[JayCT]

Originally Posted by mkiv808

The entire eastern section, most of the southern section, and most of the central section are pretty bad. Only Black Rock and the more suburban neighborhoods bordering Fairfield and Trumbull are any good. Bridgeport is NOT affluent by any means.

No offense to those that live there, but Bridgeport barely offers anything except a few good ethnic restaurants and some bars in Black Rock. Oh, and a zoo.

It's also a terrible place to buy real estate since the taxes are extremely high.

Not really. The "eastern section" north of Boston Avenue between Route 8 and Remington Woods is called Beardsley Park and Treeland. Both are very nice areas. Even the section to the east of Remington Woods and north of Boston Avenue is not bad. And certainly the neighborhoods in the "central" part of the city are not all bad north of North Avenue. Jay

[robertjohnson]

By comparing FBI crime data and zipcode demographics (zipskinny) you can get a pretty good idea of where the other side of the tracks are in any town. Certain patters become clear.

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by JayCT

Not really. The "eastern section" north of Boston Avenue between Route 8 and Remington Woods is called Beardsley Park and Treeland. Both are very nice areas. Even the section to the east of Remington Woods and north of Boston Avenue is not bad. And certainly the neighborhoods in the "central" part of the city are not all bad north of North Avenue. Jay

I was referring to this general area. Not all the places mentioned are "dangerous", but definitely dumpy.

[7 Wishes]

Given the towns that surround it, Bridgeport is pretty "bad", but overall it's a lot better than many other "inner cities" in other parts of the US, even better than some of the worst parts of the 5 boros or other NY metro "inner cities" like some parts of Yonkers, NY or some New Jersey cities.

The reason Bridgeport gained population for the first time in 60 years is plain and simple......cheap housing! Open up the classifieds in the CT Post and compare apt. rents and houses in Bridgeport itself vs. anything west of it out until almost the NJ-PA border.

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by 7 Wishes

Open up the classifieds in the CT Post and compare apt. rents and houses in Bridgeport itself vs. anything west of it out until almost the NJ-PA border.

I think people that get suckered into buying houses in Bridgeport vs. a town like Trumbull aren't considering the property taxes. They're almost double what they are in Trumbull. It's really not worth it, especially considering the schools are bad.

[Stratford, Ct. Resident]

Originally Posted by mkiv808

I think people that get suckered into buying houses in Bridgeport vs. a town like Trumbull aren't considering the property taxes. They're almost double what they are in Trumbull. It's really not worth it, especially considering the schools are bad.

Actually, i wouldn't use Trumbull as an example of a place near Bridgeport having ~"half" the property tax. I would say that only Shelton comes close to matching that.

When you really look at the data, Trumbull actually appears to be the highest of anywhere in this area.

[Beeker2211]

Originally Posted by mkiv808

I think people that get suckered into buying houses in Bridgeport vs. a town like Trumbull aren't considering the property taxes. They're almost double what they are in Trumbull. It's really not worth it, especially considering the schools are bad.

Here's the thing... Mill rates may be higher in Bridgeport (about 34mils) than say Trumbull (about 21mils) but the property values even in the nice areas of Bridgeport are pretty reasonable. It does need to get lower, but that can only happen with a huge influx of infill. And the schools in Bridgeport do offer a wide and pretty impressive curriculum for those that want it (many of my friends went through the system) which is a bit rarer than most appreciate in stressed municipalities.

Personally, the only two parts of the city I actively avoid are the Hollow and East End, the hardest hit areas of the city. Other parts might "seem" bad (I'm looking at you, South and West Ends) but in actuality are filled with people just trying to get through their day with as little trouble as possible.

~Cheers

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by mkiv808

I was referring to this general area. Not all the places mentioned are "dangerous", but definitely dumpy.

The areas in your map are the East Side and East End which are not good. The areas to the north of this though are not bad and can even get pretty nice. Jay

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by JayCT

The areas in your map are the East Side and East End which are not good. The areas to the north of this though are not bad and can even get pretty nice. Jay

I agree! Most of the population seems to be centered on the East Side/East End neighborhoods?

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by mkiv808

Most of the population seems to be centered on the East Side/East End neighborhoods?

Not really. The city has a lot of people spread across it. I would say there are more in the North End than the East side. Jay