Areas to avoid in Ardmore? (Washington, Salem: apartments, rent, violent crime)
Greensboro, Winston-Salem, High PointThe Triad Area
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We're looking for a house in the Ardmore area. We love the area, as it's reminiscent of some of the Brooklyn neighborhoods we loved back home in NYC. We've seen a few houses closer to the hospital, e.g. Corona, Lockmore, Brent, and a few others, but some of the neighboring streets were sketchy, so we passed on a couple of homes over that way. What areas would we do well to avoid? Am I overreacting? I saw some comments online about break ins and vandalism on those streets. Are these isolated incidents or are these streets really to be avoided? Anyone know of an area comparable to Ardmore. We just love the community vibe.
The sketchiest area is a small section around Duke and Corona Streets north of Academy. As you get further south of Academy, it gets better on the east side of Hawthorne. Your best bet is to stay west of Hawthorne.
Ardmore is great, but there is some property crime, even on the nicer streets. Mostly petty stuff like car break-ins, but home break-ins do happen sometime. Violent crime isn't an issue, really. I don't think I've ever heard of, say, a mugging.
Having said that, the sketchiest parts of Ardmore are the parts closer to Peters Creek Parkway. The apartments on Anson St. and along Sunset south of Ardsley are pretty sketchy. Duke/Crafton St. isn't pleasant. The farther you get from Peters Creek, the better. Corona is mostly okay, Sunset is hit or miss. By Brent and Gales, you're in the clear. Nice homes and generally positive neighborhood vibe.
There are a few other pockets of not-so-nice scattered around, but in general, the block or two up from Peters Creek are the worst parts.
As you get further south of Academy, it gets better on the east side of Hawthorne. Your best bet is to stay west of Hawthorne.
Not a bad rule of thumb, but the "west of Hawthorne" rule isn't as reliable as it used to be. There are a lot of areas east/south of Hawthorne that are beautiful and safe.
I think you could expand that a bit by saying anything west of Lockland Ave. would be a safe bet. "West of Hawthorne" would presumably exclude the entire area south of Hawthorne (after it curves near Miller St.), yet that area is fine. General rule is--the farther from Peter's Creek Parkway, the better. But even that is not set in stone. I know someone who lives on Brent St. (south of Academy), and she's never had any problems.
Other areas you might consider are West Salem, Washington Park, and West End.
Edit to add: I saw CarolinaBred's post after I finished writing mine. His seems to address most of what I said.
Not a bad rule of thumb, but the "west of Hawthorne" rule isn't as reliable as it used to be. There are a lot of areas east/south of Hawthorne that are beautiful and safe.
Yes, thats why I also said "As you get further south of Academy, it gets better on the east side of Hawthorne."
Yes, thats why I also said "As you get further south of Academy, it gets better on the east side of Hawthorne."
I know, but the area east of Hawthorne is probably the nicest in the area closer to Academy. Elizabeth, Gales, Brantley, Brent, Gaston, etc. are lovely, and I'd say that the stretches closer to Academy on those streets are nicer than most of the areas on the "wrong" side of Hawthorne farther south. A lot of the homes that were in disrepair have been cleaned up and renovated, and many are full of employees from Baptist Hospital. I've lived on both sides of Hawthorne, and I can say that even in the last few years, the difference between the two areas isn't so stark.
But whatever. The area on the north/west side of Hawthorne is nice. That we agree on.
Thanks so much! I figured as much. We found two houses that we loved and we would have made an offer on one of them, but I couldn't shake the feeling that the sketchiness a few blocks over would be a major source of grief at some point. Coming from NYC, lots of sought after neighborhoods are sketchy around the edges, so it's not unfamiliar to us and after all, it's NYC, so crime is a given, but in relocating to a new city, we really want to get as far away from all of that as possible. It sounds so elitist to my ears, but the reality is that property crime can e costly and I've had enough of smashed car windows to last a lifetime.
If you think of anything else for us to check out, please feel free to post them. We're really excited about the move and we're eager to settle down.
Thanks so much! I figured as much. We found two houses that we loved and we would have made an offer on one of them, but I couldn't shake the feeling that the sketchiness a few blocks over would be a major source of grief at some point. Coming from NYC, lots of sought after neighborhoods are sketchy around the edges, so it's not unfamiliar to us and after all, it's NYC, so crime is a given, but in relocating to a new city, we really want to get as far away from all of that as possible. It sounds so elitist to my ears, but the reality is that property crime can e costly and I've had enough of smashed car windows to last a lifetime.
If you think of anything else for us to check out, please feel free to post them. We're really excited about the move and we're eager to settle down.
I hear you, and it's totally about whatever makes you comfortable. If I were you, though, I'd totally rent first, then buy. Given the enormous difference between where you're coming from and where you're going to, you might need to see some of these neighborhoods up close for a while before you settle in. Some of the other neighborhoods mentioned in this thread are close to areas that are arguably worse than the sketchy areas around Ardmore. I mean, Washington Park is gorgeous, but it's not far from some really bad areas. Same goes for West Salem and West End.
None of the in-town, historic neighborhoods are completely free from minor property crime, but if you've lived in a big city and proceed with what seems to me like common sense (don't leave valuables in your car, and especially not visible; avoid making your home "low-hanging fruit"; etc.), you eliminate 90% of the issues you might otherwise encounter.
Good advice. I work in the area so, I have some sense of the neighborhoods and what we'd like to be close to and what we'd like to avoid. We've been in NC for 6mos and have rented that whole time. I can't take it much longer, lol. I need my own space. When we found Ardmore, it was like coming home. I think this is the place for us. We looked at West End and while the houses are beautiful, they are also enormously expensive. As for Washington Park, it would probably be just as good a fit if we didn't have to think about schools. Apparently, the schools in that neighborhood are less than desirable. We haven't been drawn to West Salem, but it's something to think about.
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