I'm confused about "safe" neighborhoods (New York, York: apartment, trip)

[baylovers]

Ok, I've been on the board for a couple of months now and have been reading many threads where folks ask about "where is the safe neighborhood?". Some of the responses have puzzled me a bit.

What criteria do you use to detemine if a neighborhood is safe? Is it the vibes you get when you stroll around? What you read in thee newspaper? Hearsay? Or crime statistics? Perhaps it's a combination of all the above.

When someone not familiar with NYC asks for a safe area I have to assume that they are not familiar with NYC and they are expecting relatively crime free areas not places where crime has gone down but you wouldn't want to walk around at night.... I would tell them some neighborhood I would want my mother to live in. Just my opinion.

What areas do you consider as the most dangerous in the city?

[Manhattan-ite]

What determines safety to me is the personal feeling I get by walking around the neighborhood.

To give you an example, I love strolling up and down the historic avenues of Harlem and I'm perfectly fine with it, but for many people Harlem is a no-go zone. And the same with Washington Heights or Spanish Harlem.

But I've been to The Rockaways (the beaches by the projects) and to East New York and there was a sense of danger in the air while I walked around. I'm sure you'll find people who have no problem going to East New York, though.

To me, the more you know the less safe you feel. I could have gone to East New York not knowing it is the highest-crime neighborhood in NYC and I would have probably felt just fine. But once you know or have heard how bad it is, your trip and ideas get affected.

[mead]

I agree with you that its a combination of the things you mentioned, but context is also important. Plus don't forget the reputation. Even if a neighborhood no longer is that bad, just because it had a poor reputation in the past can hang on for years if not decades in many people's minds.

If a person with kids ask the question, the response is obviously much different than if a 25 year old college graduate asks it.

[yodel]

I guess safety is relative but where do you draw the line between safe and not safe? I respond to questions of safety through my experience, or that of my friends and family if they live in a certain area. I guess if I live in an area and crime has not effected me or people I know, I would consider it safe. On the other hand, if you hear talk of safety concerns from your neighbors or at the playground, I would think that safety was more of an issue. I've had my apartment broken into in Manhattan, my wallet stolen in Westchester, and once a man tried to push his way into my apt. in Montreal! These were all safe areas. I take precautions and avoid walking by myself late at night period, I make sure my residence is not easy to break into, and I try to be aware of my surroundings whereever I am.