Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Urban Explorer's Handbook 2008: Battle of the Hoods 'Ballot
Posted by Carlton Hargro on Wed, Mar 5, 2008 at 10:04 AM
To go along with our special Battle of the Hoods edition of this year's Urban Explorer's Handbook 2008, Creative Loafing is giving you, dear readers, the chance to vote and pick Charlotte's greatest neighborhood.
Let your voice be heard by finding your favorite hood in the list below and selecting it as the best. Now, if you don't like any of the neighborhoods on our list, feel free to write in your own choice as a comment below the poll.
Vote as many times as you'd like (hell, even encourage your friends to vote, too). We'll let folks cast "ballots" until March 19. After that we;ll determine a winner and present a representative (of our choice) from the No. 1 hood with a sexy plaque to display for the rest of the year. Be sure to check this space and the print version of Creative Loafing often to see which hood wins the big prize.
So here's your chance. May the best hood win!
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Comments (298)
Showing 1-50 of 298
I was wonder why your magazine seems to shun or just totally ignores Lulu on Central Ave in Charlotte? Yo're doing a battle of the hoods and mention Intermezzo who isn't listed as a Plaza Midwood restaurant (nor is Penguin I believe) and just recently opened, yet Lulu won a few Best Of's from you and your readers?! Browsing your site, they seem to generate more comments on the positive the most any other restaurant. I've also noted that you don't ever have them in your print neighborhood section. Seems strange to me, whats up with that?
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Can someone who's pumping up Starmount's numbers explain what makes it such a great neighborhood??
Well, if you read the Starmount essay, it does mention that it is the largest neighborhood.
Starmount? I've never even heard of that. Perhaps I should borrow whatever click script they're using to pump up numbers. That said, I moved to NoDa a couple of years ago and will never leave. Great people, good food, awesome bands, artists and even creative panhandlers! All within walking distance plus an easy and green friendly commute to uptown for work, soon to be mass commutable.
As a native Charlottean The Loaf has left some Hoods off the list. Arboretum, Steel Creek, Blakeney just to name a few. I'd also include Matthews, Pineville, and Mint Hill. Now I'm aware that these are considered separate towns, but if you've lived here all your life like I have, you'd know that Charlotte has swallowed them whole. As far as I'm concerned they're now just hoods of Charlotte. If you're from any of these areas and you disagree, all I can say is that you need to be honest with yourself and accept it. It's not an insult but a compliment to the small town feel of our growing city. As for Starmount, it is definitely a hood, although it's been relatively quite over the past 15 or 20 years but maybe the light rail will have a positive effect for those folks. My most found memory of Starmount was Skate Palace. That placed rocked in the 80s. For those who don't know it was in the large brick building behind Luigi's on S. Blvd.
I moved to NoDa five years ago and I love the sense of community. I also enjoy walking to restaurants, galleries, and of course Smelly Cat Coffeehouse. NoDa residents have worked hard to create a great neighborhood and we are not finished. There is always something interesting going on.
Plaza-Midwood is what's up! I've been in PM for abut two years now and LOVE IT! It offers great eatery (especially LuLu's..my favorite), cool shopping, and the best thing....REAL Esatate!!! Though I love PM I do frequent NoDa and Elizabeth. I love all our little hoods'!!
My wife and I moved to NoDa in 2004 after living in Brooklyn for several years. It was the only neighborhood we even considered. Now its time for us to move again and honestly, leaving our hood behind is just about the hardest part of it all. We have made so many great friends and thoroughly enjoyed the vibe and the feeling that there is always a good time to look forward to right around the corner.
Starmount is the "best for the buck." Consisting of nearly 1,400 homes, Starmount is the largest established neighborhood in South Charlotte. Lots of mature trees, spacious lots and little through-traffic offer residents a quiet, safe and attractive community complete with a neighborhood pool and tennis courts. Starmount homes were built to last using true pine 2 x 4s, hardwood floors and brick construction. 1,200-1,500 sq. ft ranch style plans make up a great portion of the neighborhood but there are also many split-level, two-story and basement homes pushing 2,400 sq. ft and beyond. As residential space around the center city and within the 485 perimeter becomes increasingly valuable, Starmount has become a hot-spot for young first-time home buyers and young professionals desiring a “great deal for the money.†Home values continue to rise - currently selling from $120k - 200k+.
