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If I was in college, I would think that Elizabeth and P/Midwood would not be my cup of tea. Population in both places are older than college crowd as both are mostly single family detached home neighborhoods. They really are not friendly if you don't have a car.
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Tunkpirate, My advice, if you are on a budget, is to get a place on S. Blvd near the LRT that you can afford especially if it lets you forgo a vehicle. However if you don't have a job and little savings, expect a tough time. Would help if you had a family member willing to co-sign a lease. I would also check out the new development near South End. While this doesn't seem logical, the reason I say this is there has been a huge amount of overbuilding there, and the property owners might be willing to cut you a deal as some rent is better than none. Good Luck.
[quote=lumbollo;10396224]If I was in college, I would think that Elizabeth and P/Midwood would not be my cup of tea. Population in both places are older than college crowd as both are mostly single family detached home neighborhoods. They really are not friendly if you don't have a car.
Our OP is not a college student Plaza Midwood and Elizabeth are full of young 20 and 30-somethings. He would fit right in.
I appreciate everyone's responses so far. I will definetly look into the areas other posters have suggested.
To clarify: I will have a car, but since parking is likely very expensive, I would like to try and utilize public transit as much as possible (not to mention its better for the environment, etc etc). There is a strong possibility that I would be able to get a co-signer for an apartment lease, but I would still like to live within my means as much as possible. Also, since I will only have one car between two people (and the GF isn't exactly a pro with a standard transmission), it would be best if she could use PT to get to work (This is also why the living somewhere outside the city would probably not work).
My GF has family in Clover, SC. Do you think I would be better off staying with them for a few days and apartment searching, or will a long distance search work just as well?
I don't think there is anything wrong with searching long distance, as that's where many searches begin. However, since you have your girlfriend's family in the area, it might not be a bad idea to stay with them and take a look at some of the areas yourself.
I'm not a real estate agent, but this is a time where working with one would be a great idea. He or she could drive you (or meet you) at apartments and homes through various neighborhoods based on your criteria, and you could really get an idea if the housing/public transportation was a good fit.
Most agents are passionate about helping people find homes, and they are experts in situations just like yours.
Loves Moutains has given you the best advice, take it. You do not want to live along South Blvd.
This is a big generalization for a 10 miles of road. If you noticed from my post I said to check out the new stuff in South End which South Blvd goes right through. Lots of over building so there may be deals there and this area is no more unsafe than anywhere else.
Certainly better than living out in Elizabeth or Plaza Midwood which are not particularly friendly to pedestrians and some of the surrounding neighborhoods there are the scariest in Charlotte. I would much rather ride Lynx than a bus that originated at Eastland Mall.
This is a big generalization for a 10 miles of road. If you noticed from my post I said to check out the new stuff in South End which South Blvd goes right through. Lots of over building so there may be deals there and this area is no more unsafe than anywhere else.
Certainly better than living out in Elizabeth or Plaza Midwood which are not particularly friendly to pedestrians and some of the surrounding neighborhoods there are the scariest in Charlotte.
"out in Elizabeth"??? COME ON - Elizabeth is THE closest nice neighborhood to uptown, you made it sound like it's out in the suburbs or something
There may well be deals in South End, but I highly doubt that any are good enough to accomadate Tunk's very limited budget. In addition, South End is thisclose to a lot scarier places than Elizabeth. He'll be a lot safer in Elizabeth and have very good bus access to uptown like he wants so that he can leave his car parked at home.
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
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Originally Posted by Tunkpirate
I appreciate everyone's responses so far. I will definetly look into the areas other posters have suggested.
To clarify: I will have a car, but since parking is likely very expensive, I would like to try and utilize public transit as much as possible (not to mention its better for the environment, etc etc). There is a strong possibility that I would be able to get a co-signer for an apartment lease, but I would still like to live within my means as much as possible. Also, since I will only have one car between two people (and the GF isn't exactly a pro with a standard transmission), it would be best if she could use PT to get to work (This is also why the living somewhere outside the city would probably not work).
My GF has family in Clover, SC. Do you think I would be better off staying with them for a few days and apartment searching, or will a long distance search work just as well?
Go with the girlfriend's family for a few days. Run the whole thing past them. They might have an entirely different take on it than any of us.
I appreciate everyone's responses so far. I will definetly look into the areas other posters have suggested.
To clarify: I will have a car, but since parking is likely very expensive, I would like to try and utilize public transit as much as possible (not to mention its better for the environment, etc etc). There is a strong possibility that I would be able to get a co-signer for an apartment lease, but I would still like to live within my means as much as possible. Also, since I will only have one car between two people (and the GF isn't exactly a pro with a standard transmission), it would be best if she could use PT to get to work (This is also why the living somewhere outside the city would probably not work).
My GF has family in Clover, SC. Do you think I would be better off staying with them for a few days and apartment searching, or will a long distance search work just as well?
OK so I still think renting a room would save you the most money. This one for instance is the master bedrm in a house with 2 other people so you and your girlfriend would have your own bathrm. It is $340/month including water and power bills. You would have to make sure they are ok with the 2 of you. Then you would have 2 extra people to share utilities with such as internet and cable. It is in the UNCC area which has tons of restaurants and stores as possible part-time employment opportunities for the both of you. It is fully furnished including washer/dryer and all appliances. Also you can easily use the bus system to get uptown, max 20 - 30 min commute via the bus.
Walk to Campus (http://charlotte.craigslist.org/roo/1337048019.html - broken link)
Go with the girlfriend's family for a few days. Run the whole thing past them. They might have an entirely different take on it than any of us.
No offense southbound, but if they are from Clover they likely have no clue how to advise Tunk about where to live safest and cheapest in Charlotte.
I do agree however that Tunk and his girl should start out staying with the relatives until they get the lay of the land themselves
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Plaza Midwood and Elizabeth are full of young 20 and 30-somethings. He would fit right in.
You do not want to live along South Blvd.
