cambridge - safe areas (Somerville, Harvard: real estate, apartment complex, condo)

[filogarcia]

I am looking for housing in cambridge and I found one in Beacon place (sommerville) and another in Tremont St (close to central square). The first house is great, but I am a bit suspicious of the neighbourhood. Can anyone tell me what they think about the safety of these areas?

Thanks!

F.

[scarletfire]

I don't know those particular neighborhoods but I know in some areas there are police reports posted online so you could get a sense of the types of incidents they face there, or if they don't share that info online you could call the police department. They usually have a person who handles incident reports and while they're unlikely to advise you one way or another about whether it's a safe area to live in, they can share statistics about the types of incidents in the area by type of crime. It is public information.

Best of luck

[goyguy]

"Beacon Place" sounds like the name of a condo/apartment complex rather than an actual street. Is it located along Somerville's Beacon St? If so, that's a "good" area. A small Star Market is there, as well as a Petsi's Pies and a Chinese take-out joint. O'Sullivan's bar takes claim to the hotly-contested title of "best hamburger in town." Farther eastward, Dali, EVOO and the Kebab Factory (!) are popular dining spots flanking the intersection of Washington St along with a panini bakery and the perenially popular Wine and Cheese Cask. The office of my cat's veterinarian is along Beacon as it nears the Cambridge line and changes its name to Hampshire St in Inman Square; next door to it is the always-crowded Thirsty Scholar pub and nearby is a small Thai restaurant. Housing is a mix of newer brick-box apartment/condo buildings (some "mid-rise") and early-20th-century wooden duplexes and three-families, all kept in good condition. From Park St into Cambridge, the 83 bus route runs along Beacon St, connecting the Alewife and Porter Square areas with Inman and Central Squares - quick n' easy access to the Red Line.

Tremont St in Cambridge is in a sort of neutral zone between the easternmost reaches of Inman and Central Squares. One of Cambridge's synagogues is at its south end. It's a well-shaded street comprised mainly of three-deckers and two-family houses, with a chunk of real estate at the northeast corner with Hampshire St taken up by the city's DPW yard. No urban neighborhood is entirely free of crime, and Tremont St does see some - mainly the occasional nighttime holdup by a group of kids who may or may not be from one of the several public-housing "developments" not too far away. It's a fairly easy stroll from there to either Inman Square or Central Square, and it's close by Prospect St (two bus routes.) The Lechmere-Harvard Square bus line runs along Cambridge St, which intersects Tremont at its north end.

When home-hunting, I looked at a place on Tremont St which didn't make my "short list." That had everything to do with the condition of the dwelling and nothing to do with where it was situated. But if given a choice between the two locales mentioned, I'd go with Beacon St.