Roosevelt Area (Phoenix, Glendale, Coolidge: 2015, apartment, to rent)

[dmackerman]

The wife and I are looking for a place to rent, and we found a super cute townhouse - 3 bedrooms, covered garage, in the downtown area near Roosevelt St. Specifically near the intersection of 7th Ave. and Roosevelt.

We moved from the East Coast, and we've lived in NYC, DC, and cities our entire life. We lived in Alphabet City - the bad part of alphabet city, close to the projects, and I never felt I was in danger. The feel of that area seems to be super cool, lots of little local shops, coffee shops, close to the light rail, etc.

I did a quick crime search and there were some assaults, robberies, etc. Then again, I looked in Glendale where we're staying now and found the same thing.

We're expecting our first in a month or so. Is this area "safe" (I put that in quotes because everything is relative, of course)? We attended the 1st Friday event on Roosevelt and it was so our vibe. We saw lots of young families with kids. Of course you get the typical digruntled teenages who want to cause trouble, but I can deal with that. We're looking to rent for a year or so and get a feel for the area before we decide if we want to buy or not.

We've driven around the area and it seems to be ... spotty? Some areas look great, some don't. But that seems to be the vibe I get from the entire Valley. Roosevelt itself looks nice though.

What are your guys' thoughts on that downtown area?

[observer53]

I think you will be fine. You are correct about relative safety, but that Roosevelt corridor is getting more and more popular. If you are into events like First Fridays, you are in the right spot. I think I know the townhouses you are referring to. Yes, there are sketchier areas not far, but, as you say, that's true in a lot of areas of Phoenix. I think that's a good starting off point.

[sargeant79]

Coming from more dense cities like New York and DC, there aren't too many better areas for you if you're looking to replicate the urban feel. That neighborhood is one of the only ones in the entire valley that feels truly urban to me, with public transportation, walkability, and entertainment all in very close proximity. It can get a little sketchier in some pockets west of 7th Avenue, but still not really bad at all until you get around 19th Avenue or so, especially compared with what you're used to. If you felt at home the times you've been there already, I'd highly recommend going for it.

[Bondurant]

I live in the area. You'll be fine. If you lived in Alphabet City when it was still a legitimate slum, you'll have no worries here.

[Jukesgrrl]

Compared to Alphabet City, Roosevelt is the Upper West Side.

[dmackerman]

Thanks for the feedback, good to know. I was walking home from work on Ave. B in NYC and saw an unconscious man - who was likely dead, being attended to by multiple police and firemen. No one stopped, or even seemed concerned. Just different worlds. That being said, ABC City had so much culture, so much diversity, so many local amazing business you could not find anywhere else. I'd live there again in a heartbeat if the rent for a 650sqft apartment wasn't $5k a month.

We're going to check out the place on Thursday.

[exit2lef]

I agree with everything said above.

One bit of geographic clarification. People talk about Roosevelt in two ways. The first is the actual Roosevelt Historic District. The other is the arts district known as "Roosevelt Row." The two overlap but are not completely the same. Roosevelt Row crosses the boundaries of several historic neighborhoods, including not only Roosevelt, but also Evans Churchill and Garfield.

Two links that might be helpful:

Roosevelt Row

Downtown Phoenix Neighborhoods | DowntownPhoenix.com

[43north87west]

East of Seventh Ave. at Roosevelt is fine. West is exactly what you said: Spotty. There are a few places west of 7th Ave. that aren't too bad. It's a lot better than it was. There are a bunch of businesses around there, convenience stores, etc. A few blocks away are some of the nicest, biggest, most well kept historic homes in the whole valley. It's a really nice area on the whole.

Of course, because it's near a highway, a big park, a downtown area, a big commercial property area, and other big city things, there are the occasional transients and opportunists.

On the whole it's a great area to live in, and central to a lot of things, including many that weren't there 5 years ago. People on this forum apparently don't go downtown except for once every 5 or 10 years, so they give you reports of how it was in 2005, not how it is in 2015.

[dmackerman]

Sounds like my mother in law. She's been here for 5 years, and I'm not sure she's been downtown more than once. Of course it's "sketchy" and "too dangerous" for her tastes. She probably saw some graffiti and sped off in her Benz C250 back to Glendale.

[dmackerman]

Sorry to revive this. The townhouse that we were looking at fell through, and we're now looking at areas more north. Pierson Place historic district sound familiar? Coolidge and Central, or right on the corner of 7th Ave and Coolidge, also pretty close to the Melrose area.

We did a quick search on crime maps and it does appear there is a lot of it in that area. Mostly petty theft, etc. Anyone live around there?

The general advice we've been given is: "east is better, east of 15th ave is fine. We're going to drive it at night today and see how it feels.