Charlotte: Baxter Village

I know that you guys talk about it and I've only scanned this thread, but don't forget  that places like Shaker and Hyde Park were when they were built not known as urban, or first ring suburbs, they were suburbs...plain and simple. Couple that with the fact that most of these homes look EXACTLY the same and its only through time that these homes have evolved and trees have grown. Go back to Baxter in 50 years and will look an aweful lot like a mature suburb (however HOA restrictions) may prevent some more drastic changes) the neighborhood may be considered a 4th ring suburb. Pictures of Myers Park and Dilworth when it was built 100 years ago (one of the most exclusive street car suburbs in Charlotte..think Shaker or Hyde Park) looked very similar with some bigger houses, however with 2 inch caliber plantings, etc..

The fact of the matter is that a lot of the older homes in cities like Cincinnati, Charlotte or Cleveland are either expensive, expensive to maintain, have crappy old floor plans and inefficient, or in crappy parts of town. New home construction in "fake" towns like Baxter appeals to people...althought not quite as many who prefer a nice 1/4 acre lot