[deadcrowsflyeast]

I don't believe you compared B-Port to

New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by deadcrowsflyeast

I don't believe you compared B-Port to

New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago

Why? Would you judge all of New York by the South Bronx?

Would you judge all of Los Angeles by East LA?

Would judge all of Chicago by the south side?

NO

Don't judge Bridgeport by what you see from I-95 or hear on the news who like to sensationalize every event. Judge it by Black Rock or the North End or Treeland or Brooklawn or Seaside Park or Beardsley Park or any of the other many nice and wonderful places there are in that city. Is it perfect? No, but is it as bad as it is often portrayed? No, not really. JMHO Jay

[LizzyJ]

I know this was posted a while ago, but when I read it I had to respond. I live in the Black Rock section of bridgeport, on the Fairfield line. My neighbors are Congressman Christopher Shays, the actor Jon Ratzenberger, the novelist Robert Ellis, and a number of other famous and WEALTHY people. Do not be taken in by these thread responses. They are not bridgeporters. I have a masters from Yale. I work in NYC. I live in a gorgeous home on the water that I would not have been able to afford had I lived anyplace else. What you are reading about the violence- that is utter rubbish. I have been here 3 years and have never had ANY, not ONE, NADA, no issue with crime, with theft, with violence, nothing. And none of my neighbors have. Now, ifyou buy in a crappy neighborhood then yes, you'll be more likely to see some of this. But to make the sweeping generalization that paints Bridgeport as a violent place to be afraid of, that's just RIDICULOUS. The median home price in the area I live in is somewhere around 350k. There are homes in my neighborhood that are on the market for over 4 million dollars. There are also good buys in this neighborhood. Just my two cents.

[68vette]

I grew up in Easton and when I married and moved I ended up in Bridgeport. I first lived in an apartment in Black Rock near the water. The whole area was very safe. I worked evenings and in the summer would walk down to the waterfront. I never once had an issue with anyone or had a crime commited against myself or my wife. The only issue I did have was someone trying to break into my car once. This was also when Bridgeport had one of the highest car theft rates per capita in the country. We lived there forseveral years until we had a child. We bought a home on Wayne St in the north end and never once had a problem. All our neighbors were great and always looked out for each other. I think people still assocate Bridgeport with Father Panik Village and it's other problem areas.

[jjbradleynyc]

Originally Posted by JayCT

Why? Would you judge all of New York by the South Bronx?

Would you judge all of Los Angeles by East LA?

Would judge all of Chicago by the south side?

NO

Don't judge Bridgeport by what you see from I-95 or hear on the news who like to sensationalize every event. Judge it by Black Rock or the North End or Treeland or Brooklawn or Seaside Park or Beardsley Park or any of the other many nice and wonderful places there are in that city. Is it perfect? No, but is it as bad as it is often portrayed? No, not really. JMHO Jay

I'll throw in my 2 cents: I think Bridgeport city gets a bad rap overall because it is such a smaller city, and has aspects of the much, much bigger cities--like Chicago, NYC, LA. The fact that it is so small, yet has so many big city problems can be alarming to some who do not know Bridgeport that well.

I really like Black Rock, Beardsley Park, and Brooklawn. The North End is also very nice and Seaside Park has tons of potential. I'm dying to see the day when Bridgeport starts a change for the better--there are small glimmers of hope beginning to happen. I still think the south end near Bridgeport University will boom someday in the near future. Tons of potential.

[Dolfan]

I visited Bridgeport a couple of times to take my daughter to the zoo. Beardsley Park was nice. However, I also drove around and ended up in some areas that looked run down.

[hifilofi]

One thing problematic about this thread is judgement. We are judging Bridgeport's Black Rock or north end as good vs Stratford Ave or East Main as bad. Why? Because we are telling people where to live. Is this productive? The idea basic to this is that more wealthy white people will increase the tax base, increase the school quality, increase public amenities. We want to tell these people to move to these parts of town (within Bridgeport's taxable limits) because we think this is the future of improving Bridgeport.

Is this what it takes to fix Bridgeport? We all know the problems. There are murders, there are robberies, there are city governments that go bankrupt. But does an influx of wealth fix the problem? The problems are there now, the wealth is right next door in Fairfield, in Westport, in Easton, in Milford, etc. How do we get their political influence to make Bridgeport better without convincing them to move here first?

I wish i knew!

[Srib]

I think the funniest part about this whole thread is that people are getting offended about Bridgeport being generalized as a bad place to live. People on these forums do it all the time! Don't live in hartford or you'll die! Don't buy in New Haven or drug dealers will be at your door! Don't buy in Bloomfield or East Hartford because crime is up and they have crappy schools! My point is - EVERY TOWN/CITY HAS NICE/GOOD AREAS!!! Do your homework and move if it fits your needs, but don't generalize that an entire area sucks because of what you see on the news or what you hear from your brother Joe's, best friends, cousins, sister.

[stamfordman]

AS some one else said before Bridgeport was ranked #3 by CNN. I have lived in Westport my whole life and have lived at lofts on lafayette for 2 years now. While I cant say great thing about that individual project, the city is rejuvenating BIg time. The entire downtown has $200 million in rehab being pumped in. There are independent theatere opening up, and amazing beach, and artists moving in. It is 50% cheaper then anywhere else in the county. Its like Williamsburgh was years ago before it was reinvented. ANyway if your looking to rent id say go to bportliving.com if to buy go to lofts881.com.

Just google all bridgeport development and youll see whats going on

[stamfordman]

Dont listen to those people. They are misinformed and have probably grown up in Bridgeport and are jaded. I live outside downtown Bridgeport and have for 2 years. There is building going up everywhere, artists, cafes etc. check out urban greens site bportliving.com or lofts881.com. Its a hip place and still costs half of Stamford or Norwalk. Definitely the place to be as far as investment and living goes.