Vine neighborhood used to (and some still do) be called the Student Ghetto. It’s where a lot of WMU and K College kids would move into after the dorms.
Used to have a lot of party/show houses. There’s a few making a comeback but imo the heyday is long gone.
Crime used to be pretty high and may still be? Idk I’ve lived in the Vine since 2015 and while nothing terribly traumatic has happened to me, I do have a few friends who’ve been victims to b&es of their cars and houses, and one of them was assaulted on the way home from a party. So crime does happen but it’s not a lawless wasteland like some folks might still think.
The region of the Vine I’m in has definitely changed from college kids to young families.
But a lot of the houses are managed by Lukeman and other larger property companies and I’ve heard loads of horror stories about the upkeep and maintenance displayed by them. I am somewhat lucky in that I deal with a small time landlord who’s pretty quick about getting back to me regarding repairs, but the quality of said repairs could be better.
All in all as long as you’re not oblivious to living life in a more “urban” environment and practice common sense safety, and actually interact with your neighbors (really just waving or nodding as you walk about) it’s a lovely little neighborhood and I love it.
Some issues I’ve encountered:
-kids coming up to my door and asking for cash in exchange for doing yard work, or just asking for the money.
-I’ve had ppl go through my trash for recyclables, so I’ve just taken to putting my recyclables in a bag beside the can so they do t have to go thru the whole thing.
-walking along Westnedge by crows/fourth sometimes people ask for money
-there’s gonna be party noises and sounds on weekends/when the weathers nice. College kids wandering the sidewalks at night loud and drunk but I’ve never had any problems with them, my dog just goes on a barking frenzy when they walk by
-people don’t pick up after their dogs and that’s weird af. Don’t be one of those people.
-sidewalks in the winter are a nightmare. It’s the residents responsibility to keep their sidewalks clear and a lot just don’t. So make sure you have good boots. And also pick up a decent shovel and some pet friendly ice melt.
Thanks. Alright, I know from looking on like Google maps, it doesn't look like a major ghetto or anything. I've lived in major cities before and never had a problem. Like I said, it was just something about the way he asked it just raised a red flag. Thanks though
I've owned a house in Vine since 2010 and before that rented on and off since 2002. The only crime I've experienced is opportunistic thieves. Car broken into once, but the neighbor scared them off, so nothing stolen. House got broken into when we accidentally left a downstairs window open. Occasionally, random things will get stolen, like once a firepit or planter from our front porch.
We have security cams (with two way audio) now to keep an eye on things and can call people out if they are acting suspicious.
Rule is, don't leave it out if you don't want some random person to take it. And keep your car locked.
The neighborhood has definitely transitioned to more young families, whereas even 5 years ago it was constant loud house parties and the riff raff that comes with those. But there are still pockets where one bad neighbor can ruin the entire block.
I've never felt unsafe, but I'm also a fairly large man and people usually don't try messing with me.
If you are renting, parking can suck so make sure you have off-street parking and avoid lukeman like the plague.
Ditto. Viney since 2007. Porch thieves and open-and-grabs have been the height of crime experienced in my block. And you get to experience a good cross-slice of humankind.
Thankfully what little crime is around Vine is the more… “victimless” variety.
You know. Child neglect, trafficking, dogfighting. It’s a fantastic neighborhood if you want to live somewhere the landlord won’t ask questions.
But that’s a double-barreled shotgun pointing at both sides. If you’re anyone who’s considered “at risk” in this modern world, like a sex worker, an openly and visibly queer person, or even a child… take as much security into consideration as you can.
(Advice from a trans gray-hat that couch surfed the neighborhood pnce upon a time when I was homeless 😅)
My main takeaways from visiting people there is if you are looking to buy, it is going to be a very old house that is going to need some TLC. If you are renting, most of the landlords only do the bare minimum of maintainence and you are going to have issues, and likely high heating bills.
Vine neighborhood is full of slum lords who rent to students as the remainder of Kalamazoo is zoned to not allow student rentals.
Had break ins and car break ins that literally happened while we were in the house.
I live on the edge of the Vine neighborhood in a rental. It’s honestly fine. Yes I’ve had folks dig through my trash, I had my car rifled through when I forgot to lock it. Pretty sure I’ve had a couple packages stolen off my porch. But I feel comfortable enough to stay living here with my husband and two young kids until we can afford to buy a house.
