Elizabeth

Starting with the people living in houses, I would say they are mostly upper middle class families. The houses along these tree lined streets are great houses, with plenty of yard space for kids & pets. While some of the houses may be more modest than others, they are still pricey homes so you won't find many single incomes living here.

As for the apartments & condos, I would say most of these are filled with young professionals, considering the businesses in this area. There are several bars & they're always filled with this type of people, college educated & starting their lives in the business world. I have several friends who live in the area & them, along with the ones living around them, all fit this mold of the renting crowd in Elizabeth.

While you won't find any clubs in the area, you will find a good bit of bars both within the neighborhood, and within a close driving distance away. Within the neighborhood, you have The Philosopher's Stone & Jackalope Jack's, 2 great little bars always packed in the nightlife. P Stone, as they call it, is a great little hang out place when the weather is nice, considering they have outdoor ping pong & cornholde. And while you have these choices within Elizabeth, you also have lots & lots of choices within a 5 min drive to uptown Charlotte. So if you like the nightlife, then this area provides plenty of options.

Along with a great area for nightlife, you also have several options for eating as well. Cajun Queen, Fig Tree, & Nolia are a couple favorites in the area, that provide a great variety along 7th Street. Hawthorne Pizza is a local pizza joint across from Independence Park & Anntony's provides great wings with a Caribbean flair.

Located a couple blocks outside of Elizabeth, Plaza-Midwood offers up a great selection of locally owned businesses. Along Central Avenue, Plaza-Midwood stretches for a couple of blocks filled with great places in the social scene. The Penguin serves up the best burger in Charlotte, the Dish has tasty creations, & Zada Janes is a corner cafe. This area is a great place within blocks of Elizabeth, providing several great options for nightlife & restaurants.

The quality of living here is pretty good, with little crime & plenty to do. Rental prices are going to be right in line with your quality of living, so expect a hefty monthly rent. I'd say you're also going to pay for the proximity to living to uptown, so that will bring up your rental prices as well. Overall though, the prices here correlate with your quality of living, so expect to pay for your location, & the commerce around you.

Independence Blvd borders Elizabeth, which is a major road in Charlotte, so expect a lot of traffic on this road during your morning/afternoon commute. As for 7th, it's 3 lanes, with the middle lane changing directions based on time of day (towards uptown in the morning, away in the afternoon). Parking here doesn't seem to be too much of an issue, with all apartment complexes having a decent amount of parking & most businesses having thier own parking lots. I wouldn't say transportation or parking is too much of a hassle in Elizabeth.

The only advice I'd have is to grab something within walking distance of the majority of your businesses. This can be a great walking neighborhood, especially to grab a couple of drinks or head to a restaurant for dinner. Other than that, there aren't many bad areas around here, so most of your rental choices will be good picks.

Pets would do well in this area, with plenty of walking opportunities right within the neighborhood. With Independence Park a close walk from anywhere in the neighborhood, there's plenty of green space to let the doggies run around. I think pets would do well here with all of the sidewalks and greenery around.

There's plenty in the way of recreation around Elizabeth, from Independence Park to Memorial Stadium. Starting with Memorial Stadium, there are football games weekly, from high school to smaller college games from teams around the area. They also hold festivals & such through the year so you can catch some things to keep you entertained. Independence Park also provides recreation without you having to spend a dime. They also have festivals as well, such as flea market types of events on Saturdays.

As for movies, concerts, plays & such, there are a couple of attractions close by the neighborhood. The Visulite Theater is located in the neighborhood & they have concerts with smaller bands. The place is small, so it's a pretty good place to get up close to some live music. Charlotte Summer Theater is also in the area, showing bands & plays for your entertainment. And there are several movie theaters located close by so you can still catch the latest flicks.

I'd recommend anything along 7th Street, as this is where the majority of the businesses are located. Hawthorne Lane has several nice apartment/condo complexes, so that would also be a good choice to locate something to rent. The only thing I'd suggest is to find something above Laurel Ave on 7th Street. Along 7th below Laurel, the neighborhood starts to fall off & I wouldn't recommend anything past this line. The Independence Park area is also a good area to live in, with recreation right outside of your door in a pretty good part of town.

As for convenience stores, The Friendly Mart can meet most of your needs in this area & it's located right in the middle of 7th Street. As for groceries, you'll have to travel a couple of miles to find your local Harris Teeter, but it's still within a 5 min drive. To find a discount grocer, such as Food Lion, you'll have to drive a good ways, but nothing mroe than 10 minutes.

As for gyms, there isn't anything within the neighborhood & it takes a pretty good drive to get to your local gyms. You have a YMCA within a few miles & a couple locally owned gyms as well. But to get your Bally's or Gold's, you'll have to travel a good ways.

With banks, head down 3rd or 4th & you'll find plenty of banking options, from Bank of America & Wachovia, to several local & regional banks. You'll be able to handle all of your banking needs, regardless of which bank you trust your hard earned dollars with.

Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC) & Kings College are within the neighborhood, along with Elizabeth Elementary school for your kiddies. The public schools around the area in general are pretty good, so you shouldn't have to worry too much about your child's education in this neighborhood.

I think family life would be great in this area, so if you have kids or are looking to, then this would be a good choice in neighborhoods. There's plenty to offer for your children, from recreation to entertainment.