I have owned a Starmount home since 1980. I have never been sorry. As Craig said earlier, the homes are solid, full of extras, ridiculously affordable, with large lots and a mature forest and creeks throughout the area. I am an urban homesteader and can grow most of my food on my lot. The neighborhood is diverse with people from all over the world, and I can testify, a great place to raise kids. The people who live here are good folks with good values, looking out for each other and the "hood". It's not unusual for their children to move back here when they start their own families and raise the next generation here. We are close to everything that matters, but have none of that traffic actually in our neighborhood. It is safe, clean and relatively crime free. Come check us out- we live in (what was before Creative Loafing anyway) Charlotte's best kept secret.
I've been in Starmount for 2.5 years and I love it. The nearby restaurants are wonderful and the people are friendly. I'm not sure why someone would assume that the numbers are artificial because the neighborhood is the best - and most affordable - place we found in Charlotte. The light rail is an added bonus. I would recommend it to anyone.
We rented a house in NoDa when we first moved to Charlotte about three years ago and looked for a house to buy in NoDa. Within a few weeks, we discovered the homes in that 'hood were out of our reach, and seemed a little overpriced, considering many were on the same streets as homes that needed to be bulldozed. Our realtor showed a house in Starmount to us, and we fell in love: large, wooded lots; 15 minute commute to uptown; great restaurants within a couple of miles; fantastic, long term neighbors. Our home inspector made a point of telling us that houses aren't built like this anymore. Starmount can't be beat for the price, quality, low crime rate, proximity to all points in Charlotte and neighborhood friendliness.
Starmount has a neighborhood pool that has been in operation for 45 years, in addition to normal operations, and a great swim team for the kids, the pool frequently hosts cool events where everyone is invited. You don't meet many people with their noses up in the air in Starmount, I've been here 15 years, can't think of another place I'd be happier.
this is a reply for "craig" The largest neighborhood in South Charlotte, Starmount real estate contains nearly 1,400 individual homes that date back to the 50s and 60s, when the neighborhood was first established as a suburb of Charlotte. About five miles south of Charlotte’ s central business district, this district has the distinct advantage of being away from the sprawl in areas immediately adjacent to the urban center, while remaining close to the amenities and services the city has to provide. Being largely residential, it is a quiet and safe place for growing families, children, and senior citizens. Featuring a range of affordable housing, Starmount real estate is attracting tons of consumer interests, making this relatively newly developed area the next up-and-coming suburban neighborhood of Charlotte. Aside from the potential in property value appreciation, the neighborhood itself is a desirable place to live and do business. Residential properties in general feature generous lots, abundant greeneries, and an eclectic selection of architectural styles. Neighborhood parks provide green spaces and recreation facilities for neighbors to gather, relax, and socialize. There are a number of shopping centers and malls nearby, providing easy access to everyday needs and entertainment options. All in all, with such a diverse range of features, consumers from all walks of life can find something in this district to satisfy their needs. Indeed, the comfortable lifestyle offered by Starmount real estate is now making this part of town more popular than ever.
Starmount Rocks! I am a native Charlottean & I just bought my second house in Starmount. You can buy the same house in Huntingtown Farms or Montclaire for $100k - $150k more - why would you do that? As for Erik's theory that we are using a click script to pump up numbers, it seems that if anyone's finger is permanently on the clicker it is someone from Noda.
We just sold our first Starmount home for $176,000 (1450 sq feet). and bought our second. We wouldn’t move anywhere else if we could afford to. Great quality-built homes with beautiful rolling landscapes in many parts and very low crime of any kind. Our neighborhood also has an extremely energetic neighborhood association leadership team that is 2nd to none. They stay on top of city and neighborhood issues and keep all residents in the loop. We raised our two kids here and have the best friends in the world. And it’s a blast to catch the nearby light rail and go downtown on a Sat afternoon too!!!!
I bought my Starmount home in September, 1978 for $38,500. It is now appraised for more than four times that amount. I raised my two kids here and was fortunate to have their elementary school just two blocks from our house. I have been pleased to see that, as my older neighbors have had to leave their homes, the homes are often sold to young couples or singles who take on the responsibility of homeownership and pride in the neighborhood. The neighborhood has changed over the years, but it has not lost it's southern charm. The increasing ethnic diversity in the neighborhood has encouraged family-run businesses nearby and brought an interesting international flavor to the neighborhood. I can't imagine living anywhere else!
