Category: New Orleans

West Riverside- Stable riverside neighborhood in New Orleans’ Uptown District

The West Riverside name is a modern invention by NOLA’s City Planning department to break up the vast Uptown/Carrollton Area. Not sure if locals even use the “West Riverside” name to refer to the neighborhood. Being along the river the West Riverside neighborhood really stops at Tchoupitoulas. South of here to the Mississippi River is a pretty inaccessible industrial area. The topology of the housing stock is mostly more modest shot guns and bungalows with some more regal Uptown housing mixed in. Housing prices, however, are almost as high as surrounding neighborhoods like Audubon and Uptown, which do have larger southern mansions.

West Riverside has a high level of walkability with convenient access to the lengthy Magazine business district, lots of bars, restaurants, & cafes mixed throughout the neighborhood, and good public transit access. There are several areas for improvement that prevent West Riverside from being a top NOLA neighborhood. That includes limited access to park and recreational space, mediocre schools, limited bike infrastructure,  a spotty tree canopy, and a rather autocentric/industrial corridor running down Tchoupitoulas Street. Like other Uptown neighborhoods, West Riverside could use more affordable housing options and racial diversity. 

Click here to view my New Orleans Album on Flickr

URBAN STRENGTHS:

* Decent urban density.
* Good public transit and solid access to Dwtn via biking, driving, and public transport.
* Highly efficient and gridded street grid.
* Good walkability thanks to hosting the Magazine commercial district throughout its entire length. Lots of mixed-use development through the district.
* Solid generational diversity with good age diversity and about 35% of households with kids.
* Good # of rentals, generally on the pricy side, but some more moderately priced options. 1-beds lease anywhere btwn 1K-2K, 2-beds rent btwn the low 1Ks to low 2Ks, also some 3-beds that lease anywhere btwn 2K-4K.
* ADA curb cuts exist on about 50% of all intersections. Generally good sidewalks but some bad spots in parts.
* Attractive historic housing but more modest that other Uptown neighborhoods with all the shot gun river houses here.
*Overall a very safe community.
* Good cultural amenities including a lots of good & bev bizs, several cafes and night clubs, and several live music venues.
* Solid retail amenities with 3 full service supermarkets, a couple drug stores, plenty of boutiques, gift shops & salons along Magazine Street, a couple book stores, a toy store, a couple banks, several florists, plenty of dessert shops, and a couple gyms. Also a public library, and a children’s hospital.
* Generally good urban massing along Magazine Street.

URBAN WEAKNESSES:

* Dedicated bike lanes along Napoleon but nowhere else. West Riverside is unfortunately outside of the dedicated bike share zone.
* Economic diversity is pretty limited as this is a solid upper middle class neighborhood.
* For sale hsg is generally pretty expensive but some more modestly priced smaller options. 1-bed homes sell anywhere btwn 200K- 600K. 2-beds sell btwn 350K-850K. 3 & 4 beds sell anywhere btwn 450K-1.3M.
* Really no dedicated affordable hsg in the neighborhood.
* Parks amenities are so so . Great access to Audubon Park in the western age of the neighborhood. Pretty limited park access in the eastern half of the district.
* A decent # of schools within West Riverside and nearby mixing a several private and public/charter schools. Public/charter schools are not ranked well.
* Missing a local post office, few churches here, only a handful of medical offices, and o chain clothing or department stores.
* Modern architecture is mainly limited to crummy strip malls along Tchoupitoulas St and Magazine St. Some good infill homes. Tchoupitoulas is has some pretty bad autocentric stretches.
* Tree canopy is so so.

Audubon- One of New Orlean’s Wealthiest Uptown Districts

Audubon is Uptown NOLA’s  largest neighborhood by far covering more or less the area between Lowerline St to the west and Jefferson Ave to the east with the subtraction of West Riverside along the Mississippi. The name Audubon comes from Audubon Park, one of the largest parks in the city. The area is also known as the “University District,” as it is home of Tulane and Loyola Universities, as well as the former St. Mary’s Dominican College and Newcomb College.

Audubon is one of New Orleans wealthiest neighborhoods never really experiencing disinvestment except perhaps along its north edge by Claibourne Avenue. The portion of the district between St. Charles and the Mississippi River contains the most attractive historic homes from the late 19th century. This is also where the attractive Magazine Street business district runs through the neighborhood and Audubon Park is located. The Northern half of Audubon (btwn St. Charles Blvd and Claibourne) is more modest early 20th century development where the universities are located but with limited retail options.

Audubon excels with many quality schools, great park amenities at Audubon park, good retail & cultural amenities, good walkability, and is one of NOLA’s safest districts. Areas for improvement in Audubon include more affordable housing, better bike infrastructure, and more retail amenities especially in the northern half of the neighborhood.

Click here to view my Audubon Neighborhood on Flickr

URBAN STRENGTHS:

* Solid urban density.
* ADA curb cuts exist on about 50% of all intersections. Generally good sidewalks but some bad spots in parts.
* Just under 70% White but good diversity with about 10% of the population being Hispanic, Black, and Asian respectively.
* Generally higher incomes here but still a good amount of income diversity across the board.
* Age skews with colleges kids with Tulane and Loyola Universities here but large number of families w/ kids throughout the district.
* Solid public transit and good access to downtown via driving, biking, or public transit.
* Very connected and gridded street grid but with some intrusions with the universities.
* Audubon is one of the safest neighborhoods in NOLA, which helps it hold such a high image.
* Solid Historic architecture esp. south of St. Charles Blvd.
* Excellent tree canopy in Audubon.
* Good # of schools, especially Catholic private schools here. Several public and character schools as well that are generally rated well too.
* Great park amenities thanks to Audubon Park along with includes several lagoons, the NOLA Zoo, a golf course, several playgrounds & ballfields, walking/biking trails, and park shelters. Several quads at Tulane and Loyola as well not  much else.
* Good cultural amenities including a decent # of food & bev businesses, theaters & performing arts centers at Tulane & Loyola, a couple live music venues, and a couple museums and historic homes.
* Good retail amenities too including a Wholefoods and a local supermarket, a couple pharmacies, several boutiques and gift shops, a local bookstore and a couple university bookstores, a couple banks, a toy store, plenty of salons & barber shops, a couple wine stores, several bakeries/dessert shops & gyms, post office and library in the universities, several churches, and convenient access to a children’s hospital. 

URBAN WEAKNESSES:

* Dedicated bike lanes along St. Charles but nowhere else. Audubon is unfortunately outside of the dedicated bike share zone.
* Good # of rentals but on the pricy side. 1-beds lease btwn the low 1Ks to low 2Ks. 2-beds lease btwn 1.5K-3K. Plenty of 3 & 4 beds leasing as well where 3-beds generally lease btwn 2K-4K.
* For sale housing on the expensive side too but some smaller more moderately priced options. Some 1-bed options that sell anywhere btwn 150K-500K, 2-beds sell btwn 300K-1 M. 3 & 4 beds sell btwn 450K-2M with some larger mansions selling for even more.
* Dedicated affordable housing in the neighborhoods seems pretty limited.
* Most retail is concentrated along Magazine Street in the extreme Southeast section of the neighborhood.
* Only modern in-fill is concentrated in the universities.