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Thanks Jowel, for both your time and for the knowledge that you imparted.
I can't imagine a Charlotte with well over 100 murders. It might explain the attitude that's seen in a lot of people (e.g. "Charlotte's a City, and in a City there's crime").
Was crime in Charlotte more confined back then, to specific areas? I have known former Charlotteans who left the City in the 1990's, and what I wonder is if the idyllic Charlotte that they described was more a product of their own making, as opposed to reality?
I remember the high murder rates and the areas where I didn't dare go after dark, i.e. Cedar Street and other downtown streets, etc. There were lots of very dangerous areas. Now, many of the nice areas of the 60s and early 70s like Hidden Valley have turned into dangerous, gang ridden ghettos.
I wasn't in Charlotte in the 80s. But, many of the neighborhoods like Westerly Hills and Westchester and some others sook about the same. The homes are generally not kept up like they were, but generally look about the same. We did not leave the doors unlocked although many did. I always thought they were taking a chance and occasionally they were. Traffic jams weren't a thing in the 60s or 70s. The biggest change is uptown. Although uptown Charlotte was pretty big since the 40s or 50s according to old photos, there were just a few buildings over 18 or 20 stories high. That is the biggest change. Independence Boulevard has changed significantly.
I thank you for your time, and for sharing your perspective.
I'd like to hear Jewkranian's take on too this but I'll chime in as well since I was familiar with Charlotte at least in the early 1990's. At that time, the areas around North Davidson Street (recently called NoDa), the Plaza near 36th Street, etc. were somewhat rough, unlike the gentrified places that now feature artsy fartsy craft beer and upscale condos (that admittedly all look about alike) and small bungalows pushing half a million dollars. The same would go for the Wilmore neighborhood just west of downtown, which has seen a lot of gentrification.
The area that stands out to me with de-gentrification is the part of the East side that is about halfway between Uptown and 485, near the old Eastland Mall which is near Albemarle and N. Sharon Amity Roads. During that time, that area was seeing a notable economic downturn and disinvestment. As recently as the early to mid 1990's the area around the former Eastland Mall was booming middle class suburbia but towards the late 1990's, things started changing. The problem areas were no longer the "inner city" areas outside of downtown which were then becoming trendy, and they weren't the newest suburban areas on the very edge of Charlotte (485 would be a good marker for this). They were the areas in between.
Along Albemarle Road, at prime intersections, mid range steak houses and department stores were being replaced with check cashing joints and dollar stores. Class A and B commercial space and apartments were becoming Class C spaces. I remember walking in Eastland Mall in 1998 and thinking "this place is not the same mall I was in five years ago", and the feel of the area and mall itself just seemed more unsettled.
And a few years later, Independence Boulevard businesses were being steamrolled with the conversion to a freeway as mobility won the battle against commerce and one by one, businesses closed and commercial buildings deteriorated.
Of course, none of this is permanent and neighborhoods can get better and worse and better again over their lifetime, but it takes a few decades to go from once cycle to another.
As far as crime, it's on the uptick now but in the early 1990's I remember there being well over 100 murders and Charlotte was half (if that) the size of today's population. So while it seems like things are more violent now, thanks to a news cycle that is more sensational 24-7 than it ever has been, there were some dicey times in the past too.
I agree with this 100%. I grew up off of Idlewild during the late 80s and 90s and it has changed and I noticed it. I also originally lived in Hidden Valley until my family moved off of Idlewild in 1988( I was 8yrs old at the time). Hidden Valley wasn't bad at all. It was all middle class black families. I do remember in the early 90s when Charlotte crime was worse than it is now. For a couple of years in a row Charlotte averaged over 100 murders a year. Earle village and Piedmont Courts downtown. North Charlotte was full of crime. You had other housing projects and neighborhoods like Boulevard Homes, Dellehay Courts, Southside( the only projects left), and neighborhoods like Druid Hills, Lincoln Heights, Willomore. These projects are all gone and these dangerous neighborhoods have been cleaned up. Trust me, the same people who laugh at Charlotte crime and bad neighborhoods today would not have stayed in the city in the early 90s. It was a different place....
I agree with this 100%. I grew up off of Idlewild during the late 80s and 90s and it has changed and I noticed it. I also originally lived in Hidden Valley until my family moved off of Idlewild in 1988( I was 8yrs old at the time). Hidden Valley wasn't bad at all. It was all middle class black families. I do remember in the early 90s when Charlotte crime was worse than it is now. For a couple of years in a row Charlotte averaged over 100 murders a year. Earle village and Piedmont Courts downtown. North Charlotte was full of crime. You had other housing projects and neighborhoods like Boulevard Homes, Dellehay Courts, Southside( the only projects left), and neighborhoods like Druid Hills, Lincoln Heights, Willomore. These projects are all gone and these dangerous neighborhoods have been cleaned up. Trust me, the same people who laugh at Charlotte crime and bad neighborhoods today would not have stayed in the city in the early 90s. It was a different place....
The unfortunate thing is that the way of "improving" certain areas is by shifting the problem to a different area, as opposed to eliminating it altogether.
Once the streetcar and lightrail are installed, I would imagine that parts of the westside will grow to be very expensive. But again...current residents will be priced out of these areas; it's not that their lot in life will be improved. This will only transfer urban woes to another part of the City.
I agree with this 100%. I grew up off of Idlewild during the late 80s and 90s and it has changed and I noticed it. I also originally lived in Hidden Valley until my family moved off of Idlewild in 1988
The Hidden Valley neighborhood that I know isn't anywhere near Idlewild.
The Hidden Valley neighborhood that I know isn't anywhere near Idlewild.
Apparently you misread my post. I clearly stated I MOVED from Hidden Valley to off of Idlewild. I never said anything about them being close together....which they arent....
I'm just curious: Is this your personal opinion or is there a source for this list?
It's his personal opinion. Those areas are heavily minority. I used to live on Park Rd in Charlotte and still know the city. He acts as if white people don't commit crime. Heck, there have even been several Jewish serial killers.
Apparently you misread my post. I clearly stated I MOVED from Hidden Valley to off of Idlewild. I never said anything about them being close together....which they arent....
"...I also originally lived in Hidden Valley until my family moved off of Idlewild in 1988..."
Strange syntax. Sorry.
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