Highland Park? (Chattanooga, Lookout Mountain: real estate market, rentals, new home)

[charispina]

Hello.

We are moving to Chattanooga in June, and I have been looking for houses to rent in the area. My husband will be a freshly graduated med student starting his residency, and we also have a 12 month old and a dog.

I've found a couple of really attractive options in the Highland Park area, but I can't seem to get a straight picture of the neighborhood. (We will of course be visiting the city prior to selecting a property, but it's nice to know what to expect!) What's the deal with Highland Park? Is it kind of ghetto, or is it really "up and coming" as some people like to say? We have no issues with diversity - religious, racial, income level, etc.; we just want somewhere that will be safe, nice neighbors, all that jazz.

I did find an old thread on the neighborhood, but it was still pretty mixed (and almost two years old), so I'd love some current perspective.

If not Highland Park, where should we look? We'd love to stay pretty close to downtown, but we're fine with a 10 minute drive if it's worth it.

Thanks in advance - can't wait to move to Chatt!! <3

[dasmarian]

This is quite the passionate topic and has been argued a lot.

Here is my take: We also looked there when we were planning a move to Chatt 3 years ago. We looked at a few places, one in Highland Park, one in the burbs, and one in North Chatt. We opted for North Chattanooga at the time, although before we toured any of the neighborhoods we were leaning heavily toward the beauty in HP from the pics, size, and rent price. In the end we were very happy about N Chatt because we could walk to the riverfront and it had closer access to stores we liked. While the house in North Chatt was a little smaller, it was still charming. You cannot walk downtown from HP. We probably would still make that choice today if we were looking to rent.

HP was up and coming until a couple years ago when the economy took the wind out of the real estate market and access to cash to redo homes was reduced. To be quite fair, this has been the case in many areas of Chattanooga. Today it is a mixed bag. Some places that were redone are still nice. However even people that live there will concede that the neighborhood can change 'block by block.' I'd keep it on the list of places to visit but don't go in expecting to find Mayberry.

When we bought we chose the Missionary Ridge area and found what we feel is a good compromise and had many of the same parameters as you describe. We felt that we made good choices, but everyone has a differing opinion.

[An Einnseanair]

das pretty much nailed it. "Block by block" is pretty accurate. Drive through some blocks and it looks ghetto-ish, and other blocks look great with renovated houses and nice people. The real-estate market in Chattanooga is slowly turning around, though, so maybe revival will pick up again.

Your best bet is to visit the area. You'll have to make the decision yourself based on personal preferences and risk tolerance.

[RiverView]

As they said above N Chatt would be a great option but if you just have to live "Downtown" look in the Southside area. It will be just a touch less expensive than N Chatt but a very small area to search.

[RevManager]

Everyone has told you pretty much the same thing and they are correct. Highland Park does have some beautiful old "fixer-uppers" and quite a lot has been done in the area. Chattanooga as a whole has tried to concentrate on fixing up small areas at a time: starting with downtown then North Chattanooga, then jumping to St. Elmo (at the foot of Lookout Mountain), then returning to Southside. As Southside has progressed it has spilled over into Highland Park and improvements are happening slowly.
Highland Park will eventually be quite lovely again, I have no doubt. But it will take time, and it will require new homeowners (like yourself) moving in and bringing some TLC. So the real question is whether you want a ready-made neighborhood or if you want to be one of the trailblazers. If you are willing to stay in a home and really put some work into it, you are looking at a potentially great return on your investment. But if you are looking for a little gem to fix up in a like-minded neighborhood, I would suggest North Chattanooga or St. Elmo. I saw mention of Missionary Ridge as well. This is also a great location but harder to find a good deal: houses here are either immaculate or they need a lot of work, there isn't a lot of in-between.

[olivia&whit]

St Elmo area is an excellent suggestion....hip, trendy, artistic types as well as professionals gravitate there. Depending on where you find a house, you can walk to restaurants, coffee shops, deli from St Elmo and if you are into outdoor rec activities - Guild Hardy Trail is a great biking and hiking trail, minutes (of a walk) from there. Lookout Mountain is a beautiful place to visit to & as St Elmo is at the foot of the mountain, everything there is at your disposal, as well....beautiful hikes, nice park, cute grocery, a couple of fun little restaurants,etc.

I highly recommend looking into the St Elmo area...Lookout MOuntain is also a wonderful place to live but rentals may be harder to come by.

Good luck on your search!!!

[LeslieDTG]

Little dated now, but there are still some houses on the market in Ferger Place in the Southside. Beautiful neighborhood and beautiful homes. I liked St Elmo a lot, too. N. Chattanooga is more expensive, but more consistant than downtown neighborhoods.

[u4icmusic]

"Good Neighborhood" is a subjective term. What's a good neighborhood to me, may not apply to you. Your best bet is to visit Highland Park. Drive around at all times, day and night. Knock on doors and talk to neighbors. Talk to any police you see patrolling the area. I think as the economy rebounds, so will Highland Park as it is fairly close to downtown and has really cool older Craftsman style home.

[iamdustyforsure]

I've lived in Chattanooga pretty much my whole life. Born here, raised here, and I have a 4'th generation business here. The changes that are occurring in Highland Park are truly amazing to see. Just a number of years ago the North Shore, and St. Elmo were infested cesspools of crime, poverty and neglect. In 1994 while at UTC I found a house right up the hill from Frazier Avenue that was for rent for 250.00/month, and the lady couldn't keep tenants. My potential housemate looked at the house and told the lady "This is the ghetto". This was the North Shore at the time. Look at it now! I got back that day to our restaurant and called the lady with the house and she offered to sell it to me for 30,000. It was huge, and run down, and most likely awesome, but I declined her offer. I've never forgiven myself either, because it sold for 260,000 dollars a few years ago!

Here is my point. I remember seeing chalk lines on Main Street sidewalks, and prostitutes turning tricks in the shadow of alleys on Main. Look at it now! I remember when the whole North Shore was a wasteland (other than the Little Theater), and St. Elmo was 1000% rotten. I also remember when Highland Park was a great place to get yourself shot. My, how things change.

My wife and I have a home and farm up in the Northern Hamilton county which we will be keeping, but have signed a contract for a house in Highland Park. We close July 12. I've walked the sidewalks almost every morning and evening for three weeks now. I haven't seen anything out of place, and the whole neighborhood is really turning around. It may hold more potential than the "southside"... Seriously. I'm putting my money where my mouth is and investing in Highland Park, because I believe in it. A lot of houses there are really killer, and it is so close to Downtown. From Temple it is 2 minutes to Market Street, and 4 to the aquarium. It is one minute from the Zoo... So, after three weeks of looking almost every morning and night, I see a neighborhood on the upswing. I see families, and professionals, and Latino's. I see African Americans. I see Caucasians there. In short, with the newly coming Highland Park Commons, with it's Farmers Market, soccer fields, and community space I really see it taking off in the next five years. Now, I may be wrong, but I really doubt it. I've known Chatt my whole life. I believe in it.

[iamdustyforsure]

[url="http://chattarati.com/neighborhoods/highland-park/2011/4/20/highland-park-commons-breaks-ground/"]Article on Highland Park Commons[/url]