Eastwood or Lindale Park

[Dan the Man]

I admit, this is a shameless rip-off of the Eastwood vs. Riverside Terrace topic...

However, I think it would be interesting to do a similar comparison of these two neighborhoods (location, amenities, sense of community, other pros & cons, etc.) Both neighborhoods seem to be at similar stages in the gentrification cycle (maybe Lindale Park is farther along since it already has new homes going in?), and housing prices appear to be similar in both locales (haven't done a price/sf comparison). Anyway, curious to hear your thoughts.

[jdbaker]

I admit, this is a shameless rip-off of the Eastwood vs. Riverside Terrace topic...

However, I think it would be interesting to do a similar comparison of these two neighborhoods (location, amenities, sense of community, other pros & cons, etc.) Both neighborhoods seem to be at similar stages in the gentrification cycle (maybe Lindale Park is farther along since it already has new homes going in?), and housing prices appear to be similar in both locales (haven't done a price/sf comparison). Anyway, curious to hear your thoughts.

Eastwood by far. Location, location, location.

[musicman]

Eastwood by far. Location, location, location.

by far? not sure about that. i think lindale has better access to at least neighborhood businesses and has a cleaner appearance overall. several elected officials live in lindale which probably is a plus.

[mkultra25]

by far? not sure about that. i think lindale has better access to at least neighborhood businesses and has a cleaner appearance overall. several elected officials live in lindale which probably is a plus.

Yeah, "location, location, location" in reference to what? Eastwood's closer to downtown, but Lindale Park's not exactly far away from it either. I'll admit bias up front, as we've been living in Lindale Park for the past eight years. Since we moved in, our property value has almost doubled, and I expect it to continue to appreciate even more as Metro builds out the light rail tracks down Fulton (even if they're going to be used initially for BRT instead of rail). But potential upside wasn't really the uppermost consideration when we bought - the fact that the neighborhood was much more affordable than the Heights while being just as close-in was. The lots also tend to be larger in Lindale Park, and the streets are wider than normal, giving the neighborhood a more spacious feel. I haven't done a formal price/sf comparison either, but the last time I was checking Eastwood listings on HAR, my impression based on the current listings at that time was that you could get more house for the money in Lindale Park. Perhaps this is no longer the case.

Don't get me wrong, I like Eastwood as well, and if we were looking to move it's certainly one of the neighborhoods we'd be house-hunting in. But we've been pretty happy in Lindale Park so far; the neighbors are friendly, and the crime rate has been low. I think the usual disclaimers about living in transitional areas apply - if someone moves in from the suburbs, they're probably going to be in for a culture shock, but anyone who's used to living in an urban area would fit right in.

[rps324]

I've recently sold a couple of houses in Lindale. I actually had been living in a garage apt there while renovating my house in Glenbrook and I have friends over there, so I am pretty familiar with the area.

Even though Lindale is farther from downtown than Eastwood, it tends to suffer less from the "disconnected" feeling that seems to affect much of the east end. It is closer to the Heights and just has a tendency to seem less removed somehow, even though that really isn't the case. This does allow the area to have a little broader based appeal I think, which is good for property values. Lindale has always performed well in that area.

Eastwood is much, much stronger on architectural interest though. The houses in Eastwood are more the Arts & Crafts & Craftsman style homes. Lindale has some great 40's era bungalows, but it is not the caliber of Eastwood, especially on the "wood side" east of Irvington. The bungalows would come closer to comparing to Broadmoor or Lawndale than Eastwood.

Lindale does have a little cleaner curb appeal. It isn't as "intimidating" to people who are used to a more suburban area, single female buyers concerned about living by themselves, etc. Although crime isn't bad in Eastwood either, it just appears more intimidating to a lot of folks. I think that will change though, especially based on the responses I have gotten to the last few listings I have had in Eastwood.

Lindale does suffer from commercial encroachment along Irvington. Eastwood does not.

Both will benefit from LRT/BRT whatever it's going to be.

Retail bites in both. This is/was my biggest aggravation with Lindale. There wasn't a Bank of America anywhere close. The only grocery store is a lame Fiesta, there was maybe one dry cleaners. You could drive down Cavalcade to 20th & Yale for a lot of things. It wasn't that far. I don't know that it is much better in Eastwood. I certainly have it better in Glenbrook, I know that.

Lindale seems to have more houses in livable condition at a decent price. You can find clean ones without updates on up to totally rehabbed and everything in-between. Eastwood seems to be more the two extremes. Total train wrecks that are not really livable, or beautifully restored ones at top dollar. There are some in-between, but generally they seem to be more at the extremes. I think this will change over time as well.

Eastwood has the home tour, Lindale has the 4th of July parade.

Both are great areas that I do not think have met their full potential yet.

[crunchtastic]

Agree 100% with what rps said, particularly on prices. Lindale was on our short list when we were looking, and considered a few properties there before finding a place in Eastwood. The Lindale homes on the market at the time seemed appropriately priced but needed more work than I was willing to do. Good bones but a couple of fairly scary FrankenHouses, epsecially with regard to wiring and additions built in the 60s and 70s. I think the 'connectivity' perception is valid as well--you can shoot across the highway and be in the Heights area; Eastwood feels more removed. I much prefer the architecture in Eastwood but like rps said, it's pretty much decrepit old shacks or completely remodeled, little in between. I see more remodeling going on now, compared to last year, when we were renting and waiting for something to come on the market.