[Marissa Marie]

Hey everyone,

I'm considering a move to Hartford for a teaching position at a low income middle school. I have plenty of experience working in title 1 schools with 5th grade so I'm not concerned about the school or kids, my concern is Hartford itself.

I am from a small, safe town in eastern Long Island, then moved near Raleigh NC for a teaching position here in a title 1 school. The area i worked in was not safe but I chose to live 40 min away to live somewhere i felt comfortable. Missing family and friends I'm ready to move back to the northeast. I have only driven through Connecticut and taken the ferry, never been to any place for a visit.

As a young female I am very concerned about the crime, gangs, and shooting I have read about it Hartford. I understand I need to be out of there well before dark but I noticed that many shooting on the crime reports occur in broad daylight only blocks from the school. The school is located near the intersection of Albany Ave and Blue Hills Ave in downtown Hartford.

I have researched a lot of safe surrounding suburbs within a 20-40 min drive and to live will be considering Middletown among a few others. I like middle sized college type towns with coffee shops, bars and restaurants on a Main Street that is fairly safe in terms of a place to live. (Any other recommendations on these types of towns are welcome too).

So basically my big question is - will I be relatively safe driving to this school and working here??

I don't plan on walking around or going off campus unless absolutely necessary, but I will be driving alone to school early in the mornings, parking, walking into the school, and then leaving a while after the kids are gone but before dark.

Thanks so much!

[htfdcolt]

Originally Posted by Marissa Marie

As a young female I am very concerned about the crime, gangs, and shooting I have read about it Hartford. I understand I need to be out of there well before dark but I noticed that many shooting on the crime reports occur in broad daylight only blocks from the school. The school is located near the intersection of Albany Ave and Blue Hills Ave in downtown Hartford.

I have researched a lot of safe surrounding suburbs within a 20-40 min drive and to live will be considering Middletown among a few others. I like middle sized college type towns with coffee shops, bars and restaurants on a Main Street that is fairly safe in terms of a place to live. (Any other recommendations on these types of towns are welcome too).

So basically my big question is - will I be relatively safe driving to this school and working here??

I don't plan on walking around or going off campus unless absolutely necessary, but I will be driving alone to school early in the mornings, parking, walking into the school, and then leaving a while after the kids are gone but before dark.

Thanks so much!

That area is not in downtown Hartford but in the "Upper Albany" neighborhood. It is on the western edge of the worst stretch of Albany Ave. As such, your perception of safety will all depend on the route you take to get to this area. Ideally, you would make sure to approach this area from the west or northwest (from West Hartford or Bloomfield via 189). If you plan to live in Middletown, you would likely take Rt 9 to I-84 to the Prospect Ave exit, head north on Prospect, then over on Albany to your school. This would be perfectly safe but keep in mind your commute would be extended due to lots of traffic lights on this last stretch, once you get off the highway.

In summary, as long as you don't go for strolls down Albany Ave, especially eastbound after dark, you should be fine with this arrangement. You may want to check ahead to ask if they have a secured, well-lit parking lot. Good luck!

[wma152]

That area is not even close to downtown, you would have to drive another couple of miles before getting to downtown.

Make sure your car doors are locked at all times while driving. Be very alert of your surroundings when stopped at a light on Albany Ave. Very common to be approached in your car and get robbed or Car jack in Hartford. If someone does come up to your car, don't acknowledge them, just start driving away.

Once you are parked in the school, samething, be very alert of your surroundings.

[JayCT]

As others noted, this is not downtown. It is on the edge of a bad area. I do not know if I would say it is "common" to be approached there at a signal, but it does happen. If you are not use to or willing to deal with inner-city schools and people, this may not be the best job for you.

I agree it would be best to drive to this school from the west to avoid the problem section of Albany Avenue. You could live in West Hartford and do this. You will likely be surprised how nice it gets so quickly to the west of this school. It actually becomes one of the nicest parts of Hartford and one of the wealthiest census tracts in the country in less than a mile. And West Hartford is a great town with a nice downtown area with lots of shops and restaurants. I think you will like it. Jay

[mortpes]

You can google crime Hartford, Conn as well as checking FBI and Uniform Crime Reporting and other sites to get an idea. Crimes per sq mile is listed as 396 and violent crime is rated as 13.13 vs National 3.9 and crime index is 6 with 100 being the best rate. So the data suggests it is not a safe area for people. The greatest danger is that a person will choose to ignore the data and assume incorrectly that they are safe and skip the basic safety and security measures that will better enable them to deal with their environment.

[mikelizard860]

I looked at the title of the thread was ready to say "give me a break....of course it's safe", but then I saw the address.....lol A male wouldn't be safe there. As others have stated, it's the ghetto, not downtown(the core with all the office buildings).

[TobinJ]

I would recommend you make a trip to Hartford and see for yourself. You already said you're familiar with difficult settings so only you know what your gauge measures as "unsafe."

I used to live in a sketchy area of a city in Boston met. When I moved back to CT I lived in a less desirable area of new Britain. When I lived in Windsor I detoured through that area of Hartford to avoid I 91 traffic. Compared to where I had been living, where there were drug busts on our front porch and someone found squatting in the basement, I'd say it is safe. Choose your hours if travel and your sense of personal awareness and you'll be fine.

Mayor Segarra is committed to keeping Hartford schools safe, if you feel uncomfortable there will be opportunities to voice your concern. *2 cents*

[Marissa Marie]

Thank you all so much. This info is so much more detailed and useful than what I've been able to find.

Personally I'm concerned that the risk of being approached for robbery / car jacking while merely driving to work may be out of my comfort zone...

I apologize for stating it was in downtown Hartford, I did not realize the difference.

On a different note, they also have opportunities in New Haven and Bridgeport (see below). Upon my initial research it seemed like Hartford was the safest of the three but now im not sure. Comparatively, would any of these locations be safer?

Bridgeport - between Barnum and stillman off east main st / 127

New Haven - 1 is off dixwell between cherry Ann and Bassett st; another is Lombard and James st ; the last is a block or 2 northeast of Yale-new haven hospital st Raphael medical

Thank you again!!

[htfdcolt]

Originally Posted by Marissa Marie

Thank you all so much. This info is so much more detailed and useful than what I've been able to find.

Personally I'm concerned that the risk of being approached for robbery / car jacking while merely driving to work may be out of my comfort zone.

It would be out of my comfort zone also, but I don't think we're talking about that kind of risk on the short stretch of Albany approaching from the west, during broad daylight hours. Truly random carjackings are still (thankfully) rare in Hartford and when you see them reported it's usually at the ungodly hours.

As others have suggested, the best is to check it out yourself and make sure you are comfortable.

[wma152]

That's reported robbing or car jacking, do you know how many are NOT reported or make the news?

I know people that got robbed during lunch break at my company never made the news.

Also, because some of the robbery or car jacking victims themselves are criminals or got arrest warrants, they don't report it to the police.