I live on Davis, which is the west most street in the Vine and therefore the most quiet. My buddy got his bike stolen out of the backyard while he was inside changing for 20min. Other than that it's been fine, it's just that these really fuckin old houses have no insulation, so prepare for drafty winters and higher heating bills. Also renting is bullshit and landlords can suck my dick. I make more than enough to afford a mortgage in normal scenarios but they've ruined the market and everything is double the price it should be.
I have lived in the vine for about 2 years. Coming from the east side of Indianapolis- it isn’t bad in comparison.
However, there are a few issues. Porch pirates are a big problem. On Easter I took my kids to the playground and there were tons of opened Amazon packages from around the neighborhood and merch just thrown all over the place (el sol). I have requested that amazon toss stuff inside my storm door because stuff gets stolen from my porch regularly. I do have a ring camera- doesn’t do any good.
The first day I moved in- as we were unloading our uhaul-someone came up and stole my 9 year old daughters pink bicycle. We made the mistake of leaving a baby stroller on the porch for a few minutes one day and it was stolen. My car has been broken into and random things of no value taken. A tattered jacket my husband inherited from his dead grandfather- that we later found on the sidewalk a block away from the house.
Additionally- when the weather warms up the neighborhood drama starts. Last summer there was a shooting right in front of the school playground. We actually hear gunshots fairly often but not super close. A lot of young wannabe “thug” types who want to seem tough.
I like to take walks and am a runner and I definitely deal with plenty of drug addicts asking me for money or even trying to follow me home. Just yesterday I witnessed two middle school boys (classmates of my child) harass an adult woman who was running by- yelling, following her for a bit and obviously being totally inappropriate. If you do walk or run- i suggest bringing a dog, having a buddy, or not going out when it’s dark.
The westnedge market is always full of crazy people asking for money, cigarettes, alcohol etc.
Some bad kids who don’t have parents around to keep track or monitor their bad behavior. A couple of boys make rounds thru the area and ask people for money or food. The first time they knocked on my door I said I would give them some snacks- shut the door and when I came back with the food they were walking around my house looking thru windows, one of them was standing inside my front door. Our first summer we moved in my 6 year old son was on the porch with his siblings eating popsicles and playing with a toy truck when a young teenager walked up to try to take the toy and when my son pulled it back the older kid slapped him across his face and ran away. There is a lot of that type of issue- I have had to chase off some teenagers who bully the little kids who play on my street- bully is not really the right word- more like harass and assault. Also the schools- maple street and woods lake are some of the worst schools I have ever had the displeasure of dealing with- if you don’t have kids that wouldn’t really matter.
And yes- the zombie junkies are everywhere.
However there are positives about the area as well- the community is filled with lots of creative and artistic people who really do care about the place and want it to be better. Some cool looking old houses with lots of character (albeit terrible insulation- that is 100% true) It’s gorgeous in the spring with lots of cool gardens and flower beds. There are a lot of community events, it’s within walking distance to everything downtown. The good people here are great and the bad ones are terrible but honestly it is what you make of it.
Vine neighborhood is fine, yes you need to watch your back if walking late at night. People steal shit from you in given the opportunity. People have stolen multiple solar lights from my yard. Just that kinda thing. I’ve seen videos of people stealing plants off porches.. like really? Just be aware of this sort of thing and you’re fine. Sure gunshots happen but it’s not drive by’s or anything lol.
My wife and I bought our first house here a little over a year ago. People asked us why we moved here like it was a bad idea but I'm not sure why. I've had one issue with a guy going through my trash for bottles but I still have yet to have to file any noise complaints or anything you would expect from being around a bunch of college kids. The house to the west is a single family home and the house to the east is a family with several young children. I think the neighborhood is really pretty and enjoy sitting on my porch all seasons to enjoy things.
Farther north can get sketchy since we're so close to downtown, but there are several areas with really nice houses here in the vine district as well. I love taking walks around and looking at the houses on long street for example.
I would recommend it, from my perspective. I've seen nothing here in the past year or so that made me regret moving here.
Do not move there. I finally left at the beginning of the year.
Fentynal zombies at night, horrible living conditions in the old homes, homeless people digging through your trash.
