Bronx area - Fordham/Kingsbridge (Hempstead, White Plains: housing, rent, income)

[NooYowkur81]

Hustla did you take the Nassau police test? Seems like you hate NYC with a passion. Why work in a city you hate.

What part of NYC do you live in, if you don't mind me asking. I'm just curious. Don't answer if you don't want to.

[BXGEAR]

Hustla718, currently I am looking into Pelham Parkway. What can you tell me about this area? In one post you wrote the area was revitalized and in another you wrote that it was declining. Can you clarify this?

[Hustla718]

Originally Posted by NooYowkur81

Hustla did you take the Nassau police test? Seems like you hate NYC with a passion. Why work in a city you hate.

What part of NYC do you live in, if you don't mind me asking. I'm just curious. Don't answer if you don't want to.

No my stupid ass didn't, but I would rather move somewhere more urban. With Black and Latin people. I have a plan in the works.

I don't really want to say where I live. Put it this way. I live inside subsidized housing in a high crime neighborhood. I also grew up in a very poor high crime neighborhood similar to the one I live in now. I don't have a problem with the high crime rate. I have a gun and I don't get involved in the ghetto bull****. I have a problem with the high cost of living across the city. Thank God I don't pay market rate. Most people in my neighborhood do not. No yuppies here either thank God. Probably never will be.

I don't hate the city. I hate the fact everything is so expensive. I also hate real estate people who rip people off for areas like Harlem/WH/Bed-stuy. Dumps.

Originally Posted by clubBR

Hustla718, currently I am looking into Pelham Parkway. What can you tell me about this area? In one post you wrote the area was revitalized and in another you wrote that it was declining. Can you clarify this?

Pelham Parkway is tricky. It's a dense tenement neighborhood. It improved some since the early 1990's but was never really bad to begin with. So hard to notice change. If anything more continueing demographic changes as the area goes from White to Latino. Seen an increase in violent crime over the past few years but nothing serious. There was a police shooting there last winter. A double homicide during a shootout a few weeks ago. There is drug activity and gangs in the area (From the Puerto Rican Latin Kings to the Albanian A.B.I.). Definately the robbery hotspot along with Allerton area in the 49th precinct (Due more to the El and the density). It's just a real New York City neighborhood. Plus this is the Bronx, what do you expect? These days it seems to be mostly hispanic, but a pretty sizeable White and Black population still lives in the area. The Whites are leaving the area, only White group moving in is Albanian immgrants. Many more Latinos and Blacks moving in though.

Some buildings are really run down so you need to be careful. The old houses in the area are where the bulk of the old school White population is from. The Latins and Blacks live in the buildings and new constuction.

I guess you can say it's okay.

[NooYowkur81]

Originally Posted by Hustla718

I don't hate the city. I hate the fact everything is so expensive. I also hate real estate people who rip people off for areas like Harlem/WH/Bed-stuy. Dumps.

Yeah I mostly agree with you on that, although some parts of those neighborhoods aren't dumps at all but it still doesn't warrant raising the overall rents in those areas so much. I would have loved to stay in Harlem or Washington Heights but it's ridiculously overpriced. I don't really hate the city either, I just hate the way the real estate market is and how difficult it has become to live a decent middle class life here.

[Jrock247]

Originally Posted by clubBR

Hustla718, currently I am looking into Pelham Parkway. What can you tell me about this area? In one post you wrote the area was revitalized and in another you wrote that it was declining. Can you clarify this?

I recently moved into the pelham parkway area (technically pelham gardens). Seems relatively safe east of williamsbridge road and south of allerton ave. There are PJs to the west of williamsbridge that are pretty nice as far as PJS are concerned.

Not too many dining choices outside of italian, chinese and spanish. Alot of businesses seem to close early, and there is limited retail outside of fordham rd. (pretty low end at that) and some stuff up by Co-op city. White Plains Road has businesses open later but the areaseems pretty sketchy. Definitely glad I have a car to drive of new roc. The neighborhood has potential based on the quality of housing available, but it seems everything is multifamily dwelling.

You'll fit in best if your puerto rican, dominican or albanian. If your italian its alittle sad watching Morris Park fade away.

[Hustla718]

Originally Posted by NooYowkur81

Yeah I mostly agree with you on that, although some parts of those neighborhoods aren't dumps at all but it still doesn't warrant raising the overall rents in those areas so much. I would have loved to stay in Harlem or Washington Heights but it's ridiculously overpriced. I don't really hate the city either, I just hate the way the real estate market is and how difficult it has become to live a decent middle class life here.

Would have loved to stay in Harlem or Washington Heights?

