jobs.Ballantyne seems like it's at least 30 mins if not more away.
Would you feel safe living at the Courtney Ridge Apts seeing as it is in the Southwest area? I am only asking because we heard over and over from the locals that the good areas are Southpark, Ballantyne, Huntersville and a few others and they all said to stay away from the West side.Please help us decide! Thank you!
West and Southwest are completely different as far as "sides of town" go. Steele Creek, which is on the SW side, is completely fine. In fact, the Steele Creek division is CMPD's quietest division.
Which part of the city you live in should definitely depend on your job, school choice, and preference of activities. Your uptown commute from the Steele Creek area is probably going to be 20 mins or so, whereas S. Charlotte/Ballantyne is closer to 30-45. SP, Ballantyne, Huntersville, etc are where the typical "everybodys" live. SW Charlotte is a little more down to earth, and not nearly as crowded.
I moved to Steele Creek about 11 years ago from East Charlotte to be nearer my job, and I've never regretted it. I expect to be here until I move to a rest home. I certainly don't consider it the bad side of town. It's not South Park or Ballentyne, but those areas a a little too hoity-toity for me.
Steele Creek is an interesting mixture of old and new. I moved into one of those subdivisions that have been replacing the dairy farms. At the time it was the closest place I could find to my job on Beam Road. I love the short commute that avoids the interstate traffic. (Previously I came across town on Independence and I-277. AAUGH!)
Since Steele Creek has been such a magnet for development, most of us here are new and measure our time in years, but there still are many that measure their time in generations.
I began getting involved with the community, starting with my homeowners association. Then I found the Steele Creek Residents Association and began their web site. I participate in all their committees & am on the board of the Steele Creek Library Association. I attend meetings of the Steele Creek Historical and Genealogical Society when I can. (Wow, you wouldn't believe how much history the area has!) Through my boy, I've also gotten involved with scouts, a local karate school, and the Steele Creek Athletic Association.
Folks have a wide variety of churches to choose from, from the historical and traditional to the ultra-modern.
It's amazing how much Steele Creek has changed in just the short time I've lived here. It's interesting to see the plans developers present for rezoning and watch them move toward completion. Things have really slowed down in the last couple of years, however, as they have everywhere.
I live closer to Whitehall than RiverGate but shop at both. When I moved here, I spent most of the early weekends at the Lowes in Pineville. It's great having more shopping close by. Although there are some high end developments coming in, most of Steele Creek is affordable and is one of the most naturally diverse communities in the Charlotte area.
Olympic High is on the upswing. It's been divided into five smaller schools to help the students from feeling lost in a mass of students and teachers. Olympic has some passionate supporters -- it wasn't by accident that a stadium made it into the 2007 school bonds projects and survived the cuts (but we're still waiting on the county to sell the bonds to build the stadium).
The Steele Creek community generally includes the area south of the airport and west of I-77. The nonresidential buffer along Beam Road and Tyvola Road separates it from other communities to the northeast.
I love living, working, and playing in Steele Creek.
Meh....I guess there is good and bad in every place. Agree with everyone that Steele Creek/Ayrsley areas are just fine, but yeah it gets a little treacherous in some areas....mainly more west than southwest as Ex-LI stated. I'd hate to heap all areas into one big generalization so I'm not going to do it. Let's just say you'd be better off staying outside the 485 loop on the southwest side as opposed to the inside. Hope I didn't hurt any feelings with that. :-)
FYI - although the OP mentioned 'southwest' they were specifically asking about the Courtney Ridge apts, which are located off of Yorkmont Rd. I think the OP might be better served hearing a report about that area, rather than Steele Creek.
Edit: Sorry for the repition, Ex-LI already mentioned Courtney Ridges location.
I was told by the apartment manager that it is on the Southwest side, but it sounds like some of you are saying Courtney Ridge is actually on the West side.
We drove around the area quite a bit during the day and night and it seemed quiet and fine. I just wanted to make sure our impressions were not mistaken. Would you not recommend renting there? I am concerned because my wife will be living there by herself for the first couple of months, until I can join her and I want to make sure she is safe.
Do you have any other suggestions for something between Southpark and Ballantyne or any other neighborhoods in short driving distance to Uptown and safe at the same time?
I was told by the apartment manager that it is on the Southwest side, but it sounds like some of you are saying Courtney Ridge is actually on the West side.
We drove around the area quite a bit during the day and night and it seemed quiet and fine. I just wanted to make sure our impressions were not mistaken. Would you not recommend renting there? I am concerned because my wife will be living there by herself for the first couple of months, until I can join her and I want to make sure she is safe.
I'm not familiar with the area in question, so I cannot provide an opinion on it's relative safety, but hopefully someone else can do that. I just wanted to point-out that geographical descriptions are open to interpretation and therefore you should take that into consideration when referencing areas of town.
Personally, I'd want to live somewhere that had other amenities closer-by (grocery stores/misc retail) and so that would make me consider those other locations first - but that's just my preference.
I was told by the apartment manager that it is on the Southwest side, but it sounds like some of you are saying Courtney Ridge is actually on the West side.
We drove around the area quite a bit during the day and night and it seemed quiet and fine. I just wanted to make sure our impressions were not mistaken. Would you not recommend renting there? I am concerned because my wife will be living there by herself for the first couple of months, until I can join her and I want to make sure she is safe.
Do you have any other suggestions for something between Southpark and Ballantyne or any other neighborhoods in short driving distance to Uptown and safe at the same time?
Put it this way, those apartments are right on the west Charlotte/southwest Charlotte border.
Which is to say, they are a little too close to west Charlotte for me to personally feel safe there. However, I am sure there are plenty of people who live there who feel very comfortable. It's just too near some areas with problems for me to feel comfortable, that's all. I really like the Steele Creek area and would recommend you look at places there instead
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