Van Antwerp Rd. is safe. Parts of Mount Pleasant are safe; parts are scummy but I wouldn't say "unsafe"; & the very edge of the Mount Pleasant neighborhood gets scary. Hawk & Porter - sorry, I don't know. 8th Ave I would stay away from.
Are you looking to stay in Schenectady due to cost or due to proximity to your job? Because Niskayuna, parts of Rexford off 146, & parts of South Colonie are all better options than Schenectady. Very sad to say that. Schenectady has got some beautiful architecture & quaint neighborhoods; esp. off Union Street & in the Stockade area. But the city just can't seem to get it's act together. I wanted to invest & start a business there, but the crime rate is horrible & the good cops are being lumped with the past corrupt cops' reputaion. I think Schenectady will one day pull out of the slump, but I don't think it will be within the next 10 years.
The problem with renting in Schenectady is that, while you get a LOT of space for the money, you can't walk 2 blocks in any direction without worry. There are some good areas like I said, but I'd check out places like Rotterdam, Guilderland, Rexford, Niskayuna & South Colonie. Parts of all those communities are very easy commute to Balltown Rd.
On a side note, the Gold's Gym on Balltown Rd. is one of the nicest gyms around. It used to be privately owned & most of the same staff is still there. A very friendly gym, not pretentious (sp?), & you'd probably get a lot of good leads on apartments if you stopped in the gym for a tour & asked about apartments. I'm not trying to sell Gold's - they get enough of my money as it is!
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I just think you'd get some great advice there about where to live. Most are Schen natives &/or live in the above communities.
Best of luck to you!