Edgewood

Edgewood is an older, established neighborhood in the heart of Midtown Montgomery, located south of Huntingdon College. Its streets are lined with beautiful trees and picturesque houses set on large lots. Notable features of Edgewood include the house the neighborhood was named after — a historic Federal-style building built in 1821, also called the Thomas House — and the layout of Thomas Avenue, which has a grassy, tree-lined median running through it.

Lot sizes in Edgewood lean larger overall, but the yards are noticeably bigger on Thomas Avenue. There’s a mix of housing styles in the neighborhood, and no two houses look exactly alike. You might see a variety of brick-faced Georgian-style houses with side-gable or gambrel roofs, Tudor-style homes that have a cottage-like, front-facing gable and wing design, Craftsman-style homes and various ranch-style homes. Closing sale prices can range from $200,000 for a 2-bath home with 1,700 square feet of living space, to over $950,000 for a 5-bath home with over 6,900 square feet of living space. The larger lots sizes leave lots of space for landscaping opportunities, and many yards are filled with tall, mature trees and other plants. The space and plant-life in the neighborhood almost makes up for the lack of sidewalks, though that also doesn’t stop residents from taking to the streets for morning or afternoon walks. You might also see college students completing daily training exercises on the streets, too.

Depending on where your house is located, students can attend Nixon or Dannelly Elementary Schools, and then go on to attend Bellingrath Middle School and Lanier High School. All of these schools are within a 10-minute drive radius of the neighborhood. Bellingrath Middle, serving Grades 6-8, recently became a premier charter school with the support of the Montgomery Education Foundation and Phalen Leadership Academies (PLA). By following the PLA educational model of best practices in data-driven instruction and differentiated learning, students have the opportunity to have rigorous, personalized learning experiences in core subjects, while also exploring individual interests.

A benefit of being in midtown is that it usually doesn’t take more than a 15-minute drive to reach your chosen destination — an important convenience, since you’ll have to make a short drive for grocery shopping, like Cloverland AG at the Cloverland Shopping Center in Cloverdale-Idlewild or the Winn-Dixie at the Country Club Shopping Center. You’ll also find Publix Super Market further down Carter Hill Road at Zelda Place, and The Fresh Market on Perry Hill Road. You won’t have to drive as far for eateries; you can find several closer to the college, and heading into the Old Cloverdale District. At 5 Points Deli & Grill you can try one of several sandwiches made with handcrafted deli meats, or burgers flavored with their house seasonings, and wrap up your meal with some homemade pie or cookies. The restaurant also regularly hosts live music performances showcasing local talent. So whether you come for the food, the beer or to enjoy the music, Five Points is the place to visit. If you’re interested in smoked meats like ribs or pulled pork, Moe’s Original Bar B Que might be more your style. And for tasty baked treats like banana bread, tarts and macarons, check out the Fennel & Figs Bakery.

“Edgewood is great because you know who your neighbors are,” says Susan Cowart, a semi-retired real estate agent with Reid & Davis Realtors. She adds that if she hadn’t relocated out of the city, she wouldn’t have moved anywhere else. On the west side of the neighborhood, Edgewood shares two parks with Cloverdale-Idlewild: Cloverdale Bottom Park and Audubon Park. Cloverdale Bottom has several trees that provide shade coverage for the benches scattered in the open green space where kids can run around. There’s also a small wooden playset with a metal slide, swing sets for younger and older kids, and toddler-sized play equipment. Starting in the spring, the gazebo is used as a stage for live music performances every Sunday, drawing neighbors together to enjoy the music. On the other side of the bridge south of the park is Audubon Park, an open green space bordered by trees on the Audubon Street-side. This park doesn’t have many trees for shade coverage, but the open space makes it the perfect setting for a pick-up soccer game, or a ball game of your choice. It even has a Little Free Library, where you can pick up a new book to read or leave one for another book lover to find. If you want to live in a neighborhood where you get a home with a large yard and the chance to really get to know your neighbors, Edgewood is the place for you.

Written By

Leah Rambadt

Photography Contributed By

Alan Bates

Video By

Jahlil Harris