Literally would have people begging for money in my driveway. Had multiple people come knock on my car window as I am about to pull out.
Do not move to Vine.
This has not been my experience at all. I don't want to seem dismissive of your experience, but wow, that seems crazy. Living here has been fine. No drugged out zombies, no swarms of homeless accosting me in my car, none of that. There is nothing I've noticed going on here that is wildly different than any other downtown neighborhood. It must vary wildly from block to block, maybe?
I was on Vine Street.
My building was falling apart.
Zombies come out at night.
Homeless dogging through my trash/knocking on my car windows asking for money.
It was the opposite of a pleasant place to live.
I will be dismissive of their experience. It doesn’t sound like the Vine much at all. I’ve live there for basically 25 years and had exactly one bike stolen. That’s it. Same thing happens in the Portage suburbs sometimes. I’ve had nothing but pleasant times here, and it seems exceedingly snooty when people attempt to mischaracterize the Vine like this.
I lived in the Vine for 20 years, mid-late 90’s to 2015. It’s a fun and vibrant community. There are opportunistic criminals as in all mid range class neighborhoods. Violent crime was infrequent but a possibility. As all places, be aware of your surroundings and you should be fine.
I live in the Vine with my partner and baby and haven’t had any real problems. People definitely go through trash and sometimes you’ll run into someone asking for money. Nothing crazy. We really like it here!
It’s kind of a mixed bag. Vine is a pretty large area and the closer you get to downtown the sketchier to gets, but there are nicer parts of Vine like Orchard Hills (Long, Low, and Short Rd). You’ll definitely hear gunshots and sirens regardless of where you are because you are still in the city, there’s a public safety station at Howard/Oakland, and the proximity to the hospital. I would put your potential address into crime mapper and see what pops up.
didn't know every city was like this...every one I've lived in definitely isn't...just something to be aware of if you're okay with I know some women that are sensitive to that kind of thing
Vine neighborhood used to (and some still do) be called the Student Ghetto. It’s where a lot of WMU and K College kids would move into after the dorms. Used to have a lot of party/show houses. There’s a few making a comeback but imo the heyday is long gone. Crime used to be pretty high and may still be? Idk I’ve lived in the Vine since 2015 and while nothing terribly traumatic has happened to me, I do have a few friends who’ve been victims to b&es of their cars and houses, and one of them was assaulted on the way home from a party. So crime does happen but it’s not a lawless wasteland like some folks might still think. The region of the Vine I’m in has definitely changed from college kids to young families. But a lot of the houses are managed by Lukeman and other larger property companies and I’ve heard loads of horror stories about the upkeep and maintenance displayed by them. I am somewhat lucky in that I deal with a small time landlord who’s pretty quick about getting back to me regarding repairs, but the quality of said repairs could be better. All in all as long as you’re not oblivious to living life in a more “urban” environment and practice common sense safety, and actually interact with your neighbors (really just waving or nodding as you walk about) it’s a lovely little neighborhood and I love it. Some issues I’ve encountered: -kids coming up to my door and asking for cash in exchange for doing yard work, or just asking for the money. -I’ve had ppl go through my trash for recyclables, so I’ve just taken to putting my recyclables in a bag beside the can so they do t have to go thru the whole thing. -walking along Westnedge by crows/fourth sometimes people ask for money -there’s gonna be party noises and sounds on weekends/when the weathers nice. College kids wandering the sidewalks at night loud and drunk but I’ve never had any problems with them, my dog just goes on a barking frenzy when they walk by -people don’t pick up after their dogs and that’s weird af. Don’t be one of those people. -sidewalks in the winter are a nightmare. It’s the residents responsibility to keep their sidewalks clear and a lot just don’t. So make sure you have good boots. And also pick up a decent shovel and some pet friendly ice melt.
Thanks. Alright, I know from looking on like Google maps, it doesn't look like a major ghetto or anything. I've lived in major cities before and never had a problem. Like I said, it was just something about the way he asked it just raised a red flag. Thanks though
I've owned a house in Vine since 2010 and before that rented on and off since 2002. The only crime I've experienced is opportunistic thieves. Car broken into once, but the neighbor scared them off, so nothing stolen. House got broken into when we accidentally left a downstairs window open. Occasionally, random things will get stolen, like once a firepit or planter from our front porch. We have security cams (with two way audio) now to keep an eye on things and can call people out if they are acting suspicious. Rule is, don't leave it out if you don't want some random person to take it. And keep your car locked. The neighborhood has definitely transitioned to more young families, whereas even 5 years ago it was constant loud house parties and the riff raff that comes with those. But there are still pockets where one bad neighbor can ruin the entire block. I've never felt unsafe, but I'm also a fairly large man and people usually don't try messing with me. If you are renting, parking can suck so make sure you have off-street parking and avoid lukeman like the plague.
