Jump to content

Thinking of buying in the West End need your opinions


reverand

Recommended Posts

I looked at a beautiful condo in the west end right near the armory. It is on Parade street across from the park behind the armory. It is a completely renovated mansion all updated and well taken care of as most are on that street.

We (my fiance and I) made the mistake of tellign her mom that night about it and all she could say was "you know thats gang territory". Mind you she lives in Lilly white Barrington and works at the hospital.

Anyhow i was wondering if anyone who lives around there could chime in and let me know there experiences.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • Replies 80
  • Created
  • Last Reply
I looked at a beautiful condo in the west end right near the armory. It is on Parade street across from the park behind the armory. It is a completely renovated mansion all updated and well taken care of as most are on that street.

We (my fiance and I) made the mistake of tellign her mom that night about it and all she could say was "you know thats gang territory". Mind you she lives in Lilly white Barrington and works at the hospital.

Anyhow i was wondering if anyone who lives around there could chime in and let me know there experiences.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My personal hesitation about that location would only be the speed of traffic on Parade Street. Other than that, it would be great to have the park basically serving as your front yard. The park is very active, with kids always in the playground and soccer and impromptu baseball and activities from the church on Dexter spilling out, not to mention the dog park and the farmers' market on Thursdays and lemonade trucks all the time in the summer.

Like Liam said, there's some noise involved with all that hustle and bustle, but, for the most part, it's positive noise that someone who likes city living would welcome. I really would not consider crime to be a big concern at the location you are talking about, aside from the sort of normal stuff you get from having lots of different kinds of people around. There's some drinking in the park, but it's pretty unobtrusive, if you ask me.

We live a block away from the park on a street that might be considered a little more gritty than Parade, and we've never had a crime problem in the 4 years we've been here. Things tend to be very neighborly, and there are lots of kids and families of all kinds around. On our block with maybe 25 households, there are two apartments of iffy folks that get fairly regular visits from law enforcement (unfortunately for us, we share a driveway and yard with one of those apartments). Both are domestic and addiction problems, nothing to do with gangs. It's kind of a drag when those folks get loud, but doesn't really threaten us in any way. I don't see that kind of thing being an issue with your neighbors on Parade, anyway.

Like Liam said, there is some gang activity on Cranston Street and in the neighborhoods on the other side of Cranston from the Armory. The tagging that can spill out around the neighborhood can be a drag, but I don't think that you'll be impacted by whatever gangs are up to. Sadly, it tends to be a small group of young people living in specific areas committing violence against each other. Despite what someone around here said, the tagging that recently happened all along Westminster wasn't gang-related, though, just someone being an a**hole.

If the condo suits you and the price is right, I think that would be a great place to live.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Armory is far and away the best neighborhood in town, in my humble opinion. It's in no way "gang territory", there are more robberies on the ritzy east side than over here. I wish you the best in your decision making, no matter what you choose, and in the case that you choose the Armory, welcome to the neighborhood :good:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for all your input, you deffinietly made me feel better. My view is that i have lived in providence on Valley st for 3 years and off wickendon for 2 both have good points and bad and certainly Parade isn't any worse. I agree the gang issue is ususally pocketed around small areas since the housing is cheaper and peope aren't giving a crap about where they live. Parade street certainly isnt that. I drove by there today and didnt seen any graffiti in any direction.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Definitely agree with all who posted here. From that article in the Projo a bit ago one could think the entire West End was awash in drive-bys. The area you are thinking of locating is technically the West End, but on the fringe in a seperate neighborhood called the Armory. Cross Westminster and you are in Federal Hill.

The area you are thinking of is an excellent, diverse neighborhood with people (for the most part) that care about the appearance and livability of the nieghborhood.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I suppose it doesn't hurt to add another similar view about this neighborhood. I live a block from the park, on Sycamore and Willow streets. I love the area for the diversity, the housing stock (still a few houses on acid, with asbestos shingles, but lots of beautiful colonials and victorians in great shape or being renovated), the amenities within walking distance, and the strong sense of community. I lived on Wickenden and Brook before here, and I met more neighbors living here in the first 2 weeks than I had in 2 years on the east side. There are a lot of young people (25-35) and lots of families with young children. I always say hi to familiar people while walking my dogs (the 2 greyhounds), and I've made some good friends with a bunch of the neighbors. Also, it doesn't hurt that taxes are much lower than the east side, and housing seems to be more affordable without being in a "dangerous" area. We did have our house broken into, some random electronics and other small valuables were taken (luckily we have insurance), and it seemed to be the work of kids or someone less experienced/careless. This kind of thing happens in rich areas too though, so you just need to be smart and take the right security precautions.

Are you talking about the condos in the newly renovated yellow victorian? Regardless, there are numerous condo opportunities in the neighborhood, good luck with the decision and hopefully it all works out....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For all the joking I do about the West End, I should probably offer my legit opinion of the area(s)..

