Did we make a huge mistake? (St. Paul, Edina: apartment, lease, crime)

[jtkaff]

We signed a short term lease for a apartment on Cook Ave West in St. Paul (between Rice and Jackson just south of Maryland). We did this prior to looking at the crime statistics for the block, which look less than appealing (homocide last year, 1-2 aggravated assaults monthly, 14-23 thefts a month). Are these crime stats misleading or did we make a giant mistake?

[krillbee]

It sounds like you'll be living in the neighborhood known as the "North End". My experiences in this stretch have been limited, so take what I'm about to say with a grain of salt. I've been verbally harassed by "thugs" on the street, people walking down the sidewalk who fill it up completely and make you move out of the way, and just seeing people arguing in the middle of the street with cars dodging them. This happened one Friday night while walking down Rice Street from Larpenter to University at 11pm. The other times I've been through there was mostly on my bike, and it didn't seem that bad.

Generally speaking, Frogtown, the North End, and many portions of the East side get a bad rap (mostly due to crime stats).

I would say that overall I feel safer on the East side. I've bike through there (and all of the above neighborhoods) a number of times at all hours of the day. Frogtown and the North end feel about the same.

Most of the "thugs" in the North End seem like young (late highschool) wannabe gang members. I wouldn't be worried unless they've hit their growth spurt.

[west336]

With those dudes, just run into them with your shoulder and tell them where they can go -- then watch them talk SH and scatter!

[Woodbury Resident]

Yes, you made a mistake. Be sure to research your choices better next time.

[IAmNotFat]

^Says the guy in Hoodberry.

[west336]

Hoodbury? What is "hood" about Woodbury?

[IAmNotFat]

It was a joke. My roommate freshman year was from there and he always called it that.

[Kid Cann]

Originally Posted by IAmNotFat

It was a joke. My roommate freshman year was from there and he always called it that.

Weird, oddly enough I was friends with a kid in the dorms who was from Woodbury. He always called it "Hoodbury" or "the Wood Hood"

[west336]

Hopefully that doesn't catch on! That's like Edina kids calling Edina E-die-na! Though that sounds exactly the same, so it doesn't work so well....

[jtkaff]

We checked it out and the neighborhood doesn't seem any worse than suburban detroit (where we're moving from), but the apartment is no good. We found a duplex in Lauderdale we like.