CraigH1

I've lived two different places on Capitol Hill over the last couple years. The first place was fine, but too small for our growing family. We loved the neighborhood so much, though, that we couldn't bring ourselves to leave it. Luckily, their a lot of diversity in the type and size of homes available, whether you're renting or buying. Homes tend toward the older side, so make sure that it's in good enough condition before you pull the trigger on buying or renting. Our neighbors range from students to the elderly; most are married, but certainly not all.

There's not a lot to do in the neighborhood itself, but that makes for a very quiet area, with low traffic (except for Columbus St, which is a connector between downtown and the freeway to the north). And if you're after restaurants, parks, nightlife, etc., then downtown and the Avenues are extremely close, and what you're looking for is likely to be within walking distance. Having the gravel loop around the Capitol and City Creek Canyon so close mean that joggers, walkers, and bikers have lots of great options for exercise nearby.

We've had a few instances of theft, but I attribute that to two things: a perfect storm of bad door placement off the street (plus the fact that we only have a carport, not a garage); and our idiocy in leaving things out unlocked overnight.

Outside of campus itself, the U District is centered on University Avenue, more commonly known as "The Ave." During the day it's a fun row of shops, and at night there are plenty of little restaurants to enjoy. But the street (and most of the streets surrounding it) are pretty dingy, and seem to attract a lot of the city's homeless. Police presence is pretty good, though.

The university hospital, right next door, is very good. Their labor/delivery unit especially was great for the birth of our first child.