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well, i WAS a minority there, being white, and didn't speak spanish back then (true, i had to learn spanish to live there, but is that a bad thing? at least i got something good out of it, since i knew english, anyway). but, with all that, people treated me with a lot of respect and were very helpful and nice.
Man, I have family in Wash Heights still. I'm around there all the time. It's really not that dangerous of a neighborhood. It was much much worse in the 80's to early 90's. Trust me I lived through it. I lived there during the height of the crack epidemic. Every block was active in the drug trade, gun-fights almost every night on my block. Gun-fights with cops or feds on certain nights.
Presently, there are some blocks here and there that are major drug spots, and have a lot of people hanging out on the street. However there are also quite a few blocks that are pretty quiet.
Also I've never heard of the locals (the locals still being mostly Dominicans) being hostile to white people coming in.
Most of the crime in the area is drug related beefs. I hardly ever hear of anything non-drug related happening over there. There are much worse areas in the city.
Last edited by NooYowkur81; 07-11-2007 at 07:38 AM..
i agree with hustla718's take on this. washington heights is a tough area. however, i also agree with NooYowkur81's take that the largely dominican population isn't aggressively hostile to having white people in ther neighborhood. having said that, there is still a lot of violence in the heights, as hustla718 points out. at the end of the day, your budget is your problem. 500-1K/month is very low. as another person on here wrote, you better get used to the idea of having the highest end of your existing budget (1K/month) being on the low end of all rents available. even in the boroughs, the standard rent is around 1K/month. you should be able to get a nice studio or decent 1-bedroom for 1K/month in bay ridge or bensonhurst. both of those neighborhoods are much nicer than the ones in upper manhattan or the bronx.
well, i WAS a minority there, being white, and didn't speak spanish back then (true, i had to learn spanish to live there, but is that a bad thing? at least i got something good out of it, since i knew english, anyway). but, with all that, people treated me with a lot of respect and were very helpful and nice.
That's great for you but be real. There is gang and drug activity in Washington Heights. Muggings, assualts, shootings, are common. If her priority is safety, WH is at the bottom of that list.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NooYowkur81
Have any of you saying its really bad actually lived over there, or have family there? Please man...
It was so much worse in the late 80's.
It was worse in the late 1980's but last time I checked the drugs and crime were still there. Washington Heights is still the biggest drug hub in the USA. More street deals go down daily in Washington Heights then anywhere else in America. It never was one of the worst neighborhoods in NYC, not even close, but it is a bad neighborhood.
Also I've never heard of the locals (the locals still being mostly Dominicans) being hostile to white people coming in.
Going by the logic of my aunt (I'm Dominican), I'd guess that a lot of the middle-aged to senior locals would love the idea of whitey moving in. She lives in the Mott Haven area of the Bronx (south Bronx, south south Bronx) and gets really excited whenever she sees a white person.
Last edited by woofenstein; 07-11-2007 at 04:05 PM..
Reason: quoting KRS
Going by the logic of my aunt (I'm Dominican), I'd guess that a lot of the middle-aged to senior locals would love the idea of whitey moving in. She lives in the Mott Haven area of the Bronx (south Bronx, south south Bronx) and gets really excited whenever she sees a white person.
Whites moving into Mott Haven, yeah right. Port Morris yes (2 blocks of Port Morris are gentrified). But Mott Haven is mostly Puerto Rican. Well over 50% of the area is, and the rest are Black. I think there are more Mexicans then Dominicans in that area, and they only live on two streets. E 138/139 from the precinct to Willis, then they fizzel to Brook Ave.
Only pocket in Mott Haven with Whites are some of the last Brownstones up the block from the 40th Precinct. I say some because a few are borded up and the rest are room for rent.
This reply is a little belated, but my cousin, as in my aunt's daughter, called it Mott Haven. It's by the first stop after Harlem-125th on the 6. 138th, I think? Anyway, maybe it isn't Mott Haven, but I have seen a few white people down there with my own two eyes. Not enough to call it a wave of gentrification, but enough to make my aunt think there will be one. The way things are going, I really wouldn't be surprised. There are some lofts and stuff near her building, a buttload of antique stores, and a nice view of the water. Oh yeah, and cheaper rent. No, I wouldn't be surprised.
Plus, haven't a few people mentioned on this forum that's it's beginning to happen in the south bronx?
Oh yeah, and I'm aware of the projects across the street from my aunt's building. Not like it's deterred those pale-cheeked and horn-rimmed-glasses bedecked urban pioneers before.
This reply is a little belated, but my cousin, as in my aunt's daughter, called it Mott Haven. It's by the first stop after Harlem-125th on the 6. 138th, I think? Anyway, maybe it isn't Mott Haven, but I have seen a few white people down there with my own two eyes. Not enough to call it a wave of gentrification, but enough to make my aunt think there will be one. The way things are going, I really wouldn't be surprised. There are some lofts and stuff near her building, a buttload of antique stores, and a nice view of the water. Oh yeah, and cheaper rent. No, I wouldn't be surprised.
Plus, haven't a few people mentioned on this forum that's it's beginning to happen in the south bronx?
Oh yeah, and I'm aware of the projects across the street from my aunt's building. Not like it's deterred those pale-cheeked and horn-rimmed-glasses bedecked urban pioneers before.
There are no lofts or antique stores on E 138th Street. You must be talking about E 134th Street south of the Degaan. Port Morris. There are two blocks. The areas are a lot different. Port Morris all but completely vacated. Over the past few years a few yuppies have taken control of some of the old warehouses on E 134th Street. Seperated from the Mott Haven area by a highway. The east part of Port Morris is a pretty screwed up place. Also industrial but full of homeless shelters at the east end. Including a shelter for the mentally ill.
I'm sure those yuppies who live on E 134th will remain at least for the next decade. However the area is not desireable at all. That's why it emptied out in the first place. There may be a few yuppies now living in Mott Haven, a handful. They are nuts. The few market rate buildings and full of Mexicans and the slum lords don't fix anything. One occupied building on the corner of E 138 and Alexander is about to collapse. You can see the outside wall slowly sliding down. Has been for years.
In Mott Haven to the north, almost every property is low income housing of some kind. It's also a really bad neighborhood.
Yeah, it is 134th, but the 138th train station is 2 blocks away.
Well, anyway, my aunt's small building is going co-op and she has to get the hell out, so......you never know.
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