The Belmont

SBR
Sun, 18 Nov 2012 14:47:10 +0000

I’d say overpriced if you are planning to drive to campus. A big draw for students living in Belmont is the Duke shuttle that runs down research Dr. or the fact that it’s an easy bike ride away.

The gated community is a reflection of the area, there are definitely areas close to Duke where a gate would be completely unnecessary.

The apartments are nicer and there is a pool though you have a perfectly good athletic center on campus and a nice plaza and gardens to sunbathe in.

Rates from Craigslist ads by the apt management looks completely ridiculous ~$950 for 1br and ~$1250 for 2br. That’s what I paid to live in a 1br with all utilities included within walking distance of downtown Bethesda outside DC which is a lot more desirable than where Belmont is. For that price range, I’d rather live in West Village off East Campus and commute by C1. It’s similar price range, also with lots of Duke students, but is within walking distance of Brightleaf, shooter, other bars and restaurants.

Bottom line is it’s moderately nice apartments where lots of students live whose primary advantage is that it’s almost right next to west campus. you can definitely get a lot better deals if you look a little further out and are willing to live a bit away from friends. You can also live in a place with better nightlife for about the same price if you are willing to rough it on the C1 (or just drive to west campus).