Grew up near there in the 60's and still near there today(Madison Park).A great neighborhood;a nice neighborhood pool with close to 10 acres,an active neighborhood association,close to the light rail and you can still get alot of house for under $200,000.Obviously very near Southpark,Carolina Place Mall,and Ballantyne
Another wonderful aspect of Starmount is that it sits up against the Little Sugar Creek Greenway! We frequently walk to the greenway and enjoy the trail and the park. Starmount's location and all it has to offer cannot be beat. We feel like we hit the jack pot finding this neighborhood 10 years ago.
The sleeping giant has awakened!! I just wanted to mention that Starmount is also part of Huntingtowne Farms Park which is in fact part of Starmount. Tennis Courts, Greenway project access, soccer fields and children’s playground make it a great place to relax. But that’s not important, I love to party and Starmount is so close to everything. All my friends meet at my house because we can decide on where to go at the last minute and its all within minutes of my house; ie uptown, southend, ballentyne, southpark , park road and etc. I have several friends who have bought homes in Starmount and list gets bigger over time; some wish they bought sooner since prices have gone up rather quickly. But what makes Starmount the best is that it has not one but TWO light rail stations no other neighborhood can say that!!!!!!!!!! Come game day there is plenty of room on the trains for the 1400 homeowners to cheer the Panthers on.
I see NoDa is in 1st place , But will soon be in Second soon. Starmount is a great neiborhood to raise kids and meet great friends. I have lived hear for 6yrs and this place has many hidden treasures , like the pool with it's live bands and tennis courts , water volleyball and the annual BBQ. Also the 2 lightrail stations make it so easy to go anywhere . with close shopping to SouthPark And Carolina Place Mall, and the movie theaters at AMC 22 , plus many resturants to choose from . The only thing I don't like now is that our secret is out !!! NoDa I like your Art Hood honestly, But you are messing with people who grew up here in Starmount and returning years after to raise there kids . After coaching baseball here for years I have seen friends and families return.
in response to "what's up NoDa" you wrote: "I see NoDa is in 1st place , But will soon be in Second soon." Did you write this because you took a week off from work and are sitting at home voting for Starmount at the rate of 6 votes per15 seconds? I say keep your secret. Stepford was a secret for a long time also. NoDa is a true melting pot of culture, lifestyles, background, and stature. It is 1.7 miles from the heart of the city. It is filled with history that involves the true working class of the people who actually built this city, it is home to many wonderful artists, and it attracts people from all over Meck county as a fun place to hang. I'd never even heard of Starmount until this poll came out. Isn't it a theater?
hmmmmm just wondering how from 730 pm on a Tuesday night, the vote can go from 11,298 to 11,460 at 1030 pm, all in Starmount's favor... and then from 1030 pm to 1040 pm that same night, the vote go from 11,460 to 11,521 again in Starmount's favor.. Noda going down 2% and Starmount climbing 2%... did all of "Starmount" just get home and decide to vote for themselves? lol It looks like the winner will be the person in the hood that cancels out enough of the person in the other hood's votes....
did Jeb Bush get bannished to Starmount after leaving Florida in 07? cause the voting seems to reflect it... lol
if anyone is cheating, its got to be noda. There are hardly any people living there. Certainly not enough to get the vote as high as it. Most people in Noda are hippies and would rather "smoke" than buy a computer; so I don't know where the votes are coming from. What out for the Carpal Tunnel my friends.
so now you are "TEAM" Starmount? is that how you are voting so quickly in your favor? I thought it might be some sort of machine.... Where is the "voting" center set up? Did you guys send your house wives over to the elementary auditorium to mass vote so that your property values would increase? LMAO By the way, what's playing at the cinema this friday at 8pm? Any sales going on at the mall? I heard another Starbucks is being built over there... Go back to Stepford... YAY team Starmount!!! lol
Last time I drove thru Noda during broad daylight there was drug deal going down right on the street I turned down - I got the heck out of there quick. The guys hanging on the corner looked like they had all just been released from prison. the area seems to be shrinking rather than growing.
