Revere or Ashmont (Boston, Cambridge, Malden: apartment complex, crime, houses)

[k44jacks72]

I was thinking of moving to either Revere near the Blue line (like suffolk downs, beachmont, or revere beach stops) or near Ashmont station or Cedar Grove/Butler on the Red line. I work in between Park Street and Gov't Center so either line would be convenient, and my budget takes other closer areas like Boston proper and Cambridge out of contention as I don't have a car and rely on the T. What would you guys say is the 'better' location to move to. I haven't been in either end of the Boston metro area much and even if I did go stroll around, I wouldn't know how to properly gauge things like safety, people atmosphere, etc. I just see that those two areas fall in line with my budget. Any help or insight into either area and how they compare would be great, thanks in advance!

[Urban Peasant]

The two places are similar by income, mostly lower middle class to middle class. The difference is ethnical demographics, Revere is more Latino and Italian with some others, Ashmont in Dorchester is more Irish, African American, Haitian, some Vietnamese, and some others. I don't know if that really matters to you.

I live in the Ashmont area and have lived there for a dozen years now. It is a very diverse and dynamic area and I love it. Just be careful around weekday afternoons when throngs of high school students converge around Ashmont Station, usually nothing happens but then again teenagers are unpredictable persons at times (I know, I'm a high school teacher) and at late night when some streets get really quiet. For the most part you should have no problem though. There is a brand new apartment complex right in front of Ashmont Station and I believe there are still vacancies available but I am not sure.

[holden125]

Ashmont has some very nice homes. One part of Revere that might be worth a look is the Beachmont area. It's the closest stop in Revere to downtown Boston, being just past the East Boston line, and it's a quiet area. I'm not sure if planes from Logan create any noise there, but I don't think it's that much of an issue. It's 6 stops to Aquarium, 7 to State St.

[TomDot]

If you want neighborhood feel then Ashmont would be good. It is also a lot quieter here.
The Red Line also continues in trolley form into the Lower Mills section of Milton where there are a lot of apartments going into the old Baker Chocolate Factory buildings. I highly recommend Lower Mills. There is a Shaws within a short walk and several restaurants.

The Blue Line stops you mentioned are very traffic-y areas. If you live on Revere Beach in one of the high rise apartment buildings, be prepared for late weekend nights of scumbag poseurs in their over-bassed pimp-mobiles.

[goyguy]

In Blue Line territory I'd choose Winthrop ahead of Revere. It's a much quieter area (just a few minutes from the Beachmont stop) but you'd have to be watchful so as to not move into a place directly under a Logan flight path. There are numerous apartments in high-rises overlooking the beaches there, as well as in houses.
Where Dorchester is concerned, I'm more of a Savin Hill fan. That's the section just south of the UMass-Boston campus, along Dorchester Ave and the expressway. The part east of I-93, popularly called "OTB" (over the bridge) is phenomenal: country quiet, yet with three-deckas lining many of the streets along with some brick-box complexes on the expressway side and a cool sprawling old apartment building (at 252 Savin Hill Ave) which looks like it could've been a convent/monastery at one time. The neighborhood's centerpiece is Savin Hill Park, which is an "unimproved" hilltop with grassy areas around boulders and no picnic areas or basketball courts to invite nighttime nuisances. You get a "million-dollar view" of the city and harbor from there. Taverns, the Avenue Bakery, and Patty's Pantry (deli/grocery) along Dorchester Ave make for having many everyday conveniences close at hand. And there's a Shaw's not far up the road, right next to the JFK/UMass station, with the South Bay Plaza of big-box stores just beyond.
Ashmont and Lower Mills are farther south, and while I'm a charter member of the cheering section for urban living I'm not quite so keen on those neighborhoods. "Dot Ave" has been spruced up some, with the yuppie/guppie Ashmont Grill and a fancy new clock at the Talbot Ave corner, but much of that stretch is looking the worse for wear and not only from all the station remodeling. A lot of the side streets still have an inviting appearance, some like Carruth remain really nice, and it's a pleasant community to stroll through on a warm spring afternoon. However, the Dorchester which is on the news almost daily for gang violence and other crime lies not far in the distance. A considerable proportion of the original Irish-Catholic population has long since bailed for the South Shore. Although there's been a slight return migration, along with steady interest and investment by "urban pioneers" to complement the people who stayed, what you'll find is neighborhoods of strangers. What that generates is suspicion and insecurity, which no amount of housing rehabs and decorative plantings can undo. Having said all that - if you happen upon a block east of Dot Ave where lots of kids are playing outside while their parents and other neighbors are chatting back and forth, that makes all the difference. I'd still be into relocating onto a block like that. The trick is finding one.

[Urban Peasant]

In the Ashmont section, beware of streets like Fuller Street and Bailey Street. They can get quite rowdy with block parties in the summer. Ashmont Street, Burt Street, Ocean Street, and adjacent streets that make up historic Ashmont Hill are much quieter and pleasant. Carruth Street and its adjacent streets are among the most serene (I know because I live in that neighborhood). You will always see people walk dogs and children there. Goyguy is right in that seedy parts of Dorchester are not too far a distance but that is the craziness of Dorchester. Seedy neighborhoods border on nice neighborhoods. Drive far enough west from Savin Hill and you'd end up in Meetinghouse Hill which is another bad part of Dorchester. You'd have to drive around and notice which streets look run-down and which ones look well kept. Usually, if a neighborhood is well kept, it should be safe.

[Curious22]

Have you considered Malden? It's a 15 minute commute to downtown Boston on the orange line.