Low income, low motivation, not scary, clean streets, playgrounds with new paint and happy children.  

My lender is a small bank in the northern panhandle of WV called Main Street Bank.

It's directly across the street from a college as well. student housing, maybe?

That is one strategy, and it MIGHT make things easier on you if you self manage, and especially if you self fix up.Wouldn't it be nice to find the perfect place on your own street, within a couple of blocks.

I guess you are talking the hardest core crap streets / hoods or partly abandon towns.

City of Buffalo changes fast by only a street or two.

Most of the big businesses have moved *literally* across the street to another, lower tax district.

Now when I have to advertise, I place the street name on the craigslist ad but not the specific address.

In Memphis one street can be good and the next a war zone and this is very true in the 38141 zip code.  

I don't know about any areas that are necessarily "war zones" but you can definitely find neighborhoods and streets where I would never personally buy.