At a day in time when being overweight due to immobile lifestyles is rampant, Walkscore.com encourages us to find a walkable place to live. They challenge us to picture a walkable neighborhood where you lose weight each time you leave your home. You spend less money on your car expense each year. No worry about gas prices edging back up in this kind of neighborhood!
The local economy thrives because people who live in the area also shop there too. Here is a novel thought, neighbors actually talk to each other and build relationships! What makes a neighborhood walkable?
Accoroding to walkscore.com a neighborhood must start out by having a discernable center. This could be shopping, a main street, or public place. In Athens Georgia, our Five Points neighborhood definitely has all of the above. The “five points” are intersections of Milledge Circle, Milledge Avenue, and Lumpkin Street. The shopping is too length to put on this one blog post, but it is plentiful! The public place would be the fire station with its recognizable clock tower.
It needs to have density. Walkscore.com explains this as being compact enough for local businesses to flourish and for public transportation to run. There again, Five Points in Athens Georgia has it all! The pubic transportation is called “The Bus,” how novel, and runs quite frequently while businesses are not only successful but Chic! UGA students, the UGA bus system also runs through area in ten minute increments.
In your quest for a walkable neighborhood we are also encouraged to ask whether there is housing for mixed income and mixed use? We are counseled also that housing should be provided for everyone who works in the neighborhood. From young to old, rich to poor. Both businesses and residences are located nearby for everyone. Put another check by Five Points. It is primarily a neighborhood first where business has grown up around it.
Are there parks and public spaces, pedestrian-centric designed streets, and schools nearby? Yes, yes, and yes. Parks in the Five Points area include most notably Memorial Park where kids play, ducks swim, and there is even a mini-zoo where the deer and the antelope play. Buildings are such that they thrive on walk in or foot traffic. Nearby schools in Five Points are not at a premium for kids within a walking distance, however for the college student, the University of Georgia’s campus touches the Five Points community.
If you are looking to purchase a home in the Greater Athens area, please feel free to use this link to Search the Athens MLS! While on the Georgia MLS you can search for homes, create a User account to save favorite property searches, email property searches to friends and family, or request more information! For a Map of Five Points, in Athens, GA please click on the link!