in response to unbiased opinion... I've lived in NoDa over 2 years, I work in NoDa, and I socialize in NoDa. I've never seen a drug deal going on in broad daylight. Every area in Mecklenberg has some sort of crime. Starmount's little section of South Blvd is certainly something to be PROUD of. I saw a drug deal going on at one of your light rail stations... That's a reflection of the drug dealer, not CATS or Starmount. We have one of the most together, productive, and committed communities in Charlotte. The comment that NoDa is shrinking is about as informed and accurate as you being in an area of NoDa during the daytime witnessing a drug deal. You would have had to have been the one receiving the drugs in order to have been close enough to varify that it was an actual drug deal. Some of our artists and characters have a bohemian look. Some of our bankers dress it down while they're kicking it. Does this mean they have a prison record? I'd rather hang out with earthy non-conforming artists and musicians than with cookie baking soccer coaches anytime.... See you at the next gallery crawl.. We know you come here to party... LOL
every neighborhood has it's good and bad. I had never heard of Starmount before this so I checked it out. Seems like a nice neighborhood. My heart is in NoDa because NoDa accepts ALL. Artist, banker, black, white, Hispanic, married, single gay, straight, We're all here because we love it. This is a neighborhood that was taken from ghetto to thriving community in just a few years by the love and hardwork of the people who live here. I plan on visiting all the other neighborhoods and invite all others to visit NoDa. Come down to N. Davidson for one of the crawls on the 1st or 3rd Friday of every month. We'd love to see you, hear about your neighborhood and show you ours. We promise to show you a good time and hope you return the favor when we visit you. MY FAVORITE PART OF NODA IS SHARING IT WITH OTHERS! I'd love a tour of Starmount and the other areas from the point of view of someone who loves their neighborhood. I'll show you my neighborhood if you show me yours. As for the voting and trash talk. It says vote as often as you like, so cheating isn't really possible. it's cool to see so many people so passionate about where they live.
in response to NoDaGuy: Your comment was very well written, very sincere, and extremely eloquent. I agree with you 110%. I want to apologize to Starmount for any comments I made that were less than mature. It certainly makes me feel good to know that there are people out there like me who have a passion for the "hood" they live in. It's refreshing and gives a person hope. We are all Charlotteers.. All of our hoods touch the hoods that surround it.... maybe we can combine the passion we have for our neighborhoods and create a larger passion for the city and county we ALL live in. I love what NoDaGuy said about getting to know more about the other hoods. Could this whole contest be the catalyst for neighbors to host neighbors? Maybe this Summer or Spring we can hold HOOD open houses, one in each hood, so that we can share the place we love with our neighbors? I love the whole "you show me yours and I'll show you mine" concept... I like it for the neighborhoods too. LOL Good luck all y'all!
OK, time to weigh in on this conversation. I've lived in NoDa for a year and a half and in that time, I have found friends, family and embracing, active citizens. We take extreme pride in our neighborhood and we go to great lengths to make it a better place to live every day. We have association or committee meetings going on practically every day of the week with hundreds of active citizens involved in dozens of initiatives. NoDa was recently recognized as the #1 neighborhood in Charlotte for its community crime & safety efforts by the Chief of the CMPD. We have a Green Team, comprised of neighborhood residents committed to making NoDa a more environmentally friendly place to live. We also have active committees established for beautification, home tours, arts collaboration, family and children, economic development, social events, communications, parks and recreation, welcoming, at-risk youth, the list goes on and on. NoDa even has its own sports teams, organized by residents and sponsored by our neighborhood businesses. We have a very cool neighborhood newsletter developed and hand delivered by volunteers to every household in the hood, of which, by the way, there are estimated to be over 1,400. NoDa is an established neighborhood full of people from all walks of life. Many of us work extremely hard at our jobs in addition to our community. Yes, many of us actually have an education and know how to spell and use proper grammar! NoDa has been a destination of interest for people from all over the country, and it didn't take a light rail station to get us on the map. Yes, light rail and even greenway are coming straight through NoDa in the very near future, as well as a ton of economic development currently in the works. We all admit, it was a scary place to be 10 years ago, but then, so were many areas of Charlotte that have now transitioned into thriving and desirable communities. Hats off to people of all neighborhoods who go the extra mile to make Charlotte a better place to live. But, when it comes to active and mobilized communities, NoDa wins, hands down!
NoDaguy - you're awesome. You hit the nail on the head. I had never heard of Starmount before this competition was brought to my attention. However, it has been neat to learn about that neighborhood, its history and most of all, the passion its residents have for living there and seeing it thrive. I will definitely check out Starmount sometime and hope the Starmount folks will take a ride north to check out NoDa sometime. Charlotte has a lot to offer beyond our little hoods. It is nice to be reminded of that. Go Team Charlotte!
If we do a "show me yours and I'll show you mine" kind of thing I'll smoke up a boston butt or two on behalf of NoDa.