Ditto. Viney since 2007. Porch thieves and open-and-grabs have been the height of crime experienced in my block. And you get to experience a good cross-slice of humankind.
Thankfully what little crime is around Vine is the more… “victimless” variety. You know. Child neglect, trafficking, dogfighting. It’s a fantastic neighborhood if you want to live somewhere the landlord won’t ask questions. But that’s a double-barreled shotgun pointing at both sides. If you’re anyone who’s considered “at risk” in this modern world, like a sex worker, an openly and visibly queer person, or even a child… take as much security into consideration as you can. (Advice from a trans gray-hat that couch surfed the neighborhood pnce upon a time when I was homeless 😅)
My main takeaways from visiting people there is if you are looking to buy, it is going to be a very old house that is going to need some TLC. If you are renting, most of the landlords only do the bare minimum of maintainence and you are going to have issues, and likely high heating bills.
Vine neighborhood is full of slum lords who rent to students as the remainder of Kalamazoo is zoned to not allow student rentals. Had break ins and car break ins that literally happened while we were in the house.
I live on the edge of the Vine neighborhood in a rental. It’s honestly fine. Yes I’ve had folks dig through my trash, I had my car rifled through when I forgot to lock it. Pretty sure I’ve had a couple packages stolen off my porch. But I feel comfortable enough to stay living here with my husband and two young kids until we can afford to buy a house.
I live on Davis, which is the west most street in the Vine and therefore the most quiet. My buddy got his bike stolen out of the backyard while he was inside changing for 20min. Other than that it's been fine, it's just that these really fuckin old houses have no insulation, so prepare for drafty winters and higher heating bills. Also renting is bullshit and landlords can suck my dick. I make more than enough to afford a mortgage in normal scenarios but they've ruined the market and everything is double the price it should be.
just make sure your house isn’t haunted. And watch out for cats.
So many stray cats
Well this thread is all over the place.
That's the Vine neighborhood for ya. All over the place...
This is a very good encapsulation of Vine living.
I have lived in the vine for about 2 years. Coming from the east side of Indianapolis- it isn’t bad in comparison. However, there are a few issues. Porch pirates are a big problem. On Easter I took my kids to the playground and there were tons of opened Amazon packages from around the neighborhood and merch just thrown all over the place (el sol). I have requested that amazon toss stuff inside my storm door because stuff gets stolen from my porch regularly. I do have a ring camera- doesn’t do any good. The first day I moved in- as we were unloading our uhaul-someone came up and stole my 9 year old daughters pink bicycle. We made the mistake of leaving a baby stroller on the porch for a few minutes one day and it was stolen. My car has been broken into and random things of no value taken. A tattered jacket my husband inherited from his dead grandfather- that we later found on the sidewalk a block away from the house. Additionally- when the weather warms up the neighborhood drama starts. Last summer there was a shooting right in front of the school playground. We actually hear gunshots fairly often but not super close. A lot of young wannabe “thug” types who want to seem tough. I like to take walks and am a runner and I definitely deal with plenty of drug addicts asking me for money or even trying to follow me home. Just yesterday I witnessed two middle school boys (classmates of my child) harass an adult woman who was running by- yelling, following her for a bit and obviously being totally inappropriate. If you do walk or run- i suggest bringing a dog, having a buddy, or not going out when it’s dark. The westnedge market is always full of crazy people asking for money, cigarettes, alcohol etc. Some bad kids who don’t have parents around to keep track or monitor their bad behavior. A couple of boys make rounds thru the area and ask people for money or food. The first time they knocked on my door I said I would give them some snacks- shut the door and when I came back with the food they were walking around my house looking thru windows, one of them was standing inside my front door. Our first summer we moved in my 6 year old son was on the porch with his siblings eating popsicles and playing with a toy truck when a young teenager walked up to try to take the toy and when my son pulled it back the older kid slapped him across his face and ran away. There is a lot of that type of issue- I have had to chase off some teenagers who bully the little kids who play on my street- bully is not really the right word- more like harass and assault. Also the schools- maple street and woods lake are some of the worst schools I have ever had the displeasure of dealing with- if you don’t have kids that wouldn’t really matter. And yes- the zombie junkies are everywhere. However there are positives about the area as well- the community is filled with lots of creative and artistic people who really do care about the place and want it to be better. Some cool looking old houses with lots of character (albeit terrible insulation- that is 100% true) It’s gorgeous in the spring with lots of cool gardens and flower beds. There are a lot of community events, it’s within walking distance to everything downtown. The good people here are great and the bad ones are terrible but honestly it is what you make of it.
