Purchasing a home in Riverside Terrace (Houston, Austin: apartment complex, crime, house)

[Seanross195]

I currently live in Austin Texas and am planning a full time move to the neighborhood of Riverside Terrace. Would it be unsafe or dangerous to live in Riverside Terrace? I’ll be moving to a fixer upper just south of S MacGregor Way. There are a lot of outdated posts on this neighborhood. From what I saw a lot of people said it’s sandwiched by 3rd ward and OST which are supposedly pretty bad neighborhoods? Is this true? I don’t want to offend anyone living there, but a few posts were saying they are stuck in poverty and full of crack heads? I definitely question the validity of this, but I just don’t know since I can’t visit. Would love to hear from some locals or previous residents. Much appreciated!

[Seanross195]

I actually just stumbled soon a few articles ranking third ward as the 15th most dangerous neighborhood in America and the most dangerous in Houston.
https://houston.culturemap.com/news/...uston/#slide=0

[WRM20]

Riverside Terrace is OK. The "Third Ward" includes a lot of area, some good, some not so good, much like all of Houston. And, that's a 7 year old article.

[Seanross195]

Originally Posted by WRM20

Riverside Terrace is OK. The "Third Ward" includes a lot of area, some good, some not so good, much like all of Houston. And, that's a 7 year old article.

Yeah a lot of the information is outdated. Do you currently live in these areas? Is it getting better? Is it safe? I really don’t mind living anywhere as long as it isn’t dangerous. I don’t have kids so schools don’t matter. I’m mainly worried about crime.

[hbcu]

Inner city living - you’ll have a single family home next to an apartment complex or student housing or other facility. It changes by street honestly

[houston-nomad]

I lived in Riverside Terrace for a while, but it was 10-15 years ago. Crime increased after Katrina, was my impression. Maybe it's better now.

My take is that you, personally, are not likely to be bothered by petty crime (garage break-ins, car break-ins, bike thefts) the way you might be in Montrose or the Heights. We always felt safe, our property felt safe. However, there was a lot of crime going on around us, sometimes disturbing. Prostitutions, drug deals, a woman getting dragged out of a car and beaten right outside our house (we called the police, they came very quickly with what felt like 20 squad cars. It was intense. It was also Christmas.). Someone got murdered in the park near our house. So, yeah. That's one of the reasons we moved.

[airdrawndagger]

I would be fine with living in Riverside Terrace with the caveat that I had a good home security system. While RT proper is not any more dangerous than the typical urban Houston neighborhood, it is not uncommon for more serious crime to spill over from Third Ward and OST (as detailed by a previous post).

Also be aware of flooding. The northern and eastern parts of RT near Brays Bayou are in the 100 and 500-year floodplains.

[Seanross195]

Originally Posted by houston-nomad

I lived in Riverside Terrace for a while, but it was 10-15 years ago. Crime increased after Katrina, was my impression. Maybe it's better now.

My take is that you, personally, are not likely to be bothered by petty crime (garage break-ins, car break-ins, bike thefts) the way you might be in Montrose or the Heights. We always felt safe, our property felt safe. However, there was a lot of crime going on around us, sometimes disturbing. Prostitutions, drug deals, a woman getting dragged out of a car and beaten right outside our house (we called the police, they came very quickly with what felt like 20 squad cars. It was intense. It was also Christmas.). Someone got murdered in the park near our house. So, yeah. That's one of the reasons we moved.

Thanks for the responses everyone. What park was it?

[Ghost Town]

Originally Posted by houston-nomad

My take is that you, personally, are not likely to be bothered by petty crime (garage break-ins, car break-ins, bike thefts) the way you might be in Montrose or the Heights. We always felt safe, our property felt safe. However, there was a lot of crime going on around us, sometimes disturbing. Prostitutions, drug deals, a woman getting dragged out of a car and beaten right outside our house (we called the police, they came very quickly with what felt like 20 squad cars. It was intense. It was also Christmas.). Someone got murdered in the park near our house. So, yeah. That's one of the reasons we moved.

That sounds worse than petty crime.
I was unfortunate to buy a first house next to the drug house. First shooting with an ambulance happened just 1 month after moving in. Those bullets can penetrate through the house walls and still remain lethal.

[houston-nomad]

Originally Posted by Seanross195

Thanks for the responses everyone. What park was it?

Riverside Park.