Relatively Safe Areas to live in Albany (New Scotland, Madison: apartments, for rent)

[Boberts227]

I am in my late 20s and am going to be starting an MBA program at UAlbany this fall. My plan is to relocate to the area, so that attending class will be more convenient and I can also find new employment. I do not have a vehicle, so public transportation is a must. I have been reviewing the CDTA maps and using the Walk Score website to determine which ares of town are the most accessible to public transportation. These seem to be primarily centralized in the city of Albany.

Now, I have begun looking for apartments, but I am not familiar with the areas of Albany that are prone to high crime. I lived in Harlem, NY for 2 years, so I am used to the occurrences of urban living, but I would like to not locate to an area that has many issues. Can anyone provide some info as to which areas would be best suited to my needs? My budget would be around $1000/month for rent. I liked some of the places around the Washington Park area, but again, I do not know if they are considered "safe" or not. Thanks.

[hock41]

The area you'll be looking for is the areas around Washington Park. Its a very safe neighborhood. The neighborhoods to look for for a guy your age would be Center Square and Pine Hills.

Center Square is the hip, young, artist, student neighborhood with lots of neat stores, bars and restaurants close by on lark street. Generally, Center Square is the neighborhood between state street and Madison Avenue directly south of Washington park. You can type it in google maps. I'd say the average rent there is around $800 a month for a good, solid 1 bedroom apartment. Sometimes you can find less, sometimes more. Getting to Ualbany is not that hard from the neighborhood. Western ave is adjacent to Center Square so you really just have to ride down that street to get to Ualbany. I myself live in a very nice 1 bedroom for $900 in the area. I highly recommend you check out it out.

Pine Hills is another area to consider. It's the area between western ave and New Scotland ave. Its closer to Ualbany and therefore easier to take the bus. It's the area where most Ualbany students live, along with St. Rose students. It's nickname is the "student ghetto." It's safe though. Rents are a bit cheaper there than Center Square so the average 1 bedroom I'd say would be $700 a month. There area itself is relatively nice, it has a movie theater, some nice bars, is a bit closer to the two malls (you'd have to take a bus to those though).

Let me know if you have anymore questions about Albany.

[Boberts227]

I think that Center Square sounds like an area that would better suit me. I do not want to live in a predominately student area, as I am looking for something more geared towards young professionals.

Ease of access to transportation is key, as are nearby grocery, laundry, and fitness centers. I won't be moving until May, so I think that it would be a bit unwise of me to start scouring apartments right now, but I am looking just to get an idea of prices.

I see that there are a few taxi cab companies in town; are there any that you would recommend? And, do you know what they generally charge?

Thanks a lot for your help.

[hock41]

Well I don't ride usually ride taxis locally myself, but I see people using Duffy's taxis a lot.

Center Square has several laundromats, there's a few gyms around, and there's a supermarket close by along with a few delis and bodegas.

[kaykittyboo]

Mmmmm, ppl kill what the safest place and all ,.. idk trying to move there and ppl saying badd things ahout it..I live Georgia really