Last week, I got a text from a college friend asking if I knew of any apartments she should look at before she moves to town this May. She knew she was interested in South End, Midtown and SouthPark and I knew that if she limited herself to those three, she’d miss out.
So I told her that and proceeded gave her an unsolicited rundown of the neighborhoods.
(Note: the average rent comes from rentjungle.com and was updated in December 2015.)
Ballantyne
The vibe in three words: Too far away
Things to do: Ballantyne Corporate Park, The Golf Club at Ballantyne, Ballantyne Village
Social scene: Okay. “A few decent bars,” but people tend to come in to Charlotte.
The most-liked Instagram from the neighborhood:
The cost: Around $1,300/month
Barclay Downs
The vibe in three words: Houses and families.
Things to do: I don’t know. After Googling this, I’ve come up with joyriding on a Sunday afternoon to look at houses.
Social scene: I don’t know. Ted looked at me like I had three heads when I asked him and said, “Nothing. There’s nothing to do in Barclay Downs. It’s just houses.”
The most-liked Instagram from the neighborhood: Ummm…
The cost: Around $1,500/month
Cotswold
The vibe in three words: Family, shopping center
Things to do: Mint Museum, eat at spots like Improper Pig, Wolfman Pizza and Koishi Fine Chinese & Sushi
Social scene: Good for families, not so great for people in their twenties. Leroy Fox, Block & Grinder and Eddie’s Place are all here.
The most-liked Instagram from the neighborhood:
The cost: Around $1,000/month, but apartments aren’t really a thing here.
Dilworth
The vibe in three words: High end, quaint
Things to do: Greek Festival in the fall, Latta Park, get a box of Duck Donuts
Social scene: Good. Ed’s Tavern, Lebowski’s, The Summit Room and a handful of wine bars are all here.
The most-liked Instagram from the neighborhood:
Swiped my Price’s Chicken Coop V-Card today. @eatdrinkclt made me do it. I regret nothing.
A photo posted by Kate (@puppiesandbrunch) on
The cost: Around $1,450/month, but apartments are closer to the South End side of things.
Elizabeth
The vibe in three words: Charming and old
Things to do: Ride the trolley, Independence Park, watch burlesque at Visulite Theater and watch lacrosse and soccer games at American Legion Stadium.
Social scene: Good. East 7th Street is apparently considered Elizabeth (I always considered it Plaza Midwood), which adds a lot, like Jackalope Jack’s (while you can), Cajun Queen, Sabor Latin Street Grill and Kennedy’s.
The most-liked Instagram from the neighborhood:
Look at @earlsgrocery with the salted caramel BLONDIE.
A photo posted by Axios Charlotte (@charlotteagenda) on
Cost: Around $1,350
Midtown
The vibe in three words: People live here?
Things to do: Target, Metropolitan, eat at OHOP and walk Little Sugar Creek Greenway
Social scene: Okay. It’s not a destination, but it’s got spots like Hickory Tavern and Pisces.
The most-liked Instagram:
The cost: $1,897 – but the only apartment building here hasn’t opened yet. And no, the spaces above West Elm and Pisces aren’t apartments. They’re condos.
Montford
I made sure to explain that Montford isn’t considered a neighborhood, but that nobody’s truly sure what to call it.
The vibe in three words: Young, fun, late-night.
Things to do: Park Road Shopping Center, Little Sugar Creek Greenway, Ten Park Lanes, Park Terrace Stadium 6
Social scene: Excellent. Montford isn’t known as Montford for nothing – and it’s one of the best spots for a Saturday brunch to turn into a Saturday night (hello Brazwell’s, Angry Ale’s, Good Food on Montford, Jeff’s Bucket Shop).
The most-liked Instagram from the neighborhood:
Cost: Around $1,076/month
Myers Park
The vibe in three words: Well off families
Things to do: Freedom Park, Charlotte Nature Museum, Festival in the Park, Wing Haven Gardens and Bird Sanctuary and Manor Theatre
Social scene: Good for dinner and drinks, questionable for a night out. Selwyn Avenue Pub is here (and so is Michael Jordan sometimes).
The most-liked Instagram from the neighborhood:
The cost: Around $1,500/month.
NoDa
The vibe in three words: Its own world
Things to do: Neighborhood Theatre, Cabo Fish Taco, Smelly Cat Coffee, The Evening Muse, Red@28th, Acting Out Studio and Upstage NoDa.
Social scene: Good. There’s even a bar crawl the first and third Fridays of every month.
The most-liked Instagram from the neighborhood:
I mean… Captain America baby skeleton sweatsuit. Who wanted anything more?
A photo posted by Misha Vaagen Lazzara (@boom.misha.boom) on
The cost: Around $1,300/month
Plaza Midwood
The vibe in three words: Rebellious, proud, different
Things to do: Community Garden, Book Buyers, Buffalo Exchange, Plaza Midwood Tuesday Night Ride
Social scene: Excellent. Think spots like Common Market, Central Coffee, Midwood Country Club, 22, Whiskey Warehouse (with a roof that’s great on an afternoon), Elizabeth Billiards and Snug Harbor.
The most-liked Instagram from the neighborhood:
A photo posted by Amber 🌻 (@amberdenae) on
The cost: Around $1,350/month
South End
The vibe in three words: Young and up-and-coming
Things to do: Food Truck Friday, Atherton Mill, The Common Market, Rail Trail, Before I Die Wall
Social scene: Excellent. Bottle Cap Group owns the block on East Bland Street and spots like All-American, Oak Room and Slate are there. There’s also a handful of breweries: Wooden Robot Brewery, Sycamore Brewing, Triple C and The Unknown Brewing Co. Just to name a few.
The most-liked Instagram from the neighborhood:
Back in the day when I only dreamed of Instagram fame #throwbackthursday
A photo posted by Gary the Goldendoodle (@queencitygary) on
The cost: Around $1,300/month
SouthPark
The vibe in three words: Shopping, fine dining
Things to do: SouthPark mall, Phillips Place
Social scene: Okay. It’s better for dinner and drinks than going out and having to Uber home. Places like Cowfish, Rooster’s and Brio are here and definitely worth mentioning.
The most-liked Instagram from the neighborhood:
A photo posted by Charlotte Magazine (@charlottemag) on
The cost: Around $1,300/month
Uptown
The vibe in three words: Important and expensive
Things to do: Romare Bearden Park, Discovery Place, The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, 7th Street Public Market, Levine Museum of the New South, B-Cycles
Social scene: Excellent. You’ve got the EpiCentre, Latta Arcade, bars on every corner, late-night pizza spots. The list is endless.
The most-liked Instagram from the neighborhood:
A photo posted by TheJSG (@diggysimmons) on
The cost: Around $1,700/month
