West Boulevard

The homes here were built between 1875 and 1924, and the range of styles is the whole point. You will find Queen Anne houses with turrets and wraparound porches, Colonial Revival homes with symmetrical fronts, Craftsman bungalows with deep eaves and built-ins, and a scattering of Tudors. A large share has been restored, some of it carefully over decades by owners who treated the work as a long project rather than a flip.

Buying an older home is a different exercise than buying new construction, and I walk clients through it directly. We look at the mechanical systems, the roof, the windows, and any additions, and we talk about what restoration work costs before anyone writes an offer. I review every inspection with my clients so nothing about a hundred year old house comes as a surprise later.

The tree-lined streets are the signature. Mature canopy over the boulevard, sidewalks that actually connect places, and Wilson Park anchoring the middle of it with its summer festival. The restored historic high school building serves as a performing arts center, so there is programming within walking distance most of the year.

A bike path runs from here to downtown and along Rapid Creek, which means groceries, coffee, dinner and the creek corridor are all reachable without a car. That makes this one of the most walkable areas in the city, and there is an active neighborhood association that keeps the district's interests in front of the city.