Are Greenwood and Eastwood Safe? (Gallatin: foreclosure, crime, lawyer)

[FiveSevenNine]

I'm increasingly draw to the Greenwood and Eastwood neighborhoods (perhaps Maxwell as well??), because of their proximity to the five points area, large number of old and renovated houses, and lower prices than the hipper areas of east nashville. There are some really adorable 2-3 bedroom cottages and bungalows there, and from driving around the area it looks like a great place to live.

I wanted to put something on here to see if I was missing something...I know that EN has more crime than, say, Hillsboro Village or Sylvan Park (at least in general), but quite frankly I can't afford in those area and actually don't really want to. I really like the diversity you see in EN, where not everyone is a doctor or a lawyer or a professional student...and I'm willing to trade a bit of safety for diversity, especially since it seems that most of the crime in EN is drug related (and I don't use drugs!).

However, if I'm mistaken and there's actually a lot of crime in these areas, I want to know. Does anyone live in either neighborhood or spend a lot of time there? What are the people living there like? Does it seem like a place that will continue to develop, or are there a lot of people leaving due to foreclosure, financial woes, etc? I just want to cover my bases.

Thanks!

[Carol McCullough]

Originally Posted by FiveSevenNine

I'm increasingly draw to the Greenwood and Eastwood neighborhoods (perhaps Maxwell as well??), because of their proximity to the five points area, large number of old and renovated houses, and lower prices than the hipper areas of east nashville. There are some really adorable 2-3 bedroom cottages and bungalows there, and from driving around the area it looks like a great place to live.

I wanted to put something on here to see if I was missing something...I know that EN has more crime than, say, Hillsboro Village or Sylvan Park (at least in general), but quite frankly I can't afford in those area and actually don't really want to. I really like the diversity you see in EN, where not everyone is a doctor or a lawyer or a professional student...and I'm willing to trade a bit of safety for diversity, especially since it seems that most of the crime in EN is drug related (and I don't use drugs!).

However, if I'm mistaken and there's actually a lot of crime in these areas, I want to know. Does anyone live in either neighborhood or spend a lot of time there? What are the people living there like? Does it seem like a place that will continue to develop, or are there a lot of people leaving due to foreclosure, financial woes, etc? I just want to cover my bases.

Thanks!

Greenwood, Eastwood and Maxwell (note the boundaries are are a triangle from Main St/Gallatin to W Eastland to McFerrin--they don't go as far as N 9th, which is Maxwell Heights--Maxwell is more gentrified and safer than Maxwell Heights) are as safe as most of the rest of East Nashville generally. The proximity to Gallatin is likely where some crime comes from, so trying to locate slightly away from it and any other commercial corridor is advisable.

All three have neighborhood associations: always a good sign. Currently, these neighborhoods East of the railroad tracks (that run parallel to Ellington Parkway) are in the preferred zip code (37206) for schools in East Nashville, which means the properties will command more value at resale time (as long as the status remains the same).

Also, I admit that I am one of many that uses the Maxwell neighborhood as a cut through to avoid traffic on an almost daily basis. You should bear that in mind, if significant traffic is a concern for you. West Eastland is obviously a busy street, but Maxwell and Mansfield see more traffic than one might expect, because people like me are avoiding the (admittedly modest) traffic pile ups at the signals.

If you haven't already, I encourage you to check out the East Nashville listserv: East Nashville | Google Groups. If you ask your question there, you will get considerable response as there are a few from those neighborhoods on the list.