SOUTH SIDE

             

The original plat for Mount Pleasant is in the area south of Broadway and many of the houses in the area still are great homes.  The south side runs from the Chippewa River east to Mission between M - 20 (High Street) and Broadway which is the downtown area.  Many older houses are in this district and it was built out very early in the history of Mt. Pleasant.  A number of homes are used as rental and Main Street is considered fraternity row.  Both Main Street and Washington Street are one way streets which carry traffic between downtown and campus.  Fancher is also another north south sub-arterial route through the district. 

About 14 houses per year  sell in this areaover the last three years of the decade at an average price of $94,000 down from the mid decade average of $113,000.  There is a strong variace in price since about half the houses in the area sell for $20,000 above or below the average price.  The higher priced houses are generally along Kinney and Fancher and decline irregularly in price to the east and west.  There are a number of statley homes typified by the Leonard House.   The area has the usualy older city rectangular grid pattern with most of the lots reflecting the old measuring scale of rods and chains with frontages of 66 feet being typical.  Alleyways are common and a number of houses will have garages in the rear with access off the alley.   as is typically with the older homes the basements are small and used mostly for storage.   

There are a number of churches in the neighborhood, probably more than any other area in town and the bells can be heard at various times through the week.  The north edge (Broadway) is downtown and just south of the downtown area is the public library and Sacred Heart Academy.
Along the eastern edge is the commercial strip associtated with Mission Street (U. S. Bus. 127).
The south edge is residential and it is residential to the south as well but State Highway 20 cuts through the area and there is a change to the south as one nears the University.  However there are a number of big older homes along High Street.   on the very west side can be foundseveral small apartment complexes and the  west side is bordered by the lowlands surrounding the Chippewa River.  The City owns most of the property along the river and has developed a series of walking trails, some paved.  They are very nice for early morning dog walks or evening bike rides.  The old dam for the mill pond has been removed and a small rapids has been constructed for a minimal white water experience.  The highest price home to sell in this area over the last few years was a tad under $160,000.
 
Characteristics of homes that have recently been on the market in this neighborhood:

A bit over 40% are 3 bedroom with about 30% having 4 bedrooms.  Two bedroom homes outnumber 5 bedroom homes.
Bathrooms are fairly equally split between 1, 1.5 and 2 per household.  Very few will have more than two.
Two thirds of the houses will have a garage and most are detached. 
Over 85% will have a basement and a few even are finished or partly finished. 
The houses are primarily one and a half story or two story with approximately 15% constructed as one story.
Very few will have other than forced air natural gas heat.
Fireplaces out number air conditioning units with about 33% and 20% respectfully.
There are a lot of front porches which reflects the activities of yesteryear.
Over 90% of the homes were built before 1925 and 20% were built before 1900 with the oldest dating back to 1879. 
Square footage ranges from under 700 to over 2,400 with 33% being smaller than 1300 square feet and 17% over 2,000.
Remember that the average home sales price is about $94,000 and seems to be holding steady.