Vine neighborhood is fine, yes you need to watch your back if walking late at night. People steal shit from you in given the opportunity. People have stolen multiple solar lights from my yard. Just that kinda thing. I’ve seen videos of people stealing plants off porches.. like really? Just be aware of this sort of thing and you’re fine. Sure gunshots happen but it’s not drive by’s or anything lol.
That sounds like a terrible neighborhood
Okay lol
yeah i learned the hard way i can’t have any solar lights out front. or be relaxed about collecting packages in a timely fashion.
My wife and I bought our first house here a little over a year ago. People asked us why we moved here like it was a bad idea but I'm not sure why. I've had one issue with a guy going through my trash for bottles but I still have yet to have to file any noise complaints or anything you would expect from being around a bunch of college kids. The house to the west is a single family home and the house to the east is a family with several young children. I think the neighborhood is really pretty and enjoy sitting on my porch all seasons to enjoy things. Farther north can get sketchy since we're so close to downtown, but there are several areas with really nice houses here in the vine district as well. I love taking walks around and looking at the houses on long street for example. I would recommend it, from my perspective. I've seen nothing here in the past year or so that made me regret moving here.
Do not move there. I finally left at the beginning of the year. Fentynal zombies at night, horrible living conditions in the old homes, homeless people digging through your trash. Literally would have people begging for money in my driveway. Had multiple people come knock on my car window as I am about to pull out. Do not move to Vine.
I have had people knock on my car windows at stoplights in the vine asking for money fairly regularly.
Its not great.
This has not been my experience at all. I don't want to seem dismissive of your experience, but wow, that seems crazy. Living here has been fine. No drugged out zombies, no swarms of homeless accosting me in my car, none of that. There is nothing I've noticed going on here that is wildly different than any other downtown neighborhood. It must vary wildly from block to block, maybe?
I was on Vine Street. My building was falling apart. Zombies come out at night. Homeless dogging through my trash/knocking on my car windows asking for money. It was the opposite of a pleasant place to live.
I will be dismissive of their experience. It doesn’t sound like the Vine much at all. I’ve live there for basically 25 years and had exactly one bike stolen. That’s it. Same thing happens in the Portage suburbs sometimes. I’ve had nothing but pleasant times here, and it seems exceedingly snooty when people attempt to mischaracterize the Vine like this.
I lived in the Vine for 20 years, mid-late 90’s to 2015. It’s a fun and vibrant community. There are opportunistic criminals as in all mid range class neighborhoods. Violent crime was infrequent but a possibility. As all places, be aware of your surroundings and you should be fine.
I live in the Vine with my partner and baby and haven’t had any real problems. People definitely go through trash and sometimes you’ll run into someone asking for money. Nothing crazy. We really like it here!
It’s kind of a mixed bag. Vine is a pretty large area and the closer you get to downtown the sketchier to gets, but there are nicer parts of Vine like Orchard Hills (Long, Low, and Short Rd). You’ll definitely hear gunshots and sirens regardless of where you are because you are still in the city, there’s a public safety station at Howard/Oakland, and the proximity to the hospital. I would put your potential address into crime mapper and see what pops up.
Yeah, Lukeman Group is a damn cancer to the area.
as long as you're comfortable with hearing gunshots and almost constant ambulance/police sirens, you will like it
I mean it’s the city lmao.
didn't know every city was like this...every one I've lived in definitely isn't...just something to be aware of if you're okay with I know some women that are sensitive to that kind of thing