Alden is very affordable and a very quick drive away from the hospital! It takes about 7 minutes in the morning from our parking lot to the eye center parking lot, so I love it. It's cheaper than the options right next to the hospital and also more spacious/ feels more detached. Closer to Chapel Hill, walmart, etc., so we love it for that reason.

Great place, but busses are

really terrible

The apartment complex itself is very nice. Lots of space/storage, good amenities (outdoor pool, small gym, small "dog park"), and feels safe.

The location is average. It's surrounded by very busy roads at both entrances, which I don't like. Outside of the complex itself, the area is not really walkable. If you are looking to feel connected to a neighborhood and have easy walking access to restaurants, bars, etc, this is not for you.

Affordable apartment for a medical student

I really enjoy living at Alden. For me it's been a quiet, safe place for the last 2 years. The maintenance staff is receptive to what needs done. The management is generally poor--when my apartment suffered major weather related damage last year they were totally unhelpful in getting it fixed quickly and treated me poorly. I've heard other negative stories. But really, minus the interactions with them, it's a great place to live! I pay $982 for a 1 bedroom, which I think is a good price.

Good for the price. Very large units. Had a bit of a minor roach problem. Apt is close to grocery stores and is 10 min from campus.

Convenient location near Target and halfway between Durham and Chapel Hill. Spacious with good floor plans. Good value. Two pools although they're closed for most of the year. Some common areas but those are locked after hours.

Cons: Dealing with management is always a headache. You basically have to go through it once a year when you need to renew your lease. Often times, they'll say they didn't receive your renters insurance copy but it's just because they didn't check their email, so make sure you always document everything on paper. Packages can be hard to pick up when you're on rotations because the office opens after you leave and closes before you get home, and they like to take days off on the weekends. Also, the gym usually has at least half of the treadmills out of order.

Very safe and reasonable distance to Duke (~8mins). Though little bit of a further drive to downtown. Have never had any problems with maintenance or neighbors.

Alden is a great value apartment with plenty of space, a great leasing staff, easy parking for nearly half the rent of typical apartments closer to Duke. This is great for grad students who want a short commute (5 minutes) to Duke, easy access to retail (Target, Walmart, Kroger, Li Ming's Global Mart) and all for a great price. Washer and dryer is included.