top 10 "bad" areas of SD? (San Diego, San Francisco: rent, condo)

[Madd2012]

is 1475 Imperial Ave a bad part of town in San Diego? Because I was looking into those Studio 15 apartments.

[Mugsy]

There are a lot of homeless people around there, but that is all I can add.

Here is a link for some reviews:

Studio 15 Apartments Ratings, Reviews, Map, Rents, and other San Diego apartments for rent from ApartmentRatings.com

[1AngryTaxPayer]

Originally Posted by MovingAloha

Mahalo for the info! I like the location, and as I said, I've seen some nice homes and the surrounding neighborhoods look decent as well.

Thanks again!!

Places to avoid in CM. CM BL, CM drive, area around CM square and Convoy street. The rest is pretty nice. Check your school stats. Some of the schools have a huge amount of busing and the locals are forced to choice their kids to schools outside of the area. Marston is rated well. If the recession continues the locals will probably be able to utilize the local schools if they drop more of the busing program. Stop by and take a look THIS year before deciding on the school you want.

[funcrusher3000]

So, I'm from NYC and looking into a move to SD.

I keep reading about how certain parts of downtown are unsafe...East Village south of Market, parts of North Park, etc.

I spent a good amount of time when I visited all over downtown at all times of days and never felt unsafe. In fact, even the areas described as 'rough past dark' I found to be really nice and inviting.

Is there any validity to parts of downtown being genuinely unsafe? I'm just trying to gauge what 'unsafe' in SD means, as opposed to 'unsafe' in NYC...because when we say unsafe here, we mean it lol...

[sdhkshdcny09]

I don't find Encanto unsafe.

I think any list would have to include SouthCrest and Mountain View. Lincoln Park and Shelltown are probably right after that...

[hitman619]

Originally Posted by funcrusher3000

So, I'm from NYC and looking into a move to SD.

I keep reading about how certain parts of downtown are unsafe...East Village south of Market, parts of North Park, etc.

I spent a good amount of time when I visited all over downtown at all times of days and never felt unsafe. In fact, even the areas described as 'rough past dark' I found to be really nice and inviting.

Is there any validity to parts of downtown being genuinely unsafe? I'm just trying to gauge what 'unsafe' in SD means, as opposed to 'unsafe' in NYC...because when we say unsafe here, we mean it lol...

Compared to parts of NYC
Downtown is a cake walk!

[shmoov_groovzsd]

Originally Posted by funcrusher3000

So, I'm from NYC and looking into a move to SD.

I keep reading about how certain parts of downtown are unsafe...East Village south of Market, parts of North Park, etc.

I spent a good amount of time when I visited all over downtown at all times of days and never felt unsafe. In fact, even the areas described as 'rough past dark' I found to be really nice and inviting.

Is there any validity to parts of downtown being genuinely unsafe? I'm just trying to gauge what 'unsafe' in SD means, as opposed to 'unsafe' in NYC...because when we say unsafe here, we mean it lol...

You will be fine.

Basically the characters any transit rider tunes out on a subway in NYC are seen as unsafe here because they really do stick out against the backdrop.
In terms of safety, we have lived here for almost 10 years and ride the trolley quite frequently through the 'hood' sections of town. Run down? Hard times? Yes, but we have never been approached or threatened in any, way shape or form.
Yes be street smart mind your business and just dont stare or act like some dimwit and you will be ok.

We are far more concerned with getting hit by an SUV in a Costco parking lot than taking the trolley through the 'hood'. lol
Keep in mind out here 'looking' unsafe and being unsafe are two different animals in my experience. Its actually kind of funny in a really warped way how its gauged here.

[shmoov_groovzsd]

Its been years since being back in NYC, but apparently things havent changed in Brownsville. Its an extreme example, but yeah as a gauge, we dont have a Brownsville equivalent. Not even close.

Brownsville, Brooklyn too dangerous for postal workers

[funcrusher3000]

Originally Posted by shmoov_groovzsd

You will be fine.

Basically the characters any transit rider tunes out on a subway in NYC are seen as unsafe here because they really do stick out against the backdrop.
In terms of safety, we have lived here for almost 10 years and ride the trolley quite frequently through the 'hood' sections of town. Run down? Hard times? Yes, but we have never been approached or threatened in any, way shape or form.
Yes be street smart mind your business and just dont stare or act like some dimwit and you will be ok.

We are far more concerned with getting hit by an SUV in a Costco parking lot than taking the trolley through the 'hood'. lol
Keep in mind out here 'looking' unsafe and being unsafe are two different animals in my experience. Its actually kind of funny in a really warped way how its gauged here.

Awesome. You pretty much described what I suspected was the case.

Can you give me an example of an area that you'd consider 'run down'?

I went to Tacos El Gordo in Chula Vista just east of the 5 and I was told that was one of 'hood' areas. But being from Brooklyn...I wasn't able to grasp it. It seemed to be your typical mixed population there, with regular looking detached homes. Perspective is a crazy thing.

[shmoov_groovzsd]

Originally Posted by funcrusher3000

Awesome. You pretty much described what I suspected was the case.

Can you give me an example of an area that you'd consider 'run down'?

I went to Tacos El Gordo in Chula Vista just east of the 5 and I was told that was one of 'hood' areas. But being from Brooklyn...I wasn't able to grasp it. It seemed to be your typical mixed population there, with regular looking detached homes. Perspective is a crazy thing.

Glad I could help. I am not trying to make light of the urbanized areas because its not Disneyland, but its also not a demilitarized zone. I used to have take the bus to Jersey by myself as a kid at the Port Authority back in the 80s. Its worlds apart.

Ok as far as the run down parts. If you take the trolley on the orange line east of 12th and Imperial towards El Cajon (goes along Imperial Ave) this is SD's hood. The reputation for gangs (yes they exist here) lies at Euclid Ave and Imperial Ave (aka the 4 corners of death.) http://www.sdmts.com/trolley/trolley.asp
There still is gang related violence in these areas but mainly isolated to specific sections or people. If you know anything about gangs, they just dont go busting out uzis on Imperial spray firing pedestrians.
You hear about it on the news every now and then, but its NOTHING like NYC news. NOTHING. The news there, its every single day something going down, shootings etc happening in the same hoods. For a city our size and population, SD is VERY safe.

You will see houses that should be torn down, lots of bars on windows etc. Its definitely a different vibe than the majority of SD. Its not a place to hang out unless you have a specific reason for being around there like getting tacos at a shop etc.
Its also not necessarily a place to take a first date to impress if you know what I mean. But if you cruise through on the trolley its totally fine.

To sum it up, being tagged 'ghetto' area runs about as skin deep as the clown hispters that are not from NYC but think they are 'in the know' getting twig in Washington Sq Park from the dudes disguised as Rastafarians.
Its like dude, you just bought basil.