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Old 04-10-2012, 08:25 PM
 
6 posts, read 10,024 times
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Hey,

First time poster, but I've read this website for a while and it's very useful. I've been looking into where to move while attending Duke for graduate school. Once place I was looking at is about two miles South of Duke. Now, I've looked on the Durham crime mapper and on spotcrime.com, and it does seem as if this area does has higher than average crime. I've heard mention that east Durham can get dicey, and this is in the easterly section. The particular area I'm interested in is right off of Chapel Hill road, just south of the Lakewood shopping center.

So, I'm just looking for any information, anecdotal or not, about what that area of Durham is like. Is it the type of place where I need to have an alarm installed? Is car theft a concern there more than other areas by a substantial margin? I've tried comparing different areas on the crime statistics websites I mentioned but it's hard to pair an experiential impression with that since I haven't lived in the area before. I thought about comparing it to my current address, but I live in a large city and the per capita data gets confusing, aside from the fact that reporting methods and rates might vary.

Any input is appreciated.

Edit: Just checked out the Durham Hoods website, and the neighborhood is called Lakewood Park. The property is on Palmer St.

Last edited by sach1282; 04-10-2012 at 09:07 PM..
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Old 04-10-2012, 10:57 PM
 
Location: Durham
862 posts, read 3,538,126 times
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I'd avoid that area if possible. Roughly a half mile radius from Lakewood shopping center would fall under the avoid category Most posters have multiple areas they're looking at. Any particular reason why this one seems like "the one"?

As for car theft, I'm no expert, but I don't think Durham is very much a hot spot for car theft. Where I'm from in the NE US, car theft and carjacking was a much bigger problem. People will break into your car and steal stuff here for sure, but I just don't hear about people getting cars stolen or stolen cars flying around town crashing and killing pedestrians, etc. like up north. Common sense not leaving gps, laptops, cameras, leather coats, etc. in plain sight or even hidden is a smart thing to do anywhere.
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Old 04-11-2012, 12:17 AM
 
Location: The South, by the grace of God
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There are lots of options closer to campus than that....! The Forest has lots of grad students and bus service to campus...that's one example
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Old 04-11-2012, 08:16 AM
 
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Yeah that area is sketch. I would check out The Forest, University Commons, etc first.
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Old 04-11-2012, 08:25 AM
 
Location: Durham, NC
285 posts, read 491,042 times
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I would avoid that area as well. I would suggest looking north or west of campus. There's The Forest apartments, like the PPs mentioned, but don't confuse it with The Forest at Duke, which is a retirement center! There are several good options off of Morreene Rd, although the section between Erwin and 15-501 can be a little iffy. There are also some safe places along University Dr.

Good luck with your move!
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Old 04-11-2012, 09:45 AM
 
Location: Durham, NC
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sach1282 View Post
I've heard mention that east Durham can get dicey, and this is in the easterly section. The particular area I'm interested in is right off of Chapel Hill road, just south of the Lakewood shopping center.

Edit: Just checked out the Durham Hoods website, and the neighborhood is called Lakewood Park. The property is on Palmer St.
Just to help orient you, that area is southwest of downtown. The "east Durham" area that has a lot of rough patches is generally east/southeast of downtown.

That being said, I agree with other posters that there are better areas that you should consider. Are you looking for an apartment or a house?
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Old 04-11-2012, 12:52 PM
 
Location: Durham, NC
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I'm not sure I would write off that area entirely. I don't know Palmer well enough to speak for it, and I'm not a fan of the area north of Lakewood Shopping Center -- but there is much renewal and strong neighborhoods to the south of Lakewood Shopping Center. The renovated YMCA now houses a Y as well as a Montessori magnet middle school, and the Tuscaloosa-Lakewood Neighborhood Assn. is historically one of the strongest and most active in Durham.

There are some cute houses on Bivins, for instance, just south of Palmer, and the Anderson St. corridor has some nice neighborhoods off it. Also some pretty areas heading south on Chapel Hill Rd. towards 15-501 Business.

I will take a drive along Palmer and see if I can get a better sense of the demarcation... but I would certainly not write off the whole TLNA area (which I don't think others are suggesting doing) without looking closely at the broader area.
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Old 04-11-2012, 05:01 PM
 
Location: Durham
862 posts, read 3,538,126 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bull City Rising View Post
I will take a drive along Palmer and see if I can get a better sense of the demarcation... but I would certainly not write off the whole TLNA area (which I don't think others are suggesting doing) without looking closely at the broader area.
I think this is really the best thing to do. That whole area has so much different things going on. It really can differ by block to block. For example, my street is really nice, but around the corner is like going into another universe. It really is like that in many Durham neighborhoods. It's really impossible to know what specific block is decent without a drive through. When I googled Palmer St., I was wondering if the OP is looking at that complex there on the corner.

The Anderson St. hoods seem okay, but a few blocks to the left or right may have a total different vibe. It really depends on what the OP is used to. For people like me who grew up in a large densely populated city, the vast majority of Durham is a cakewalk. The "rough" areas are really a joke to many people from the big cities. Being in Durham for seven years has gotten me admittedly spoiled!
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Old 04-11-2012, 06:39 PM
 
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Based on this discussion, and some PM's I've been exchanging, I think I'm going to end up simply renting rather than buying.

So, with that said, anyone have any thoughts on the the neighborhood surrounding the Chapel Tower Apartments (1315 Morreene Road)? They seem to be fairly cheap, and less than a mile from Duke Law School is pretty ideal.
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Old 04-11-2012, 07:31 PM
 
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Chapel Tower is pretty slummy. There was a situation there last year with a shooting. I would also avoid Campus Walk. They consistently have problems with break ins. I would look at something like The Forest or University Commons first.
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