For everyone looking to move to Boston - read this before you do. (Brookline: violent crime, neighborhood)

[Sherry Tucker Brown]

The last comment about Boston mentioned that Dorchester is the worst place to live...not true! Dorchester has some of the most beautiful old Grand Dame houses! Dorchester is very large with multiple neighborhoods! Neponset has beautiful homes on the water, Ashmont Hill has Magnificent Homes one family homes with 10 to 12 very large rooms,,,,many that look like the outer suburbs but a lot less expensive! My friend has a home in North Dorchester that is a two family and each apt has an upstairs and a downstairs, fabulous woodwork, stained glass windows and wooden floors throughout! Her apt has four bedrooms, a formal dining room with two parlors?!!!!!

[1979]

Originally Posted by sportsfangal

Just a quick question-is South Boston unsafe for Blacks? There are some bars/restaurants I'd like to try out, but my black co-workers tell me not to set foot there. Just wondeing if this is still the case. Will I be called the "n" word if I am walking on a particular street? Are the bar/restaurant workers okay with serving Blacks? Its a shame to have to ask these questions in 2008, but I am not originally from Boston, and I have heard things about "Southie" regarding Blacks and their treatment there.
Unfortunately racism still exists alive and well everywhere, I just want to enjoy a drink or meal at new places.
Thanks!

I thinks Southie is a lot safer for black person, than it is for white person on Blue Hill Ave/Roxbury.

[eevee]

you know what, I'm not going to waste time waiting for the OP to look up stats don't don't exist. here's the REAL info:

2008 homicides in Boston - Boston.com

Dorchester: 16
Roxbury: 11
South Boston: 4
Hyde Park: 3
Jamaica Plain: 3
Mattapan: 3
Brighton: 2
Chinatown: 1
North End: 1
Roslindale: 1
West End: 1
total: 46

ok, let's see, as already stated, there has been 46 murders in Boston so far, less than one person being killed per day. 16 of those 46 occurred in Dorchester. sounds high, but that's just barely 1/3 of the total murders. again, sounds high, but HOW MANY PEOPLE LIVE IN DORCHESTER? what is the murder count per, say, every 1,000 people living in that area? also, zoom out on the map inked above. um, let's see, I see large swaths of Dorchester w/o a single red marker, a few spots in Dorchester w/ one 1.

let's see what else, there were more murders in South Boston than Mattapan. interesting, you neglected to notice that, can't imagine why... also, Mattapan had one murder more than Brighton. so I guess for you, if there's two murders, the place is fine to recommend, but if there's three, the place is a gang filled war zone.

there has been ONE murder in Roslindale. ONE. that makes it as safe as the North and West End! what happened to all the murderous gangbangers your cop "friends" said lived in Roslindale? seems to be as dangerous as the area w/ the expensive high rises (oh, but so much cheaper!).

and please don't use the "well those are just the reported murders!" BS excuse. if you have proof murders are going unreported, I suggest you let someone know, withholding info like that is also a crime... I sincerely doubt they aren't reporting murders to keep up property values

no one is disputing that parts of Dorchester are dangerous. search the forum for "Dorchester" and see all the threads where members here have broken down the different neighborhoods of Dorchester and rated them and stated which to avoid. no one is disputing that there's gang issues in Boston. but all your other claims are just pure BS w/ no real proof to back them up

again, the rest of your original post is just your opinion, which is fine to give, but don't direct this thread towards newcomers, people who don't a thing about Boston and are looking to move here, and state such bad info on here

you know, looking at Boston's crime rate, I almost envy it! of course, I'm currently living in Chicago, where 500+ people have been killed so far, AFAIK

[Sherry Tucker Brown]

Go ahead and visit the bars and restaurants in Southie! The L Street Tavern has Great burgers. First one I had there was in 1988! I cut through Southie all the time on my way to downtown to avoid Expressway tie ups! To 1979...white people walk on Blue Hill Avenue in Roxbury all the time...No one bothers them...Mother Caroline Academy is on Blue Hill Avenue....Roxbury Latin High School, (an exam school) on Warren is just a short way from Blue Hill Ave and the students at both are a good mix of Asians, Blacks, Latinos, and White students. The attitude from your Black co-workers and the 1979 person are what keeps Boston from growing into a TRUE WORLD CLASS CITY in the 21St Century!!!

[Yankeerose00]

berried in snow

What kind of berries. Strawberries, blueberries?

Seriously though, this post is funny. Boston is an awesome city. It's very easy to just talk about the crime ridden parts of a city as though they are the entire city. IMO, Boston is gorgeous, clean and dare I say, friendly! I love Boston people. It was my husband's first time in there last year and he kept saying over and over now nice everyone was and how he could totally see himself living there.

There is so much wrong with this post, it's not even worth picking apart.

[Bostonian08]

I think you guys are being a little hard on the OP. Can't you tell she's just a kid? Only 8 posts, she's just giving her young viewpoint on CD. You're all getting kinda Cotton Mather!

Hey Bunny, welcome to CD. How old are you and how long have you lived in Boston?

[Bostonian08]

Originally Posted by sportsfangal

Just a quick question-is South Boston unsafe for Blacks? There are some bars/restaurants I'd like to try out, but my black co-workers tell me not to set foot there. Just wondeing if this is still the case. Will I be called the "n" word if I am walking on a particular street? Are the bar/restaurant workers okay with serving Blacks? Its a shame to have to ask these questions in 2008, but I am not originally from Boston, and I have heard things about "Southie" regarding Blacks and their treatment there.
Unfortunately racism still exists alive and well everywhere, I just want to enjoy a drink or meal at new places.
Thanks!

Southie has changed a lot since 1973. It's yuppified and diversified. On Castle Island Park you will see every race and nationality on the earth strolling Pleasure Bay. South Boston is home to Lace Curtain Irish, recent Irish immigrants, deeply rooted families, as well as dirt poor projects, ghetto style AA's, yuppies, and hispanics, cops firefighters, city workers.

You might cross paths with some ignorant townie with whom I am embarrassed to have to admit is of my nationality. If you go into the gross watering holes you are much more likely to meet such.

There are some predominantly AA parts of Boston AA friends of mine suggested should avoid. I'm sure you can imagine. I would say the same about the Southie dives. Southie has definitely come along, but places like Back Bay, Fenway, Downtown, Allston and Cambridge are more worldly. I can assure you strolling in Castle Island will be fine. Bars in general are a lower culture. I'd say a southie dive is about as riscky for a Black guy as Slaed's or the Roxbury Men's Club mine be for a white guy.

[BunnyD]

I appreciate all the flaming that I'm getting. In a way it's making me very popular here I guess . I've noticed something about Bostonians and that is that majority of them are hard-headed knuckle heads.

For the last time, not all murders are reported. It's just like a military secret. You honestly think ONLY 4000 soldiers got killed so far in this war with the Iraq... same on the streets.

Anyways, you guys enjoy Boston while you can. I know this is not the place for me. I'll be enjoying 90 deg. weather in Vegas while you shovel snow and unfreeze your car and use extra layers of clothes

[CaseyB]

Make sure you check the crime rate in Las Vegas....

[Suericio]

vegas was rated one of the most dangerous places to live in the usa from forbes lists 2007 if im not mistaken. 90deg? yeah right, try like 100+ deg. so please enjoy all that vegas has to offer like the crime rate, sucky job market and bad housing economy there. im sure the casinos and the vegas strip gets alittle boring after a few yrs...


---ooo and all this coming from someone from revere, ha......