Urban Living, Walkable Neighborhoods in FW? (Houston, Austin: for sale, lofts, condos)

[2lizards]

Hi all,

My wife and I are looking to relocate in the Spring of next year, and we're looking for a community that offers neighborhoods that are walkable and have the possibility of walking to shops, restaurants, bars, etc. We've checked out Atlanta and Austin, but both places seem to be a bit too expensive overall. Fort Worth seems to have a lot of what Austin offers without as big of a price tag.

Are there any neighborhoods (downtown, etc.) that offer what we're looking for?

Thanks in advance for any replies.

[beowulf7]

I recently went to the FW Zoo and was impressed by the surrounding neighborhood. It's only a few miles from downtown and looks like in a well-maintained area. I noticed some restaurants and bars there, but probably not within walking distance (i.e. a very short drive or bike ride away). Good luck in your move, wherever you end. up.

[2lizards]

Thanks for your good wishes.

Our neighborhood doesn't necessarily have to be downtown, but we would like a commercial center near enough for at least a bike ride (preferably a nice walk). I like East Atlanta in Atlanta, but it's already so very expensive that I doubt my librarian's salary will get us very far there .

[redstripe]

Check out Arlington Heights. It's north and south of I-30, west of Montgomery and mostly south of Camp Bowie. My wife & I lived there for just a year, but wish we could have stayed. The neighborhood is diverse, eclectic even, old but well-kept, and close to downtown & a lot of nice shopping, entertainment, and restaurants. Some of the homes are small and very old; others are larger; still others are new, but built in a style fitting the neighborhood. Our house was on Crestline, just west of Montgomery. We regularly walked to the Kimball, the Modern, Sid Richardson, and Will Rogers (for various shows). The neighbors were friendly, and a lot of them (like us) had dogs.

I think it fits what you're looking for exactly: urban (with a great view of downtown from the higher streets), close to a lot of things, and very walkable. I can't think of anything bad to say about the neighborhood, except to explain what I meant by "diverse." Some parts are kind of run-down, especially some parts south of 30. On the other hand, there are $600,000 homes closer to, or north of, Camp Bowie, near the country club. As I said, we were in the middle & enjoyed it very much. I'm sure other people on this forum can tell you more about it, but I strongly recommend just driving through to see what you think.

[Weird Question Mark Guy]

I've never had a post deleted so fast. And also as an expert poster in messageboards...its was not advertisement!!! Thats why I asked to PM ......Austin Taveler shouldn't you be in Austin(s) forums and keep the moderation to the Ft.Worth Traveler instead? Seems a bit fascist if you ask me.

[marillyn2244]

Check out the Magnolia Street area & Montgomery Plaza, especially if you like townhouses/condos. There are also remodeled single-family homes in the Magnolia area and you can walk to a very eclectic restaurant/shopping area. It is close to one of the main medical center areas and very close to downtown. Montgomery Plaza has shops and restaurants on the main level of the condos.

[beowulf7]

Originally Posted by marillyn2244

Check out the Magnolia Street area & Montgomery Plaza, especially if you like townhouses/condos. There are also remodeled single-family homes in the Magnolia area and you can walk to a very eclectic restaurant/shopping area. It is close to one of the main medical center areas and very close to downtown. Montgomery Plaza has shops and restaurants on the main level of the condos.

Yes, that's it - Magnolia St., which is near the FW Zoo that I went to a couple weekends ago. Nice area. There's a Chinese restaurant called "Chinese Ho Ho" that cracked me up.

[artcgal]

Our favorite restaurant is on Magnolia...and, we noticed a few months ago a new condo complex was built on Adams Street off of Magnolia. They look pretty nice! The other day when we drove by, there were still some for sale.

Also, the Montgomery Bldg. area is really nice. You have the Firestone, Amli, and 7th Street Station. They are also building a new complex called S07. This will be retail, offices and residential. The Montgomery Plaza also has their condos (very pricey). Downtown Fort Worth also has lots of condos such as Neil P., Houston Place Lofts and The Tower.

If you don't want to be in/near downtown...there are A LOT of neighborhoods that are within walking distance to shopping. Of course, it depends on what kind of shopping you want to walk to.

[2lizards]

Thanks for the suggestions. We would love to be somewhere were we can walk to a decent area for shops, restaurants, pubs, etc. Downtown is nice, but it doesn't have to be a downtown area. If anyone is familiar with Decatur, Ga, we'd like to be able to walk to something like their town square. Of course, our budget is not going to be very large (around 125K-175k), since I'm in the library field. That may limit us to only a few (if any) of the neighborhood you have mentioned.

We want something eclectic. I'm not really interested in walking to a strip mall or a series of chain restaurants. I want some local shops, pubs, whatever, with some character.

[hypocore]

Fort Worth in general isn't a huge 'walking' city. Of course there are certain pockets of area that are more conducive to being out and about. I think most people drive to a general area, then walk about it. For instance, Sundance Square as mentioned and the Stockyards are both great places to do fun things, eat and shop, however I wouldn't want to live around there.

Austin is much more of a walking city. I have a daughter at UT and she and all her friends walk all over surrounding the campus and downtown. While driving through you see tons of foot traffic, much more than you'll ever see in here Fort Worth.