alewife area safe for kids (Cambridge, Arlington: condo, crime, houses)

[romil]

I thinking of moving to alewife area in cambridge please can any one help

[miu]

How old are your kids? The Alewife area immediately by the T stop is kind of high traffic and busy with cars. Then there are those Fresh Pond project building too...

[brightdoglover]

Yes, the Alewife train stop, on the border of Cambridge/Arlington, is no place to live. There's three high-rise projects right there in Cambridge, with some crime and drugs with that. I wouldn't want to live in that area of Cambridge or that close to Alewife Station. And the housing there in Cambridge, being Cambridge, is absurdly expensive for what you get. Not worth it at all, and I love Cambridge.

[septimus]

another cambridge lover. It really depends what you mean by Alewife area. There is a large housing project near the Alewife T-stop, but there are some nice neighborhoods near the east arlington line and near freshpond.

[Tarastomsgirl]

I've been to the Alewife station and a bit of the direct surrounding area of the station and ehhhhh... Wouldn't want my kids there

[lightblue]

Have to agree with the rest....Alewife isn't too safe for kids. As an adult I'm wary anytime I'm there alone late which happens on occasion but also there are train tracks and loads of traffic congestion right there - North Cambridge a little further away would be a good deal safer.

[miu]

I never even shop at the stores in the Alewife area for fear of my car getting stolen. I love my Honda Civics, but so do the thieves.

[goyguy]

There's been a noticeable increase in crime farther east along Rindge Ave than was ever considered "sketchy" until recent years. Closer to, along, and east of Mass. Ave are still OK, but it seems like every time you turn around there's word of yet another robbery, shooting, etc on once-peaceful streets such as Clifton and Dudley. The street where I once lived, Pemberton, was the site of a "drive-by" incident a few months back. It used to be that everybody knew everybody else's business and watched out for each other there. No more. That section of North Cambridge has destabilized and transitioned a good bit since the '80s, as condo clusters supplant former factories and warehouses. Whether due to being priced out or looking for better schools for their kids or seeking a house with significant yard space or whatever, many of the latest generation of the area's longtime families aren't staying. The older folks are dying off, and the newer yuppie households moving in have little or no sense of connectedness. So the turf consciousness of old times - which, for right and wrong reasons, kept the "project rejects" from Walden Square to the south and Jefferson Park and Fresh Pond Towers to the west at bay - has disintegrated. Historically Catholic (but far from 100% Irish), North Cambridge has seen one of its churches close - replaced by the "Vineyard" megachurch - and another become the place of worship of choice for many Haitians. The parochial high school, North Cambridge Catholic, has been almost if not entirely abandoned by those living nearby and instead draws mostly commuters for its heavily immigrant and/or "minority" student body.

In other words, skip North Cambridge and set your sights on Belmont, East Arlington, or better Cambridge areas such as Strawberry Hill and Huron Village.

[chumlyb]

Though this was posted several months ago I have to respond. I have a house in North Cambridge near Mass Ave off Rindge and my experiences are very different than goyguy's. Our street has a lot of two-families, almost all owner-occupied by next-generation owners. Some (most?!) may be "yuppie households" but it's a friendly street and most everybody knows one another. That's not been my experience in many places I've lived in the city. My parents moved in a couple of years ago after many years in the 'burbs and they absolutely love it. You can walk everywhere - Davis, Porter and Harvard Squares are all easy walks. The bike path is nearby, the T is just a few blocks away, restaurants line Mass Ave, the movie theatre is a few minutes walk, there's a wonderful branch library on Rindge, and plenty of parks and playgrounds close by. I tested my address on the walkscore site and it was sky high - and better than a lot of other parts of the city that you tend to think of as convenient - and convenient is definitely not how I would characterize Strawberry Hill or Huron Village.

There have been a couple of incidents over the last year or so but that's true of Cambridge's most expensive neighborhoods too. I used to hate it when I complained about crime while living in New Haven or NYC and people would say "but that could happen anywhere" - but that's what I'm tempted to say here. Crime does happen in Cambridge but overall not at a level that it's a top of mind concern. And when incidents happened in North Cambridge the police were extremely responsive and held meetings at the school auditorium that were packed with residents. They were there because this was outside the norm and not something people wanted to see become a trend - and I for one don't think it has.

In short, we've never had any issues in the neighborhood and I've never felt concerned. Our street has families with young children and the whole of North Cambridge is filled with families with kids. It's a great place to live and an option for people who want one of Cambridge's more "modestly" priced single families.

In the end everybody finds the neighborhood, town or city that best suits them. North Cambridge is absolutely worth exploring when you're planning a move.

[Brialee]

North Cambridge is a wonderful place to raise children. There's nothing but places for them to play and get involved in positive extracurricular activities. The thing is you will never be completely safe. The sad part is people look at "housing developments" and automatically think the worst. North Cambridge is absolutely amazing.