Inwood/Washington Heights (Bedford, Cuba, Sherman: real estate, apartments, crime)

[makossa]

I’ve become extremely interested in moving to Inwood/Wash Hts. I’m seeing many lg. Studios and 1 br for under $1000. Is this unusual?
Are the pre-war apts usually spacious.
Any comments, tips, or interesting things about the neighborhood would be very useful.
Shopping clusters, stores, etc….
Thanks. I Love NY

[Viralmd]

The area that's considered the best (safest) is WEST of Broadway. There are some very nice apartments available there. Especially near the medical center because a good number of the hospital staff like to live in the neighborhood.

[NooYowkur81]

Originally Posted by makossa

I’ve become extremely interested in moving to Inwood/Wash Hts. I’m seeing many lg. Studios and 1 br for under $1000. Is this unusual?
Are the pre-war apts usually spacious.
Any comments, tips, or interesting things about the neighborhood would be very useful.
Shopping clusters, stores, etc….
Thanks. I Love NY

The price seem a little low. Where are you seeing those? A lot of times ads that are too good to be true are lures from Real Estate brokers.

[futurebird]

$1000 seems low to me too, though I did have a two bedroom west of bdway (in a nice clean building) for $1270 about three years ago.

for $1000 I think you'll find it's smaller with bad views, or in a dingy building.

--But you never know!

[Dark of the Moon]

You can definitely find apartments in the $1,000 range in Inwood/Washington Heights but, yeah, they're probably not in the nicest buildings. Think more $1,100 - $1,200.

I had no problems at all in my Inwood apartment, but the area tends to be loud and there are "quality of life issues" (like people not cleaning up after their dogs, etc.) that you'll need to deal with. Also, it's a primarily Dominican neighborhood, which isn't a problem -- but just something to be aware of.

[danabbw67]

Hey Makossa,

I actually lived in Inwood from '91 - '98 and '04 - '08. A studio apt for less than $1K is *possible* but it really DEPENDS on location. Find apartments WEST of Broadway above West 204th, even tho rents are a bit higher. East of Broadway (Vermilyea-Sherman-Post-Nagle-10th Avenue) are highly congested and there are (and always will be) 'quality of life' issues, particularly during the summer. I now live near Bedford Park and love it...although it doesn't have the upper Manhattan 'amenities' I appreciated.

[makossa]

Hey danabbw67,
Thanks for you input. Whats bedford like, i'd really like to know, may be a possibility for me? You referring to Bedford Pk in the BX

[SuperMario]

This is from another thread. I believe its a fair and balanced assesment of the neighborhood.
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Washington Heights and Inwood are better now than they were just a few years ago.

During the 1980's, Washington Heights was the Miami Vice of NYC. But instead of Cubans dealers, you had their "brothers" the Dominicans. The place was crack city and suppiled the entire northeast with drugs. Homicides were a daily occurence and abandonement engulfed the neighborhood. Has the 2nd highest ever recorder homicide number in any precinct with 102 in 1990.

So the neighborhood has come a long way. Inwood had a bit more crime than the Heights last year, but to me they're identical neighborhoods. It appears very ghetto, especially east of Broadway. Very very dense neighborhood dominated by buildings/tenements. Dominicans easily make up the majority of the neighborhood with a up and coming Mexican population. Whites are found mostly to the west of Broadway. If you're not hispanic/spanish then you may find it hard to assimilate. Spanish is pretty much the only language spoken in the neighborhood. Lots of noise and congestion, aswell as graffiti. The neighborhood is still the drug capital of the city so it still has a strong presence of drug dealers. In terms of safety, it isn't as bad as anywhere across the river in the Bronx, but things do happen.

My best advice to you would be to visit. Some blocks are really bad others not so much. Overall, I think its a bad neighborhood. But it has some nice, quiet areas to the west of Broadway.

[danabbw67]

Just Curious,

Super Mario, are there any neighborhoods you do like...currently?

[danabbw67]

Originally Posted by makossa

Hey danabbw67,
Thanks for you input. Whats bedford like, i'd really like to know, may be a possibility for me? You referring to Bedford Pk in the BX

Yes, Bedford Park in the Bronx. I feel more comfortable here than Inwood although it's still the city...

Everywhere you go nowadays, it's best to use caution. But I'm happy with my decision...