Federal Hill:

from Atwells to Broadway is good until Sutton.. After sutton, it gets dicey.. After Knight, naked babies with glocks wont even go there.. Broadway to Westminster is pretty prime.. Lot of good things there, big time transition.. I am a fan..

Smith Hill:

I like Jewett St on Smith Hill.. Smith Hill is an enigma wrapped in a mystery wrapped in affordable housing to me; I just dont understand why it isnt better.. Osborn, Pekin St etc = Killing Fields.

Valley:

Generally not good.. Its like the armpit between Mt Pleasant and Elmhurst.. But its very difficult to find a real estate listing noted as "Valley".. Apparently in real estate circles, it does not exist, replaced by Elmurst or Mt Pleasant.. I supose the "best" Valley area is by the hospital (Robin St), but its slighty better than awful, at best.. It seems as though every time Academy Ave area of Valley starts to show signs of getting better it regresses.. Yet another mystery to me..

The O:

Manton Ave is Watts, RI.. Atwells Ave is livable, mainly because its a main road.. Julian and Putnam by Atwells are probably the best.. My dream would be to own every house on Bowdoin that overlooks Rising Sun and tear em down, building a massive hill structure with porches off the back and roof decks.. The Woons River flows beneath, great city views..

Silver Lake:

Might as well be in Connecticut for the most part.. Very little Ank time there.. I once heard that "Laurel Hill" is nice, but I dont know where that is..

West End:

Armory area has grown on me.. Probably because people like basachs take ownership and make a difference.. I saw Liamlunchtray one day by that purple octagonal house... That area is pretty sweet.. A pocket of goodness.. From the park west to that street with the stupid plant pots to block traffic is pretty nice now.. Mansard being reno-ed.. The rest is pretty much borderline horrific, below Cranston St, etc.. Hanover area..

Mt Pleasant:

Above Chalkstone its good suburban if you like that.. About midway from Chalk to Atwells it starts to get bad.. There are some ridiculous streets in MT P like Dover & Buefort that put a hop in my step.. There a big white run down house on Dover? and Carleton with a coppola that I WILL own one day..

Hartford:

Is like the Delaware of Providence.. Its never a good sign when the most prominent thing in an area is housing projects..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I like Tuxedo Ave./St. a lot too. There used to be a lot more 19th-c, early 20th-c wood-frame houses nestled in and around the Woonasquatucket industrial corridor, even nestled right up closed to the mill bldgs in Eagle sq, etc. Tuxedo Ave. /St. is a real survivor of the small-scale residential neighborhoods in industrial Prov.

Plus, what a classy name for a street!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I like Tuxedo Ave./St. a lot too. There used to be a lot more 19th-c, early 20th-c wood-frame houses nestled in and around the Woonasquatucket industrial corridor, even nestled right up closed to the mill bldgs in Eagle sq, etc. Tuxedo Ave. /St. is a real survivor of the small-scale residential neighborhoods in industrial Prov.

Plus, what a classy name for a street!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I do not live in the west end but I work in the city and am constantly in every area of Providence. The west end is one area that I would definetly stay away from. Gang rates are higher in the west end than most other areas. If you have a true desire to live in Providence your best bet would be Elmhurst, Upper Mount Pleasant or the East Side. Take it from someone who knows the entire city. And Tuxedo ave? You have to be kidding me. It is a dump.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I do not live in the west end but I work in the city and am constantly in every area of Providence. The west end is one area that I would definetly stay away from. Gang rates are higher in the west end than most other areas. If you have a true desire to live in Providence your best bet would be Elmhurst, Upper Mount Pleasant or the East Side. Take it from someone who knows the entire city. And Tuxedo ave? You have to be kidding me. It is a dump.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I do not live in the west end but I work in the city and am constantly in every area of Providence. The west end is one area that I would definetly stay away from. Gang rates are higher in the west end than most other areas. If you have a true desire to live in Providence your best bet would be Elmhurst, Upper Mount Pleasant or the East Side. Take it from someone who knows the entire city. And Tuxedo ave? You have to be kidding me. It is a dump.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't think you have much of a case against long-time residents of the neighborhood just because you "know it" from the outside. Sorry man. And as for Tuxedo, I walked there alone from the church on Atwells just about every day for my job during my sophomore, junior, and senior years of high school. Not once did I ever have a problem or feel unsafe in the least and the street itself is actually relatively clean and pleasant with its flowering trees and densely packed houses. I second the comment comparing the city's suburban neighborhoods to its more urban ones. The West Side is an urban neighborhood, and one that's improved at a healthy pace, rather than being gentrified in a heartbeat or speculatively overpriced and then abandoned.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I understand it's an urban neighborhood. Take a few walks down Cranston Street on a hot summer night and get back to me. Tell me how safe you feel. Its a dump. And for Tuxedo Ave being clean and unpleasant, you have got to be kidding. When was the last time you were on that street. Its a dump.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.