I lived in one of the front 1/1 units right across from the office/clubhouse/pool.

Parking sucked here. It might be better if you live in the back but up front it was ridiculous. There were times when I worked until 9 pm or so and when I came home there would be no parking and I had to park like all the way down at the end of the lot and walk past two buildings to get to my building. The parking spaces are way too narrow and you end up hitting other people's cars or they hit yours and the parking in front of my building had a weird dip in it so if you went to far in you would crash the front of your car down on the sidewalk. Parking was somewhat of an issue.

It was a really quiet area which I loved. There are lot of older students/grad students, families and retired couples living here so the noise level is kept down. Although sometimes the yard maintenance people would come around on a Saturday and were really noisy which was irritating. Also, I would not recommend living underneath the stairs when looking for a unit here. You will hear people clomping up and down the stairs like elephants all the time so do not rent under the stairs. And unfortunately, there was a white trash family that lived above and across the hall from me during my last two months there and they had a fight at like 6:30 in the morning one Saturday and would throw some parties but I couldn't really hear them past 11 pm. And you could hear somebody's dog barking constantly. That stupid dog would never shut up. But the apartments themselves were pretty solid. I really did not hear my neighbors except for occasional walking upstairs which you'll hear in any apartment complex. But just be careful about who you live around.

The grounds are very nice. I liked to take walks around the complex because it was just so nice. There are nice mature trees and plants with specific areas where animals are supposed to do their business although unfortunately not everyone follows that rule but for the most part it isn't a problem. The pool is ok. They recently replaced the tile which looks nice but it's not cleaned very well. The last time I went there right before I moved it was disgusting. There was a layer of dead bugs and debris that covered the whole entire water surface. It was so disgusting. So they need to clean the pool more often.

I never felt unsafe here and I lived by myself. There are cops that live in the complex. The only thing is that the area is not well-lit outside and there are lot of bushes for predators to hide behind. So that should be improved on especially when parking is not good here.

Construction was an issue for me only because they were tearing up the main road from October until I moved out in June and you could hear construction noise from my apartment. If you live in the back it was most likely not an issue. Also, the construction sometimes interfered with getting in and out of the complex and that was somewhat of an issue.

The buildings are older. I think they were built in the early 80s but they are updating units as people move out. My unit was fully updated before I moved in which included brand new carpet, light fixtures, ceiling fans, paint, linoleum floors, cabinet doors, appliances, and countertops. However, the quality of work was pretty shoddy. The linoleum was peeling back underneath the cabinets like they hadn't been glued down properly. There were chunks missing around the door like someone didn't know how to cut it right and the same was true for the carpeting. Also, some of the cabinet doors were a little crooked and didn't close all the way because someone didn't take the time to install them right. So while it is a nice facelift the buildings are still old and will require maintenance calls.

Maintenance is really good here. The guys are fast even for things that are a non-emergency and it was usually fixed the first time. Except for one thing which was a water leakage which was never properly fixed while I lived there and was just patched over with plaster which was never painted and which did not fix the problem at all. I notified them of it three times and nothing was really done. But all of my other requests were taken care of.

Staff here are a little snooty. They are only really nice to you before you sign the lease and when it's time to renew the lease. Other times it is a snappy attitude with a smile. Unfortunately, they are fake and could really care less about you. Also, when I was visiting the place I was lied to by one of the staff who retired a few months after I moved in. She told me that pest control would come into your apartment every other Thursday to spray as well as spraying outside. After I moved in no one ever came to spray and then I was told that I had to request it and then they would put my on a list to get it done and I wouldn't have to request it anymore. So I did that and I got someone to come in once. Then I was told you had to request it each time you want to get it done. Plus before I moved in I was told the laundry center took quarters which after I moved in I found out it did not. So basically the staff are there to try and get you in to the apartment and to make you stay when it's time to renew the lease but don't really expect much else.

The laundry center was god awful when I used it for the first few months. You had to put money on a card that you have to buy and never get your money back when you turn the card back in. The machine only took bills that are older which was only singles because 5s, 10s 20s and so on have been updated and they don't make those older versions of those bills anymore. Also, every time I put money in you had to insert your card, put a single in, take your card out, reinsert it, put another single in and repeat the process over and over again. And the dryers never worked. But I ended up getting my own washer and dryer so I didn't have to use that horrible laundry center anymore. But before I left I did notice that they replaced the washers and dryers and there was a new procedure for the card where the office staff took your money and put it on the card for you. So the laundry center should be better than what it was.

I had issues with pests. I'm talking ants, cockroaches and mice. I keep my apartment very clean and they still were a problem. So much so that the mice chewed a hole in the linoleum floor in the kitchen. So while you paid for pest control every month it wasn't terribly effective. I used my own stuff that I bought at the store because that worked better. Also, water here is ridiculous. When I first moved in I only paid for what I used so my bill was around $20 but then halfway through the year they changed it so that everyone split the cost of the water usage of the entire complex. So basically you pay for everyone else's water not just yours so my bill jumped to about $30. I was not happy about that at all.

Overall, the apartments are huge with lots of space and storage which is nice but they are overpriced. Although pretty much everywhere in Athens is overpriced so what can you do. I would recommend High Ridge but with reservations. It really depends on your budget and your standards. If you have high standards and can afford a better apartment then do it but if your standards a little bit lower or if you are on a budget like I am then this is a good place to live. If I didn't have to move for school I would have stayed just because I am on a budget and I hate moving. But I would just say weigh your options and pros and cons carefully before moving in.

User Responses
From: ardean	Date: 07/20/2009
Minus the parking. I think this review is pretty accurate. I too lived in the building across from the leasing office and came home at all different hours and was always able to find parking either dirrently in front of my door or one row across.

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