Safety in North End (Boston, Hanover: apartments, crime, home)

[Recliner25]

My daughter will be starting a new job in January and will be living in the North End of Boston and walking to and from North Station (5 minutes). It will be dark when she leaves in the morning. I am not familiar with the area and am wondering if anyone can offer any opinion about this..... Also, her apartment is on the ground floor. I asked about security and she says none of the buildings seem to have bars on the lower windows. There is no alarm in the apartment, though I have purchased some battery operated window alarms. Any thought on a young woman living and walking around in this area would be much appreciated!

[Heyabbot]

Probably the safest place to live in Boston. I lived there for a few years, obviously something could happen to you no matter where you are, but the North End is the Little Italy of Boston, lots of families, local old-timers who've lived there their entire life, as well as young people living there because it's so close to to downtown.
She should always have her guard up no matter what time and where she is, but the North End is the safest area of Boston in my opinion. Not to sound very "un-PC" but the story goes that the reason there were no muggings or such in the North End is that you never knew who you were mugging and if they were "connected" in anyway to people in the mafia, or say they say.

[missionhill]

Originally Posted by Heyabbot

the North End is the safest area of Boston in my opinion. Not to sound very "un-PC" but the story goes that the reason there were no muggings or such in the North End is that you never knew who you were mugging and if they were "connected" in anyway to people in the mafia, or say they say.

There were no muggings of white people. Others took their lives in their hands walking around in the North End.

[Bob Lanata]

I truly believe that the North End of Boston is one of the safest areas around bar none.

[Recliner25]

Thanks for your comments. Specifically, I'm wondering if there are a lot of people walking around North Station at .. say 7am..

I haven't been to Boston since third grade so i am really in the dark... also, Mission Hill, I don't understand what you mean...

[thenewtexan]

Originally Posted by Recliner25

Thanks for your comments. Specifically, I'm wondering if there are a lot of people walking around North Station at .. say 7am..

I haven't been to Boston since third grade so i am really in the dark... also, Mission Hill, I don't understand what you mean...

You know what he meant. Don't play dumb. It was an implication that old time Northenders would mob people of color because they didn't want them there.

[missionhill]

Assaults. Or chase them out of the neighborhood. There was a coast guard base at the foot of Hanover Street--one heard stories of the difficulties nonwhite enlisted men experienced when leaving the base on foot. True? I don't know. But dark-skinned people tended to avoid the North End.

Anyway, I was trying to point out that Heyabbot's assertions about the N.E. being safest in the city assumes the person asking the question is white. If Heyabbot, for whatever reason, had taken the OP to be nonwhite I'm guessing he/she would not have gone on about how safe the North End is. Insular neighborhoods with, as Heyabbot says, lots of families and old-timers, usually means safety for people in the group and danger for anyone else. In fact, there once were pitched battles between the Irish townies (Charlestown) and the Italian North Enders over turf--so it didn't have to be a white-black thing, or even a Catholic-Protestant thing; just being Irish and coming from the next insular neighborhood over would be provocation enough.

I assume a lot of this is in the past as few of the real North Enders remain in the North End, just as few of the real Townies remain in Charlestown. Both districts are heavily gentrified with a corresponding loss of character. As someone pointed out in another current thread, we've seen lots of movies about that tough gritty character of insular white neighborhoods--not the North End but others like it--just as the neighborhoods have been losing that toughness as people leave and others come in.

White people had their own troubles in nonwhite neighborhoods years ago-- I myself was chased twice on foot and pelted with rocks while riding a bike in Mission Hill, Lower Roxbury, and the South End, but stuff like that isn't happening any more. People have calmed down--being black or white or whatever on someone else's turf isn't the cause for action it used to be.

[Cantabridgienne]

I lived in the North End for a few years. It's a very densley populated, tourist-crowded neighborhod. Going to work during rush hour really won't be a problem and face it, it will probably be dark at least half the year when someone is going to/coming from work. Being afraid to walk after sundown or alone isn't very practical for anyone in an urban environment.

In more recent years, there have been some sexual assaults on women in the neighborhood, generally in the wee hours of the night so she should take care when walking alone, but these are the same precautions she should take anywhere late at night: be aware of your surroundings, don't have headphones on, don't be engrossed in a phone call, have phone out, have keys handy, etc.

[Recliner25]

Thank you for all replies. We do not live in an urban area and I know nothing about Boston so if my questions, comments seem silly... well there it is..Thanks for the clarification Mission Hill. My daughter is white but her roommate is not. ................. I hope they are ok there... just chose that neighborhood to be near the North Station. They know less than me... only having gone to the city ONCE to look at apartments..Job, relocation etc, happened on the spur of the moment.

Better to look BEFORE you leap I guess.

[shiver]

Your daughter and her friend will be fine in the North End. There are a ton of young women living in that area. It's a good area and not one that I'd have any worry about. However, she is moving to a city and as Cantabridgienne stated, crime happens, but it can happen in safe suburbia too. Common sense precautions go a long way.

As far as bars on windows, some buildings in Boston have them some don't. Again, common sense rules - they should keep the windows closed when they're not home and keep the shades/blinds down so people can't see inside and aren't tempted by that nice laptop in full view.