Erik, come to my house, if you have a smoking, oral fixation. I have a butt for you to chew on and a blunt you can enjoy. If you want to know where I live or how to get ahold of me, just come into NoDa and ask anyone in any of the businesses, or other NoDa residents. Just ask them how to find Kenny. Thats the other beauty of NoDa... we know each other and we know about the people who share our community with us. If I went to Starmount and asked someone how to find Erik.... they'd look at me like I was crazy to ask I'm sure...
kenny you need to quit writing and get back to your click voting, click, click click. you can do it kenny, try and out vote all of starmount.
Un bi ass, If I was click clicking it wouldn't be against all of Starmount... it would be against you and Erik and your vote program... :0) I haven't even voted today, but your percentage I see has gone up with your 700 votes in 3 hours. Do you have oompa loompas voting for you? or are your house wives still locked up in that elementary school gymnasium? Guess you'll all have to order out tonight ... LOL and why not post with your real name? I have a more accurate post name for you than "uniased opinion." you should try, Silly Man. good luck.
Well I see we kept the peace for about 2 seconds. 1 Charlotte 12+ awesome, proud neighborhoods. I'm serious about my tour offer---I really want to see some of the other hoods.
I'm sorry I digressed and reacted... It's hard to play nice sometimes when snide comments and insults follow genuine expressions of friendship and growth. My bad. :0)
kenny why do you find it necessary to insult others. if you would just stop clicking and think about what you are saying? either you are a 15 year old playing hookie from school -or-you acutally do not live in Noda and just sneak in from the surrounding slums to get your drug fix and look at art. i think its the latter
unbiased... on THAT note... I should have never let the original NoDa insults drag me to the dark side. Just as I refuse to let YOUR insults cause yet another childish reaction from me. The mud flinging was two sided, unwarranted, and immature. I'm sorry that I was a part of it. Even though there was trash talk and not so nice comments from both sides... I feel that in the beginning there was a bit of sporty fun attached to them. A cute rivalry. Now, the insults about slums and drugs are completely out of hand. These are serious issues that shouldn't be joked about or taken lightly, no matter what area they are an issue. At this point, I'm wishing you and your hood all the best, sincerely. I'm sorry to the rest of the forum readers for my part in the insults and trash talk.
LOL Craig... one last post from me... my specific apologies go out to Erik and "unbiased opinion." Come to NoDa and let me buy you a drink. I'm actually a pretty nice guy, as I'm sure the two of you are. Peace.
kenny, i am afraid you are correct. I retract the comments about drugs and slums. my apologies to all of noda and the readers of this forum, i did not mean for anyone to take them literally but I was wrong to even bring that kind of filth into this discussion.
We will take your offer up this summer for NoDa and Starmount to "Show me yours and we will show you ours" I will get a hold of the Starmount neighborhood association to put this in the monthly news letter. and coordinate this visit. Look ,I did not think this would come to alot of bickering LoL, It shows how proud we are as Charlotteteans. I love the NoDa area , the art and diversity of people there. We at Starmount are proud too. Hope to see you soon. Also hope other Hoods get involved as passinate as we are!!
We moved here about a year ago and are very happy. The neighborhood is safe, everyone takes good care of their houses and there are community parties if you want to get involved in that sort of thing. I had never heard of Starmount until our realtor told us the name, but I really like it and I'm glad we moved here. Once nice thing is that at community events, there are people of all nationalities, so it's easy for people of all cultures to make friends.
keep the great comments coming Diana. but its the vote that counts and we are on top of that.
I think South End is the clear winner. We're just too immersed in all our culture and things to do to get on this site and vote!
Its interesting to read the bickering back and forth. The Starmount and NoDa areas are very similar. NoDa just has one up on the art galleries. Both offer diversity and genuine fun. These hoods are concerned more with the real issues and family than "keeping up with the Jones'". Either hood deserves to win!
This vote that's now in the tens of thousands... gave me an idea for next year... if we could get 2 or 3 sponsors to match the amount of votes... one vote = one dollar... maybe all this passion for our "hoods" could be paid forward to a local charity or two? This town is so full of banks.... surely they could see a need to give to the community around them.... There are also many wonderful worth while organizations who need financial help. It would be like a BEST OF THE HOODS (carpal tunnel) charity vote-a-thon.... Then, all this voting would have more meaning than a friendly rivalry or a bunch of passionate people who refuse to give in... :0) IF THERE'S ANY BANK EXECS READING THIS > IT"S NOT TOO LATE TO PLEDGE!!! :0)
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