Moving from Raleigh, NC to Chattanooga (Lookout Mountain, Philadelphia: fit in, real estate, to rent)

[OneAngryHawaiian]

I am getting ready to move to Chattanooga from Raleigh, NC. I was just wondering about some of the neighborhoods, mainly Highland Park and St. Elmo. I am very nervous about the move because I just do not feel like I will fit in. I am liberal. I am Buddhist, but respect other peoples religion, and I am a city girl at heart. I think that it would be nice to rent a house for now because I am not sure how long we are going to stay in the area for, we are moving because my boyfriend has a job with TVA. So what I really want to know is what these neighborhoods are like. What is crime like? The people that make up the neighborhood, are the open minded or close minded in general. I am still young, 25, and have no children and I am not planning on having any until I am like 30. Some answers would be nice and I would appericate it.

[AdamHK]

St. Elmo is a great area to rent in and it is very close to downtown. I would advise against Highland Park because even though it has come a long way there is still much needed to make it safe and comfortable. If you are interested in buying I would highly recommend the Southside area; specifically Jefferson Heights and the Cowart Place area. It doesn't sound like this may apply to you, however the city is currently trying to lure artists to these areas and is offering incentives to do so. You can find out more at [url=http://artsmove.org/]Arts Move Chattanooga - Relocating Artists to the Scenic City[/url] and [url=http://createhere.org/]CreateHere Chattanooga, Tennessee[/url]. The best part about the Southside is that your boyfriend will be able to walk to work and the majority of people living there are young and more liberal then the rest of the City. I've been in Cowart Place for about four years now.

[OneAngryHawaiian]

So St. Elmo is a good place? My boyfriend is getting a job with TVA at their nuclear power plant in Soddy Daisy. Do you know about how long it will take to drive out that way?

[etta]

I am one of the artists that have been lured! I'm moving to from asheville nc to chattanooga this summer. Just got back from my second visit to chattanooga. I'm hoping to live near southside(main st.),mlk blvd. or highland park. I think Main street seems to have the seeds of a creative & open minded community. Highland park seems like crime could be a problem but I still feel drawn to it. The houses are affordable & many old ones with character. I Haven't driven to soddy daisy but its about 20 miles northeast. Really wish we had checked out St.Elmo. As for fitting in...I'm not sure I will either. Although I didn't see many unusual looking folks, no one stared at me in my "weird" clothes(I am a seamstress & I was wearing my art). Everyone I talked to was really super nice!! I was happy that there was soymilk at every coffee shop & vegetarian options at many restaurants. There's even one vegan restaurant. I thought the city to be very walkable & there is a Free electric bus on market street. The pedestrian bridge is apparently the longest in the world & its very old & pretty. So those are a few of the things I think are nice about the city. Hopefully some of this is helpful. I've only been to Chattanooga twice, so any info on these neighborhoods from folks that live in them would be great!?

[beachbyrd]

St. Elmo is definitely a neat place and has pros and cons. Up above, do a search for St. Elmo in the Chattanooga forum and you will find at least a few threads on what locals have to say about it. My DH and I considered it and have decided against it for now, based upon our daughters starting school (a couple of years away), and some concern about the amount of crime still present. Many people absolutely adore the area and have erected a community playground, built their businesses there, and made it their home. Others still fear things that still occur there, such as robberies and even a rare, but nonetheless scary murder. I believe there is a set of projects toward the southeast end. Most people advise that the most safe and nice areas of St. Elmo are those farthest north and to some degree west. The farther south you go the more sketchy it gets. Our church is moving to a location close to St. Elmo and we are really excited, as we really like the area, the restaurants, and the proximity Lookout Mountain, Rock City and other beautiful places.

It is a distinct and unique community. If you do a search, they have a community site or blog that has some info, but last I looked not updated a whole bunch.

[crescentia]

My boyfriend and I are moving in with a friend to the Highland Park area in about a month and a half. From all of the research I have done on the area it seems like it is going to be one of those kind of areas that will be totally gentrified within five years. Meaning that people are buying up homes there, fixing them up and selling them or moving in. Once enough 'safe people' (whatever that means) people move in the yuppies will deem it safe and then move in. The people who deride the area now will most likely try to move into it in five years because it will be hip to live there, kind of like what happened to the north side of the river.

You won't be the only 'weirdo' there...trust me. We live in Olympia Washington, one of the most liberal areas of the country and we are going down there.

[mbricker]

I bought a condo in Highland Park 2 1/2 years ago, and I love this neighborhood. The condo was inexpensive (more are available), near everything, and part of a regenerating and diverse neighborhood. Most of the people here are commited to keeping it diverse--ethnically, culturally, economically, etc--tho some would like it to be for yuppies and buppies only. Yes, we have some crime (theft of copper, occassional car break-ins), some prostitution and drug dealing, but no more than most places in the city (such as St. Elmo & Southside.) The only places you'll avoid those are in the very expensive areas. We have a very active neighborhood association with a safety committee that has managed to rid the area of a lot of the "undesirables."

I have never felt unsafe here, tho i've felt irritated at times. I calmed myself by 1) asking people to turn the music down (they usually do), and 2) recalling that I felt the same way at times in my super-fancy condo in Philadelphia, where i lived until I came here.

If I could have afforded it, I might have bought on the south side b/c of the art and proximity to downtown. Someday, if I must have a garden, I might move to St. Elmo. But for now I'm happy in Highland Park, and I think you'd feel at home here.

[Profilewriter]

I was so interested to come upon this thread.

We, too, worry about fitting in.

We now live (very happily) in a diverse neighborhood in New Jersey with a strong liberal bent.

Our relatives have been warning us that we may be way to liberal to fit in, but it sounds like that may not be the case.

We have seen St. Elmo, and like it a lot.

I hadn't heard about the Southside. Could someone please give me information on how that would show up on real estate listings? Any street names, for example?

Thanks so much!!

[jkmewright]

Do a search on Jefferson Heights and Main Street. Some amazing stuff going on there i.e. green building/LEED certified, re-whatever of a lost neighborhood, etc... There are a TON of incentives to buy down there ranging from $10k - $25k. It's an up and coming area so you are going to get the good with the bad. Many new lofts and homes as well as remodeled existing homes. We have visited down there quite ofetn and really loved it but we were visiting, not living there. Another idea is North Chattanooga. There you will get quite a bit of diversity. For those who are liberal minded and such, St Elmo, downtown and North Chattanooga/North Shore areas are just right

3/28/2008 - Incentives Offered Avenue 3 Buyers On The Southside - Real Estate - Chattanoogan.com

http://www.scenictennessee.org/Assets/Viewpoints%2007-1.pdf (broken link)

I have some pics somewhere of Main Street and Jefferson Heights. I will see if I can dig them up.

[Profilewriter]

This information is tremendously helpful.

Thank you!