Moving to Hunstville in May. Question about safe areas in which to rent. (house, university)

[denofhc]

I was concerned about safety when we moved here eleven years ago. I am amazed at how safe we feel. As stated before, stay out of certain neighborhoods. Downtown is very safe an delightfully pedestrian friendly.

It is unfortunate that Huntsville has a reputation of being unsafe.

[Reactionary]

I lived in DC, the city, twice. I know how to walk in traffic. I would not cross Governors Drive with a stroller.

Come to think of it, there is a skyway over Governors at Gallatin (from hospital to hospital), but I've never seen anyone use it.

Downtown (OT and Twickenham) -is- delightfully pedestrian friendly. If you are interested in apartments there are some downtown and some by the hospital Publix (north of Governors).

Regulars here know that I'm a sidewalk fanatic and pro-pedestrian.

[timber15]

I am very pro-walking too and pro-biking and really hate driving. Especially with my toddler in the back. I would not cross a big highway with a stroller though, just like that. We'll find a way to make it work
I am so relieved to hear the area is safe.

[Tennhioland]

Originally Posted by LCTMadison

No, there is not technically "pedestrian" crossings on Governors.

What is a painted crosswalk with electronic pedestrian "walk/don't walk" signs like there are at Whitesburg, Franklin, Gallatin, California and Harvard? The road is busy and you need to be cautious when crossing, but these are pedestrian crossings just like all crossings throughout downtown.

Give me that over Constitution Ave in DC any day!

[Reactionary]

Someone can cross in the pedestrian crossings but they need to walk quickly or sprint to get across the street. Can't do that with a stroller. Also, there are few sidewalks in the area (which may improve when the new construction is complete - or so the City Council says).

Next time you drive on Governors near the hospitals, look to see how many sidewalks there are. Or look from Vanderbilt (Medical District) up Madison to the Library, and count the sidewalks (trick question - there are none).

[writerwife]

Originally Posted by timber15

Yes, the prices are amazing. Here, it's 1500 for a one bedroom.
Thank you for your help, everyone.

Reactionary: you think I cannot cross Governors? Is there no pedestrian walk anywhere? According to gmaps, I should be able to cross it in some places.

Just know ahead of time... Huntsville is NOT a walking town. Only in immediate vicinities. When we first moved here it was kind of new to me to see a place (at the time) so spread out, no bus system and an absolutely dead downtown area. They have done much to work on that over the yrs. Yrs ago my youngest brother was trying to cross over Memorial Pkwy (the main N/S vein) to get to an arcade and was hit by a car. Spent a while in the hospital but thank God, all turned out pretty ok. There are really not many safe places to cross a lot of these main roads.
In some cities you can exist with no vehicle because of proximity to places you need to get to and good public transportation. This is not one of those places.
However, it will feel like heaven in most of the Hsv area to you after living in D.C.

[timber15]

I am so sorry about your brother writerwife.
It also looks like we may need a second car, based on everyone's input

[writerwife]

Thanks. It's all good.. He's right as rain now (at least, as far as getting hit by the car, lol).
Most folks have 2 cars around here unless one of you is fairly housebound.

[JakeWilliams]

Originally Posted by timber15

I am so sorry about your brother writerwife.
It also looks like we may need a second car, based on everyone's input

Yes, I definitely wouldn't expect to get by with one car around here. Especially as your baby gets older and you want to do more things with it (sorry didn't see a sex specified). There are definitely some fun things to do downtown that you may be able to walk to depending on where you live, but with no real public transport system, it's a lot different than DC.

[Reactionary]

Ack. I said "Next time you drive on Governors near the hospitals, look to see how many sidewalks there are". Well, I just did that and the city's recent construction efforts have resulted in sidewalks on both sides on Governors (for the most part - there is still a gap). Crossing Governors is inconvenient to hazardous - however the city seems to have extended the pedestrian crossing time to ~30 seconds at Governors and Madison / Whitesburg. People have to hurry across the street there, but don't have to sprint.