Boston Ghettos/Bad Neighborhoods (Hanover: best neighborhood, to rent, condo)

[MikeNigh]

I honestly couldn't have imagined boston even had a real ghetto or unsafe area. My guess is there would be less desirable areas that only the locals would find "unsafe".

[tcrackly]

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Originally Posted by Kashi1

This is just what I've noticed:

Roxbury: I've been there my share of times, it just feels unsafe...It's the ghetto: Drugs, projects, gangs, not many businesses. Most of the people who live there are perfectly normal, but there's enough dangerous people you really don't wanna be hanging around here.

Spoiler

Dorchester: North Dorchester doesn't seem to be too bad...I've been there and it's a tad sketchy, but it is gentrifying some and though the area I was (near Mass Ave/Columbia Road) seems like it's probably okay overall, there are some really dangerous parts too. Codman Square, Four Corners, etc. Overall I wouldn't live there.

Mattapan: The only neighborhood in Boston I've never been in. I think that speaks for itself. I've heard parts of it are ok though.

The above mentioned places are the worst...Here's some other places I personally would avoid although they're not as bad as those above...You might find a safe place in these areas, but know there are problem areas too:

Jackson Square/Bromley Heath Projects (Jamaica Plain): Jackson is probably not the worst place, but it's sketchy and I've known people who got robbed out there. BH projects should be avoided at all costs...don't go near them. The rest of JP is fine though. In fact I highly recommend it.

Hyde Park: OK, technically I guess I've never been here either, but have friends that live there and say there is gang activity. The rent seems cheap though (for Boston area), but you prob. know why, plus it's too far from the city imo.

Parts of South End (near Mass Ave): I'm probably gonna catch some criticism for this one, but I don't think it's that safe. The closer to downtown you get, the more like Back Bay it becomes (swankier) but once you get near Mass Ave, esp. past Columbus or Tremont St. I think it gets dicey. I've been there in the daytime and still don't feel totally safe. It seems to have either gentrifiers or poor people, not much in between. Roxbury is pretty close as well, the further south you go, and the Villa Victoria projects are nearby. Regardless of whether you can walk through it or not, it's not worth paying that much to live there for what you get in my opinion.

Some parts of Mission Hill: Not the worst but I wouldn't really call it safe either...Lots of students, true, but some suspect characters running around. Also, the closer to Roxbury Crossing T-stop it is, the more dangerous, from my experience. You might find a nice place to live though, especially around Fenmore Rd., Parker Hill, most sidestreets from Huntington are ok...

Spoiler

the "Combat Zone" - near the Boylston/Chinatown/Tufts Med. Center t-stops...I've seen some suspect business going on around here...Wouldn't live here at all, but I know some who do and don't seem to have problems.

I've heard bad things about certain parts of South Boston and Roslindale, although I think they're okay, just maybe not the best. hope this helps.

]
Excuse me if I'm mistaken, but this poster seems to be basing "safety" mostly on the color of the general populace. I grew up in Roxbury in the Washington park area; single family homes with stable earning homeowners, small town feel and some houses that would put any suburban subdivision to shame. Northeastern U, wentworth, Museum of Art are all in Roxbury proper. Roxbury is one of the largest neighborhoods geographically so crime stats many times get skewed when compared to other neighborhood numbers. ANY neighborhood in Boston can be judged by the same yardstick,if you see poverty, decay,and lots of idle citizens, there is the likelihood of higher crime.

[cobblers36]

what are the safer parts of boston

[mhsclassof00]

Originally Posted by lynnguy85

Try actually going there and talking to people who have lived there for years and let them tell you how it really is because you think back bay is safer then chelsea why because chelsea is full of low income poor minorities that are under educated and backbay and beacon hill are full of highly educated upper level White Elitist...

Wait a sec, are you trying to say that Back Bay isn't safer than Chelsea? Really? ....

[miu]

Originally Posted by tcrackly

[]
Excuse me if I'm mistaken, but this poster seems to be basing "safety" mostly on the color of the general populace.

Honestly, it's not the colour of their skin, it's how their neighborhoods look and how they behave. I tend to avoid neighborhoods where there is a lot of trash scattered about in their yards, sidewalks and streets, and graffiti on the buildings and lampposts. And how the people dress and behave.

So if it were a mostly white neighborhood and the area was rundown looking with garbage and tagging, and the guys were wearing dark hoodies and with baggy pants falling off their @sses, and the women dressed like cheap sluts, then yes, I wouldn't feel comfortable living there and I would feel unsafe.

Also, since I have nothing in common with people who live like that, it wouldn't be easy for me to bond or make friends with my immediate neighbors. And when one is an outsider in neighborhoods like that, it's much more likely that my place would be targeted for a break-in while I was at work.

[Cliff Clavin]

^ Never judge a book by it's cover.

[raveabouttoast]

You shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but everyone does.

And let's be honest, a lot of the time appearance can be a good way (if not simple) way to judge. How you choose to present yourself to the public and other people does say something about your character.

If I girl dresses like a ****, I'm going to have no desire to date her. If a guy dresses the same as a thug, I'm going to expect him to act like one too. There are definitely people out there who don't fall into those categories, but you will always see examples of people that confirm your initial impressions.

[tcrackly]

Originally Posted by miu

Honestly, it's not the colour of their skin, it's how their neighborhoods look and how they behave. I tend to avoid neighborhoods where there is a lot of trash scattered about in their yards, sidewalks and streets, and graffiti on the buildings and lampposts. And how the people dress and behave.

So if it were a mostly white neighborhood and the area was rundown looking with garbage and tagging, and the guys were wearing dark hoodies and with baggy pants falling off their @sses, and the women dressed like cheap sluts, then yes, I wouldn't feel comfortable living there and I would feel unsafe.

Also, since I have nothing in common with people who live like that, it wouldn't be easy for me to bond or make friends with my immediate neighbors. And when one is an outsider in neighborhoods like that, it's much more likely that my place would be targeted for a break-in while I was at work.

Apparently you have missed a lot of the neighborhoods you previously mentioned that are, and have been, peopled with middle class hard working folks with nice , some even ostentatious, single family homes that rival any in the suburbs. I know because I grew up in a Roxbury neighborhood like that and now the more wealthy are clamoring for those beautiful homes.

[miu]

Originally Posted by Cliff Clavin

^ Never judge a book by it's cover.

I think that quote was more in reference to deciding between a beautiful leatherbound book, one with great cover photos or art like a coffee table book, or one with a plain wrapper, because with a book it's what's inside those pages that matters.

However in a trashed out neighborhood where the majority of residents are jobless, on welfare and have no education, well yes, I am not that keen to live amongst them. I've known poor working people with integrity, and they do make the effort to dress in a civilized non-ghetto/gangsta thuggy way, and they keep their apartments and outside areas clean. Throwing trash on the ground and tagging are signs of disrespect and not caring for ones surroundings.

[mhsclassof00]

Originally Posted by Cliff Clavin

^ Never judge a book by it's cover.

I know what you were trying to say here, but I disagree about judging a book by its cover, when talking about real estate.

Its one thing if you are talking about renting, then who cares, you're renting.

BUT if you're talking about purchasing a home, then F yes you better judge a book by its cover. If the people around you do not take care of their homes, it WILL bring down the value of your home, and good luck trying to resale that place in the future.