Overview
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With the big city of Charlotte ever expanding, it wouldn't seem like there could be a neighborhood left in Charlotte like this. But Ashboork Clawson has a small town neighborhood feel in a big city atmoshpere of Charlotte. The neighborhood is bordered by Park Rd & Woodlawn on one side, 2 major roads in Charlotte, & Scaleybark & the Sedgefield subdivision on the other side.
Along the major roads of Woodlawn & Park, you have your not so great places to live, & Asbhrook Clawson doesn't look like anything special from here. But once you get into the heart of the neighborhood, then you'll see what I'm talking about with the small town feel. Think of a big, hilly neighborhood, with plenty of trees & greenery, & houses that actually have yards! Yep, these houses may be quaint (mostly all brick ranch homes), but the yards & fact there are trees everywhere really sets this neighborhood apart from some other places in Charlotte. You could almost forget that you're living in a large banking center city, where urban sprawl hasn't yet touched this part of town.
While nothing in this neighborhood is overly ornate/nice, the houses are very modest & the people here are all friendly, with little crime in the area. Also, you have Park Road Shopping Center, along with the other major shopping, restaurants, etc. along Park Rd, within close distance. Heck, you could probably bike to most of the places you wished from this area. Ashbrook Clawson has your wide range of renting options, from small homes, to some newer townhomes & your normal run of the mill apartments (all with trees). And with a park & YWCA in this part of town, you'll have plenty of available exercise options.
So if you're looking to rent in Ashbrook Clawson, think trees & more trees, with a small town feel. Nothing too pricey here, just modest working class homes with access to everything you need a close distance away.
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If I were new to the area & wanted something outside the hustle & bustle of the big city life, then this would be an ideal area. The rent prices here won't kill your budget & your quality of living would be great. There are plenty of things to do in & around this neighborhood, so you don't have to worry about traveling a good ways to have a good time. Also, you're close enough to uptown to frequent it as well, but you don't have to worry about the negatives that come with living uptown.
The trees & greenery that come with this neighborhood really set it apart from a lot of other, more urban areas in Charlotte. This is an older part of town & it has a lot more charm than your newer, premanufactured areas that seem to be taking over everywhere.
A wide range of people dot the scene in this neighborhood. Within your home landscape, the middle class family is your main homeowner, but you also have a good number of renters, either college or post grad age. The apartment arena is also home to your working class singles with some families running around as well. Not one "type" of person lives here, but the crime is fairly low, & the middle class seems to be the majority.
Located along Park & Woodlawn, there is so much in the social realm just outside of this neighborhood. Park Road Shopping Center is a big hit along this stretch of road, with a lot of locally owned restaurants & businesses within it. You'll find a Fuel Pizza, Bruegger's Bagels, & a Caribou Coffee, along with Sir Edmund Halley's Restaurant & Pub. I believe this is the oldest shopping center in Charlotte, & you won't find your big chain/franchise places here, which is a nice change. Down Woodlawn you'll find a Beef & Bottle steakhouse & Villa Antonia Italian restaurant. There really isn't a type of food you can't find in this area.
For bars, you have Angry Ales, Murphy's Tavern, & the Press Box close by, along with much more within a couple miles. Along South you'll find Mac's BBQ, which is not only a great place to hang out at night, but has some of the best BBQ in Charlotte. East Blvd, a couple miles away, has plenty of restaurant/bar options, from East Blvd Bar & Grill, to Cantina 1511, an upper scale mexican restaurant.
Your rental prices are going to be a little bit higher here, but you can still find your bargains in some of the older places. But your rent won't be out of the roof because this neighborhood doesn't quite reach that "nicer, upscale home" level, if that makes any sense. While the homes are nice, they are mostly ranches, & nothing special or unique. So while your rent won't be cheap, it also won't be sky high. I actually think the rent prices match up well with the quality of living, so if you love trees & greenery, then this great walking neighborhood has what your looking for.
You have 2 major roads in Charlotte bordering this neighborhood, so getting to where you need to be quickly won't be that difficult. Traffic could be a bit of a problem in the morning/afternoon commute, but that's nothing unique just to this neighborhood (welcome to Charlotte). Another viable option from this area of town is the light rail, which is only a couple of blocks away. The light rail is nice & new, & really is a great addition to Charlotte. You can hop on here if you're looking to head into uptown for work &/or play, that way you don't have to worry about traffic.
For daily errands, there are plenty of shopping options along Park & Woodlawn that are easy to drive to, but biking could be an option as well. I don't see the parking & transportation characteristics of this neighborhood being anything that would hamper your quality of living.
My only advice would be to make sure you know you're not going to be in the "big city lights" of Charlotte. This part of town hasn't seen the urban sprawl & trees still dot the landscape. If you're looking for something close enough to uptown, without having to live there, then this is a good place.
This is a great area for pets, with plenty of streets to walk, & plenty of space to run. From the Edgar Blackburn Moore park where you can take them to walk around & play, to the streets of the neighborhood that would be great for walking, Asbrook Clawson is great for pets. A lot of the streets also have sidewalks, so you don't have to always walk in the street. This is a good area for pets if you're looking to rent here & you just have to find a pet friendly place to rent from.
There is plenty of entertainment around Ashbrook Clawson, from movies to a park. Park Terrace Theatre is an older theater, but still very nice & with the latest movies. Along with the movies, you have Edgar Blackburn Moore park, where you can take the kiddies or your honey for a nice relaxing day in the sun. A YWCA is close by as well, so the ladies in the family can go get their exercise. And I'd also add the streets of Ashbrook Clawson to the recreation section, considering it's a hilly neighborhood that would be great for walking, running, or biking.
If you've read this far, you'll know I have to mention Park Rd as a great street, considering there are so many options for shopping, food, etc. along it. As for living, Scaleybark would be a nice road to live on, being a big road, but not too busy that it would anger you. After Scaleybark, any of the little roads that stretch between Scaleybark & Park would be great options, but most of these roads are lined with houses. If you could find a home to rent on one of these streets then I suggest that.
As for the only place I wouldn't recommend in this neighborhood, that would be renting along Woolawn. While I don't think of it as a bad part of town, it can get pretty dicey at times & I surely wouldn't want to live along this busy, noisy road. Rent in the heart of this neighborhood, or along Scaleybark, & you'll love where you're at.
When it comes to your daily needs, Park Road Shopping Center once again comes in to play. From a Harris Teeter to plenty of banking options, they have your essientials covered. Also up Park Rd, a Wachovia & Bank of America have branches for your all your money needs. One of the better options to your chain grocery stores is the Home Economist Market, which is a health food store. If you're a health food fanatic, then you'll love this store, but even if you just want a good selection of food, then this place is a great place to shop.
As for gyms, if you're not YWCAing it, then you have a couple of locally owned gyms near by, but you'll have to drive a good 5-10 miles to find a large chain gym such as Bally's.
Charlotte has a magnet school system, so it could have an effect on your child's schooling. But in this area, the schools are pretty good from elementary all the way up to high school. There are also plenty of private options, along with some nearby Christian & Catholic choices. Raising a family here seems like a nice place, considering the amount of stuff to do around the neighborhood, with the freedom to live in a quiet part of town. There are plenty of options to let the kids run free & get their exercise, along with getting good schooling in this area.
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