From industrial wasteland to hip hangout: 10 choice neighborhoods

Warehouse District, Cleveland

This Cleveland neighborhood was once full of warehouses containing hardware distributors, marine suppliers, garment manufacturers and dry-goods retailers. But after World War II, industries fled what is now the historic Warehouse District. By the late 1980s, the area became a popular night spot and place to live and do business. Empty warehouses became residences and offices.

According to Trulia.com, the median sale price for the district's ZIP code was $171,250 from September through November, based on 106 sales. For the week ending Dec. 5, 111 homes were for sale, with an average list price of $233,5175. The area's cost-of-living index was 84.4 last March, cheaper than the U.S. average of 100, city-data.com says.

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Red Hook, New York City

Red Hook, in Brooklyn, was among the world's busiest freight ports in the 1920s. But container shipping in the 1960s zapped bulk shipping. Businesses fled.

Red Hook suffered in the 1990s. Life magazine named it America's "crack capital."

The 2006 opening of a cruise terminal in Red Hook — and the arrival of the Queen Mary 2 — generated life. So did a Fairway supermarket and an Ikea store. Tech companies and artists arrived.

Trulia.com says the median sale price in Red Hook was $1.16 million from September through November, based on 15 sales. For the week ending Dec. 5, nine homes were for sale, with an average list price of $975,000. The area's cost-of-living index was 165.5, which means it's more expensive than the average area, city-data.com says.

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Barrio Logan, San Diego

Decades ago, residents of Barrio Logan, a Mexican-American community south of downtown San Diego, had access to the San Diego Bay beach. Access was severed in World War II after Uncle Sam expanded a nearby Navy base. Industrial rezoning caused additional suffering. In 1963, the new Interstate 5 sliced through Barrio Logan. Another huge project sprouted six years later: the San Diego-Coronado Bridge. City officials promised to build a park underneath. Locals learned a state building was slated. Protests erupted.

The area is now home to Chicano Park, which boasts Mexican-style murals painted on the bridge abutments and pillars. Residents regained access to the beach, and redevelopment has yielded hundreds of affordable apartments.

Trulia.com reports the median sale price in Barrio Logan was $235, 500 from September through November.

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Meatpacking District, New York City

A century ago, men wearing bloody aprons were common in Manhattan's Meatpacking District. Slaughterhouses and packing plants abounded. Cigar makers, auto-repair shops, printers and others did, too.

By the 1960s, meatpacking declined with the rise of frozen foods, as well as refrigerated delivery trucks and supermarkets. Gay nightclubs and entertainment spots sprouted. Today, the area features trendy restaurants, boutiques and clubs. Condo prices often hit seven figures.

Trulia.com reports the median sale price for the ZIP code was $1.6 million from September through November, based on 68 sales. For the week ending Dec. 5, 204 homes were for sale, with an average list price of $3.6 million. The area's cost-of-living index was "very high" as of last March, at 162.8, compared with other U.S. areas, city-data.com says.

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Woolen Mills, Charlottesville, Va.

Woolen Mills developed around the Charlottesville Woolen Mill in late 19th century. The mill was the community's lifeblood until it closed in the 1960s.

Today, Woolen Mills is a tightly knit community. Locally owned markets serve residents, and single-family homes dot the area, which has an active neighborhood association. Several "Woolies" recently protested when a developer felled six trees to make way for a custom cottage.

Trulia.com reports that 10 homes were for sale in Woolen Mills, with an average list price of $267,924, for the week ending Dec. 5. The area's cost-of-living index was 88, less than the U.S. average, as of March, city-data.com says.

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Dogpatch, San Francisco

In the 1870s, San Francisco's Dogpatch emerged as a community of immigrant laborers. They worked in nearby shipyards and in related industries. Dogpatch's fortunes faded after World War II and local shipbuilding's decline. Shipping moved to bigger ports.

Dogpatch spiraled into decay in the 1950s and 1960s. Homes and factories were demolished. But in the late 1970s, artists and others refurbished cheap Victorian cottages and Edwardian flats. Businesses arrived.

Trulia.com says that the median sale price for the ZIP code was $696,000 from September through November, based on 341 sales. For the week ending Dec. 5, 38 homes were for sale, with an average list price of $884,179. The area's cost-of-living index was "very high" as of last March, at 151.2, compared with the U.S. average of 100, city-data.com says.

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Georgetown, Seattle

Seattle's Georgetown neighborhood began with farming in 1850. Breweries and saloons arrived. Alarmed by the increasing popularity of the prohibition movement, saloon and brewery owners pushed for Georgetown to incorporate. Voters approved in 1904. Seattle annexed the municipality in 1910.

During Seattle's dot-com boom of the 1990s, artisans and artists were drawn to Georgetown's cheaper rents. They opened tile works, scooter-repair shops and glass-blowing studios. Bars, coffee shops and restaurants followed.

Trulia.com says that the median sale price for Georgetown was $230,000 from September through November, based on eight sales. As of Dec. 5, three homes were for sale, with an average list price of $324,950. The area's cost-of-living index was above average at 112.2 last March, city-data.com says.

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Inman Park, Atlanta

The west side of Atlanta's Inman Park neighborhood was considered an "industrial wasteland" of abandoned scrap yards and factories in 2001. But developers have transformed it into a residential and retail hot spot.

An old paper plant and a foundry-machine shop became mixed-use complexes, with apartments, lofts, town houses, shops and restaurants. An old piping company now houses 24 loft apartments.

Trulia.com says that the median sale price for Inman Park was $463,000 from September through November, based on 42 sales. For the week ending Dec. 5, 19 homes were for sale, with an average list price of $433,171. The area's cost-of-living index was 91.6 in March, meaning it's cheaper than the average neighborhood, city-data.com says.

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Franklin Square, Syracuse, N.Y.

Franklin Square's roots lie in the salt produced around Syracuse in the early 19th century. But the rise of cheaper producers elsewhere hurt the local economy a century later. Manufacturers sprang up, making underwear, typewriters and streetcar parts. But by the 1980s, markets for these products died, and manufacturers succumbed to newer rivals.

Developers turned empty plants into apartments, offices and shops. Today, Franklin Square boasts restored buildings and tree-lined streets.

Trulia.com says that the median sale price for the Franklin Square ZIP code was $60,000 from September through November, based on 69 sales. As of Dec. 5, 91 homes were for sale, with an average list price of $95,987. The area's cost-of-living index was at 87.6 in March, cheaper than the average area, city-data.com says.

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Historic Millwork District, Dubuque, Iowa

Dubuque's Historic Millwork District is a work in progress. It was the region's economic backbone in the early 20^th century. Dozens of companies employed around 2,500 workers. Before its decline, it was the nation's largest manufacturing district for windows and doors.

In 2009, local leaders approved a plan to preserve and redevelop the 17-block area, which features 1 million square feet of space and 28 buildings. It will include housing, shops, offices, community gardens, galleries and entertainment spots.

A $29 million project has been under way to convert a window-and-door factory into 72 residential units and 39,000 square feet of commercial and retail space. Streets have been rebuilt to include on-street parking and modern utilities. The area expects to see 700 new living units in the next few years.

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