Boston Ghettos/Bad Neighborhoods (Cambridge, Boylston: violent crime, colleges, living in)

[lentzr]

Where are the dangerous areas of Boston? Correct me if I am wrong with this list. I am getting interested in Boston because I will be making a weekend trip from NJ soon. Anyway, I did a lot of looking into Boston and it looks like East Boston, Roxbury and Mattapan seem to be the worst. According to what else I read, JP, Dorchester and Mission Hill are being gentrified or revitalized...so they appear OK during the day? No? Cambirdge seems mostly nice but I was told that there were projects around somewhere that I should avoid. Finally, I was told South End is mostly safe except for the areas near Roxbury. But what about Hyde Park?

[ogre]

You say that you are interested in Boston because you are coming to visit. Is this a visit so you can get to know the area because you are thinking of moving here, or is it that you will be a tourist and you want to know whether there are any dangerous areas to avoid during your visit? If it's the latter, then most likely you don't need info on the bad neighborhoods. As long as you expect to stay in the areas where tourists usually go, you won't be in any especially bad 'hoods. The usual precautions that it's prudent to observe in any urban setting will be all you'll need to be concerned with.

If you need more details because you are thinking about moving here, and possibly living in one of the ares you're asking about, it's more complicated than the idea that the areas you've asked about are either safe or not. Cambridge is its own idependent city of 100k or so in population, and the other areas you mentioned are entire wide sections of Boston, not just small local neigborhoods of a few square blocks. Most of Cambridge is pretty safe, and in Dorchester, Roxbury, and the other sections of Boston there is a lot of variation between the individual neighborhoods as to their character and how safe they are. I myself don't know most outlying sections of Boston well enough to fill you in on many local neighborhoods. There are some members here who do know this information. If any of them pick up this thread, be prepared for some detailed info on very local neighborhoods.

[Boston Bill]

I agree completely with Ogre. Don't waste your time with all this research if you're just here for a visit. I would check out user reviews on Tripadvisor for that. If you're thinking of moving that's a different story. Your anecdotal observations are somewhat accurate, although maybe a bit too general. For instance, I have lived in Jamaica Plain for 17 years and I think it's fantastic!

[Urban Peasant]

If you plan to move here, then your question is more complicated than you think. Roxbury, Mattapan, most of Dorchester, and to some extent East Boston are often mentioned to be the worst neighborhoods of Boston but that is not the total truth and all of those neighborhoods actually do have some good parts that are perfectly safe. JP, South End, and Mission Hill are very gentrified but that doesn't mean you ought to leave your door unlocked at night. Dorchester (where I live) still retains a working class feel but has some great neighborhoods to raise families in and is transit convenient. That same goes with Hyde Park which has some rough parts but other parts that are very pleasant and family-oriented. You're going to have to give more specifics for additional help.

[lentzr]

Thanks guys. Yes, I am just going for a visit. However, I like to know the about the bad neighborhoods of a city to get a more balanced view of the city. When I travel to another city, I appreciate the learning experience that comes along with it. I think everyone should know about the existance of bad areas to fully understand the city even if one never even takes one step in such areas.

Anyway, I was just asking for generalizations and not specifics. Yes, some parts of one area are rougher than others...but a good generations of the different official neighborhoods can give me a general overview of the city of Boston. Cheers.

[NG1284]

Mission Hill is very quickly becoming a student neighborhood. It still has crime in some parts, but it's populated by a lot of students from Northeastern, Wentworth, Mass Art, and some of the Fenway Colleges. I wouldn't exactly wander around alone half-drunk at 3am, but the areas of Mission Hill that cater to college students are generally very safe.

[rranger]

Originally Posted by Urban Peasant

Dorchester (where I live) still retains a working class feel but has some great neighborhoods to raise families in and is transit convenient.

Wow! Freud would have a great time with this!

[rranger]

Originally Posted by lentzr

Where are the dangerous areas of Boston? Correct me if I am wrong with this list. I am getting interested in Boston because I will be making a weekend trip from NJ soon. Anyway, I did a lot of looking into Boston and it looks like East Boston, Roxbury and Mattapan seem to be the worst. According to what else I read, JP, Dorchester and Mission Hill are being gentrified or revitalized...so they appear OK during the day? No? Cambirdge seems mostly nice but I was told that there were projects around somewhere that I should avoid. Finally, I was told South End is mostly safe except for the areas near Roxbury. But what about Hyde Park?

All wrong; research again!

[bradstengel]

From what I've gathered/seen, the only bad areas are Dorchester west of Dorchester avenue and Roxbury. Southie used to be bad, but is now no problem to walk through, Mission Hill is filled with kids, Dorchester is mostly safe with a few exceptions (St. Mark's area) Roxbury and Mattapan are considered the worst. I read a statistic somewhere that a really high percentage, like 70% of violent crime in Boston was within a mile of Blue Hill Ave-not confirming, just reiterating what I heard. East Boston is fine as well, never had a problem there. I mean-it's a city, all the really bad areas are convieniently kept hidden from view by tourists and such.

[RC1981]

There's nothing wrong with East Boston. For some reason it's got this stigma (probably because it's one of the older and less renovated parts of town) that it's all dangerous and cut-throat, but it's just an old stereotype that bears very little truth here in 2010. It's mostly carried on by people who come to Boston from places like Kansas and fall in love with Boylston St. then they accidentally catch a view of Eastie on their way to the airport and think it's some kind of ghetto.

It's old...it's ugly...it's not very ritzy, polished, or touristy, but that doesn't make it a slum. It's a good working class urban area (probably the last one left in the country) with good working class people. No harm will come to you in East Boston, I guarantee it.