One day I would like you to visit the Tombs, central booking in Manhattan, Bronx central booking, BK central Booking. Also visit Rikers Island and get data from state prisons across NY.

A very, VERY high percentage of inmates are from guess where. HARLEM NY. Harlem NY breeds criminals. It has to be the criminal capital of NYC. The other areas i'm about to mention are right behind it.

In the NY state prison system, the areas where the most criminals are from:

Bronx (South Bronx. Latin sections of the Bronx and also the Black North Bronx), Brooklyn (You already know what areas, Bed-stuy, Bushwick, Coney Island, ect), Harlem (Breeds criminals), The Lower East Side (TONS of criminals from this area, from the housing projects), parts of South Queens (Jamaica), Far Rockaway. These by far are the most common areas for criminals to be from in all of NY state.

They are DUMPS. I would much rather live on the Upper East/West Side, Chelsae, Union Square, Midtown, Downtown, Bensonhurst, Bay Ridge, Astoria, ect then those slum areas I mentioned. No way dumps like Harlem are worth what some people pay now. It's unbeliveable.

For the same price you can live in so much better neighborhoods. How much is a market rate 1-bedroom in Harlem these days? Like 1500, 2000??? That's crazy. Most people in the area don't even pay market rate. Plus your paying 2,000 dollars a month to deal with drugs and street crime. Beggers. Nothing really to do in the area. Unbeliveable.

Even though these days there are some nice buildings around Harlem. New construction, some brownstone blocks. Those places are like the Alamo. One block has a nice big yuppy building and an elementary school across the street. Around the block is a drug infested ****hole with rotted tenements managed by the NYCHA or highrise public housing projects for blocks.

So many people honestly get ripped off these days. I work hard for my money. I want quality with what I pay for. If i'm paying a fortune to live somewhere. It better be worth it.

[scatman]

Originally Posted by Hustla718

Would have loved to stay in Harlem or Washington Heights?

One day I would like you to visit the Tombs, central booking in Manhattan, Bronx central booking, BK central Booking. Also visit Rikers Island and get data from state prisons across NY.

A very, VERY high percentage of inmates are from guess where. HARLEM NY. Harlem NY breeds criminals. It has to be the criminal capital of NYC. The other areas i'm about to mention are right behind it.

Go 'head...keep on bashing Harlem! That's cool. Just to let you know, I have people who have owned condos or brownstones there for years, whose property is now in the millions. A friend of mine's 3BR for $160K in 1986 is now at $1,3M.

....$1.3M is a lotta Hell Up In Harlem, isn't it??????

[Hustla718]

Originally Posted by scatman

Go 'head...keep on bashing Harlem! That's cool. Just to let you know, I have people who have owned condos or brownstones there for years, whose property is now in the millions. A friend of mine's 3BR for $160K in 1986 is now at $1,3M.

....$1.3M is a lotta Hell Up In Harlem, isn't it??????

Funny, I have friends that live there too. Only they deal with the same ghetto bull**** and pay a couple hundred dollars for 2-3 bedroom apartments.

[NooYowkur81]

I disagree that Harlem and Wash Heights are total dumps. Of course there are crappy areas in those neighborhoods, no one is denying it. However, depending on where exactly you live it can be a very nice area. There are whole stretches (of about 10 blocks) of Convent Avenue in Harlem that are some of the nicest areas I've seen in the entire city, and Striver's Row is a real dump right, .

Same goes for Riverside and Fort Washington in Wash Heights. If you live in one of these areas and your smart and know your way around you don't have to deal with the ghetto B.S. at all.

While I am saying this, I still do think that the real estate market is seriously out of wack. No way should they charge that much for rent or ask that much to buy in these areas. Because the "hood," is still right around the corner.

[Hustla718]

Originally Posted by NooYowkur81

No way should they charge that much for rent or ask that much to buy in these areas. Because the "hood," is still right around the corner.

And that is why they are dumps.

You might live on the best building in Harlem, but you think the stick up kid who lives around the corner will hesitate walking through your block to make some money? That a drug dealer won't waste his rival taking a breath, sittinig on your stoop? That a rapist won't follow a girl into your building and rape her? That some street kids won't trash your building with graffiti? That a junkie won't get high in your stairwell? Is there some kind of invisible wall I don't know about? I have liked this anology lately. It's like having a pissing section in a swimming pool...

The overwhelming poverty and associated problems will effect you.

Harlem is the ghetto, it's a poor neighborhood. Overwhelmingly Black (Unless your on the East Side, that's Spanish). It is full of inner city problems. It's HARLEM. Same goes for the Heights. That once "okay" pocket along the Hudson is breaking down, disappearing. For that you can thank White Flight out the city and an increase in a low income Dominican population.