Rhodes College area (Memphis, Jackson: apartment, rentals, homes)

[collegedad1]

Hi,

My daughter (from the midwest) is considering attending Rhodes College, and I'd like to get impressions of the area around the college. We've visited once but didn't drive around the neighborhood around Rhodes at all. I'd like your thoughts on the area overall. Is it "safe" for female students? Do students venture off campus? Where do students live off-campus?

Thanks for any info!

collegedad1

[CristenS]

The area to the north is not good. The very, very immediate north of campus has one great neighborhood, but it gets pretty bad soon after. Memphis is all like that though. To the direct east of campus is million dollar historic homes however everything further east is terrible, to the south is a giant city park with nicer homes around it, to the west is okay smaller homes. But Jackson Ave is to the north of campus and once you go north of Jackson it isn't very good. You can have one street with nice homes and the immediate next street has boarded up homes. It's hard to explain if you don't live here. Does Rhodes have on-site dorms? I don't know much about it, it's a tiny campus but is gated and secure, the actual campus is gorgeous as you know.

I would *guess* that many students rent in the midtown area, likely to the south and west. I'm female. I would feel comfortable walking to campus during the day if I lived to the direct west. There is a elementary/middle school to the west with tons of kids walking around as well. If your daughter needs to be within walking distance, that's where I'd look. Stay south of Jackson for sure, west of campus, and south of campus is fine too however due to the large city park, there isn't anything south of campus for quite a ways west.

Do you have a price point for rentals? Will she have a car?

[jabogitlu]

VECA (Vollentine-Evergreen) is the neighborhood around the university. There's a very active community organization (actually where the name VECA comes from). Many Rhodes students live in VECA, in Evergreen, or in the 1920's apartment buildings along Poplar Avenue.

Rhodes is very safe, as is the immediate VECA neighborhood. Like Cristen said, the neighborhoods far north and east aren't good at all - typical urban-style, good neighborhood pushing up against bad neighborhood thing.

[eastmemphisguy]

I have a female friend who went there a few years back. The security on campus is pretty good. The whole campus is behind an iron fence and you have to check in with security at the gate to get on campus. While there are dorms on campus, I'm sure the kids want to leave at some point to see some of life off campus. However, going anywhere in particular would probably require a car. There's not much of a college neighborhood nearby and Memphis, outside of the small downtown, doesn't have much in the way of an urban, walkable design. There's no supermarket nearby, and I can't even think of any restaurants either. It's very residential all around with a large city park across the street. As others have noted, the full range of wealth from historic and beautiful mansions to outright slums are present within a few blocks of Rhodes.

[ViolentDisasters]

If you're looking for something safe but still affordable, try looking at apartment buildings immediately around McLean or on Poplar around Overton Park, a lot of Rhodes students live in those buildings and walk/ride their bicycles to class. Those with cars, mostly just use them for trips to other parts of town.

Others live in Evergreen, Tucker-Jefferson, and Overton Square, but those neighborhoods tend to be a lot more expensive.

All of these areas are extremely bicycle-friendly with Overton Park, bike lanes, trails, and bike-friendly streets leading to campus and nearby amenities so I'd highly recommend getting her a bicycle if she doesn't have one, because it can be difficult to find parking in all of those areas.

[CristenS]

There are a couple thing on McLean right north of North Parkway, west of Rhodes. Dino's (grill/italian restaurant) and Cafe Eclectic, which is a really popular and nice coffee/food place. I think a dry cleaners is right there too. But, that's it.

If OP can give a price range, and if the child will have a car, then we can look online at some current rentals to give examples and suggestions.

[jabogitlu]

There's not much of a college neighborhood nearby and Memphis, outside of the small downtown, doesn't have much in the way of an urban, walkable design. There's no supermarket nearby, and I can't even think of any restaurants either.

Like Cristen said, Mclean is basically the campus strip. I knew lots of students living in VECA right around there. a few restaurants, a small food market, skate/bike shop, etc. This is the place to live if you're only going to have a bike.

My Rhodes friends usually carpooled together a few times a week to the Crosstown Kroger. It's 5 minutes away by car and just got renovated/upgraded.

[collegedad1]

Thank you for all of the great information about the area. If my daughter attends Rhodes, she wouldn't be living off-campus until her junior or senior year, if at all. I know that many upperclassmen choose to live off campus and was wondering what the area around campus was like. It sounds like a great learning environment all around.