Question about moving to Boston area

[ogre]

I'm not sure about the specifics on crime in Beacon Hill. It is an upscale neighborhood, which seems to be a generally safe area. On the other hand, no place in a city is going to be totally safe.

One question I would have would be whether the info you saw included specifics on the kinds of crime being committed there. A high rate of petty crime would probably be less of a concern than a lot of violent crime rate, even though of course you'd prefer not to be a crime victim at all.

This is pure speculation, but another possibility that occurs to me is that crime rates for Beacon Hill may make the risk appear higher than it actually is. That is a busy area very close to downtown, so there are a lot more people than actually live there present in the area during the daytime and early evening and potentially adding to the number of incidents. If the crime rate is then calculated very simply by measuring the number of incidents generated by the fairly large total population often present in the area against the relatively small number of people who actually live in the neighborhood, the number is skewed toward giving an inaccurate picture of high risk. You would need detailed info on number and types of incidents, times of day when crimes occurred, how many non-residents were in the neighborhood at the time, and how many non-residents were victims in order to have an accurate picture of the risk in that neighborhood. A simple number for "crime rate" most likely won't tell you much about any one person's actual risk.

[JasonAndAmelia]

Yeah, and then when it compares it to the national average it's showing a very low score. I dunno. I think that those are good guidelines, but you have to visit and get a feel for the area on your own and determine what you like.

[HenryAlan]

Originally Posted by JasonAndAmelia

Hey, what about Beacon Hill? I'm kinda shocked, because of the money there and everything, and yet, the crime rate acording to move.com is surprisingly high. And, when I check on here, that neighborhood doesn't show crime rate. I found some rentals there that met our wants and pricing, just worried about the whole crime thing.

The thing with Beacon Hill is that it abuts the Common, which is a large downtown park. As with many urban parks, it sees a fair amount of drug dealing and muggings. Most of the hill itself is fairly safe because it is well lit, and highly trafficked. But the park bumps up the crime statistics. My opinion is that the area is generally safe if you are careful (something I would advise for any location).

I think a bigger concern is what kind of apartment listings you've seen. There are some affordable rents there, but they are for extremely small apartments. So small, that they effectively serve only as sleeping quarters. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, because the city can serve quite effectively as your home. The location is outstanding for urban living, but you will likely feel cramped compared to even a very small L.A. bungalow.

[JasonAndAmelia]

Yeah, I saw that, and that pretty much took them off of the list. I was impressed with the Charlestown area, though.

[HenryAlan]

I like Charlestown quite a bit, and you will get larger accommodations there. It also has a very urban feel to it, but the one drawback is that it feels a bit isolated from the rest of the city, which is strange considering how close it is to downtown. There is a bit of a no-mans land between the core Charlestown and the area where you can get the subway or walk across a bridge to the rest of the city. It's this really ugly expanse of parking lot/highway/strip mall, and is not something I personally would want to deal with everyday. Aside from that section, it's a wonderful place.

[holden125]

Originally Posted by HenryAlan

There is a bit of a no-mans land between the core Charlestown and the area where you can get the subway or walk across a bridge to the rest of the city. It's this really ugly expanse of parking lot/highway/strip mall, and is not something I personally would want to deal with everyday. Aside from that section, it's a wonderful place.

True, but there is a very frequent and very quick bus downtown from Charlestown, and from the areas closer to City Sq. it's an easy walk to North Station.

[bobbyman]

If you have a fair amount of money, and like being in the heart of everything, look at neighborhoods such as the Back Bay and Beacon Hill. If you're looking for something more affordable, or if you want more of a "neighborhood" feel, your options include everything from Charlestown and East Boston to Brighton and the Fenway. Jamaica Plain and the South End are the city's main multi-cultural neighborhoods; both are increasingly victims of their own success - prices are pretty high nowadays. Dorchester is really a collection of neighborhoods that range from urban to almost suburban.

[JasonAndAmelia]

Cool. Thanks. I'm pretty confident we'll get a better feel when we come up in March. I think that's our next step is visiting out there and really getting a feel for the city and being able to put our finger on the pulse of the city and make sure it vibes up with us.