There goes the neighborhood -- into a ranking of America's best

YAKIMA, Wash. -- If you're in the market for a home, the Barge-Chestnut area may be a good buy, according to This Old House magazine, which recently ranked the neighborhood among the best old house neighborhoods nationally.

Being ranked by the national magazine shows the value and character of the neighborhood and pride of home ownership in the area, said Jenifer Wilde McMurtrie, resident and chairwoman of the Barge-Chestnut Association.

She nominated the neighborhood months ago and sent in about 50 photos and information of the area.

"We did it -- yay," she said by telephone Thursday. "It's a pride thing and we're very proud."

Magazine editors scour old neighborhoods across the country, looking for ones that are unique, full of character and have promising futures.

Neighborhoods were ranked on craftsmanship, preservation, safety and community appeal.

This is the second year the magazine has ranked such neighborhoods. The Barge-Chestnut neighborhood is among 51 nationally and 12 in the West to make the list.

Editors described the neighborhood composed of houses from the early 1900s as having its fair share of colonial and Victorian-era homes. But it's best known for its craftsman-style bungalows with welcoming front porches.

Just last week, the Yakima City Council approved designating 211 homes in the area as a historic neighborhood. Eventually the project will expand to reach from 16th to 32nd avenues and Summitview to Tieton avenues, encompassing roughly 1,100 homes, McMurtrie said.

"We're hoping that we'll be the pebble on the water that will spur other neighborhoods to be interested in historic preservation," she said.

Getting the old house ranking is icing on the cake, she said.

"We've got so many styles of houses," she said. "We've got craftsman, Spanish mission, and we've got homes that are over 100 years old.

"I'm just so excited that were going to be in This Old House."

* Phil Ferolito can be reached at 509-577-7749 or pferolito@yakimaherald.com.

The Best of the West
• Barge-Chestnut, Yakima
• Sugar House, Salt Lake City
• Virginia City, Nev.
• The Hi Bug District, Red Lodge, Mont.
• Huning Highlands, Albuquerque, N.M.
• Guthrie, Okla.
• The South Wolcott Historic District, Casper, Wyo.
• The Boise Neighborhood, Portland, Ore.
• Weiser, Idaho
• North Side Neighborhood, Pueblo, Colo.
• The West University Neighborhood, Tucson, Ariz.
• Temescal Neighborhood, Oakland, Calif.

These neighborhoods will appear in July/August edition of This Old House, and they can be viewed at www.thisoldhouse.com/best-places.