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Thinking of buying in the West End need your opinions

reverand

By reverand
in Providence

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Pseudo_Work Hamlet

Pseudo_Work

Posted
Posted
I lack vision? Vision is a wonderful thing, but not when it comes to putting my children in harms way. The safest ideal urban neighborhood would be Upper Mt. Pleasant or Elmhurst and parts of the North End. Other than that you couldn't pay me to live anywhere else. This city has come a long way but it has a long way to go. If someone has the money and the means, in my opinion it would be foolish to live in the west end. That is my opinion. Forget about the schools, thats a whole story in itself. Now you have to look at private schools. Just my 2 cents.
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paul617 Crossroads

paul617

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Because it is what's right, particularly for an already dense part of the country that's making a conscious effort to be a role model for sustainability. It's a more efficient, colorful, and open way of living. I don't know how anyone in good conscience can live at a time like this, on a planet like ours, with the kind of issues that are facing us, and choose to bury their head in the suburbs over something as selfish as a perception of safety based on statistics and a clear disrespect for the testimony of the actual residents of a particular neighborhood. Suburbs are for xenophobes and people who are blind to the consequences of their own land and resource use.
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TheAnk Hamlet

TheAnk

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I like the city.. But I wouldn't raise my future libertarian kids here.. Just my 2 cents.. The schools thing is a very legit point.. They suck.. Everyone that can in PVD does put their kids in private schools.. At least thats what people with kids tell me..

As a kid I could ride bike from West Dennis to Hyannis while on vacation.. Now kids can't even leave the yard.. I'd need a place that was safe enough to provide kid freedom..

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TheAnk Hamlet

TheAnk

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And for those of you anti-Tuxedo Street People.. You are dead to me!!! :P

Elmhurst and "Upper" Mt Pleasant (which for the record is just "Mount Pleasant", and the "lower" is Olneyville, see prior note about real estate agents marketing ploys), is still urban.. I used to live in Manton by Fruit Hill.. Some may say that is suburbs, but its urban.. Just cause there is more grass does not make it suburbs... The density is similar.. Tiny plots with close knit houses.. The housing stock may be younger, but its still urban..

Whoever said the North End is good.. Well.. I disagree.. There isn't a single draw to the area, its cut up by Rt 95 and train tracks, has a Walmart.. I can't think of a single positive there.. Maybe Prov Cycle, thats it..

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xine Whistle-Stop

xine

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We've arrived!

The New York Times featured a really nice 5 BR house in the Armory in their "What can you buy for..." series, in the $500K range. It's in the Real Estate Magazine, Sunday section from today, April 6.

For those interested you can also buy a horrifying house in Phoenix, an itty bitty apartment in Paris, and a pretty swell place in Costa Rica for the same money.

(No link, you'll have to register for the site yourself)

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Pseudo_Work Hamlet

Pseudo_Work

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Pseudo I am just going to have to agree to disagree with you. Providence is not a role model for sustainability, its a model of everything that is wrong.Mostly because of the influx of illegal aliens who use up all the resources for people who really need them. In my opinion they are the major reason why Providence is falling so far behind in everything from jobs to schooling. I have to say this is mostly because of Cicilline welcoming all of them with open arms. He should just post a sign-Welcome to Providence, your Sanctuary City. Im done discussing this topic.
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basachs Burg

basachs

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Posted
We've arrived!

The New York Times featured a really nice 5 BR house in the Armory in their "What can you buy for..." series, in the $500K range. It's in the Real Estate Magazine, Sunday section from today, April 6.

For those interested you can also buy a horrifying house in Phoenix, an itty bitty apartment in Paris, and a pretty swell place in Costa Rica for the same money.

(No link, you'll have to register for the site yourself)

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Griswald Whistle-Stop

Griswald

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If the "617" in paul617 is an area code, could it be he is just a Bostonian who likes to hate on Providence? "I work in Providence," stay away from the west end, it is full of gangs, yada yada.

I just had to reinforce what my neighbors have said in response. I think when this topic was started, the person was looking for advice from residents who live in a neighborhood where he was thinking about buying. What Paul posted offers absolutely nothing in this regard. If you go searching for trouble in my neighborhood, you could probably find it. But you'd have to try, and it would be a pretty stupid thing to do. No one bothers the friends and families that I know in the west end. In fact, people from all different ethnic backgrounds and income levels interact well with each other - at the spring clean-ups, the annual neighborhood yard sale, at the park, and at the markets. The more you participate in the social network in the neighborhood, the more you get out of living here. I've really enjoyed my time here, and now that I have a kid on the way, I'm glad he/she is going to spend at least the first few years in a place with true urban character.

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Jenkins Whistle-Stop

Jenkins

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Whoever said the North End is good.. Well.. I disagree.. There isn't a single draw to the area, its cut up by Rt 95 and train tracks, has a Walmart.. I can't think of a single positive there.. Maybe Prov Cycle, thats it..
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Patrick Ward Whistle-Stop

Patrick Ward

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Posted
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..

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basachs Burg

basachs

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Posted

The other thing to remember is the West End is a huge neighborhood. There are nice parts and bad parts. The area that the original poster is interested in is one of the nicer parts, arguably THE nicest part of the West End. The defenders also live in this area (myself included). There is a reason for the unofficial neighborhood name of the Armory District....

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TheAnk Hamlet

TheAnk

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First point, I actually thought the question was "buying in the west SIDE", not the West End.. Hence the street breakdown of "west side"

Second point, it shouldn't be that we cast out a point like "illegal immigrants take up services" as racist.. It isn't in all cases, but there is some truth to the statement even if it has nothing to do with ppty in west end/side.. Its a truth that people dont like to talk about, but it is in fact, a truth whether we like it or not..

Patrick, just giving my opinion. Whats good for me may not be good for someone buying a primary residence.. I should qualify that.. I think the Valley is a fine place for rental ppty, and agree that Bergen/Regent is awful.. I will further say that Health, Wealth, Wisdom below Regent (the ones that are "dead ends" with the view) have promise.. But they keep getting held back.. Rockingham St, I think, is to blame..

And lastly, for the record.. I completely destroyed my areas because rental ppty and a condo are not the same animals..

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TheAnk Hamlet

TheAnk

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liam lunch, I agree with you, I also live in the city for the diversity.. I love being around multiculural people and areas.. Thats the exact reason, for me, to live in Providence..

I dont think people though should hate suburbanites.. I dont understand that.. Whats good for one may not be good for another, we should show understanding and compassion for these banjo deliverance people..

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Pseudo_Work Hamlet

Pseudo_Work

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liam lunch, I agree with you, I also live in the city for the diversity.. I love being around multiculural people and areas.. Thats the exact reason, for me, to live in Providence..

I dont think people though should hate suburbanites.. I dont understand that.. Whats good for one may not be good for another, we should show understanding and compassion for these banjo deliverance people..

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Jerry2 Hamlet

Jerry2

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Posted

It's about a little more than personal taste. It's about responsible choices. But I guess it won't do much good arguing with you over it.

[/quote

Exactly...because you are higher up on an intellectual scale and tend to be more "responsible" when it comes to "eco-issues" hence the need to drive from the West End to meet any of your basic necessities seeing the lack of anything deemed a staple of urban convenience in the immediate area( pharmacy, bank, supermarket etc.)

To the OP, some of the homes in the area are absolutely gorgeous but not what I would consider a vibrant urban area. If the East Side of Pvd is out of your price range and you truly value an intact urban area, you would get more bang for your buck in Federal Hill, Smith Hill, or even Admiral or Olneyville for that matter.

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