are these apartment complexes safe for me? Somerset, Somerville, Edison (Linden: safe area, maintenance)

[cats234]

I am 23 years old looking for places. I have found:

Somerset - Douglass Gardens at 462 Hamilton Street

Franklin Greens at 1 JFK Blvd.



Somerville - Brookside Gardens at 129 Mercer Street



Edison - Talmadge Village aat 5 Shetland Ct.

Linden - Lindcrest Apartments at 1116 North Stiles Street



any opinions? My aunt said these aren't the best but then recommended me places that are $900 a month more expensive than these lol

[Retriever]

Originally Posted by cats234

Somerset - Douglass Gardens at 462 Hamilton Street I wouldn't recommend it!

Franklin Greens at 1 JFK Blvd. Yes, this is a safe area.



Somerville - Brookside Gardens at 129 Mercer Street Yup! An okay area in which to live.



Edison - Talmadge Village aat 5 Shetland Ct. No problems, as I see it.

Linden - Lindcrest Apartments at 1116 North Stiles Street Reasonably safe, IMHO.

My first apartment was at the Lindcrest Apartments in Linden (1117-A Hollywood Road)!
When I lived there, I was like a kid living in an old-age home, as most of the other residents were senior citizens. I expect that the demographics may be a bit different today...

Just be aware that Lindcrest is VERY old, and according to some sources, it may have been the very first garden apartment complex. When I lived there--in the '70s--it was maintained fairly well, but I have no idea about its condition or its maintenance nowadays. I would suggest basing your decision about that place on the basis of the condition of the specific apartment that you are viewing, as the condition probably varies considerably, depending on who lived in that unit over the years.

One advantage of Lindcrest is that you are only about 2 blocks from a supermarket. Okay, it is Pathmark--which is not the best--but it is convenient. And, if you need public transportation, NJ Transit buses run on a regular basis on St. George Avenue, 1/2 block away.

Linden is definitely not as desirable as it once was, but the Sunnyside section where Lindcrest is located is still pretty decent.

[cats234]

Thanks!

I currently live in an apartment so old the bathtub isn't attached to the wall lol

I added Linden here because even though its a 30+ minute commute to work it is right on the train and 40 min to NYC (my GF is looking for a job there and I might ask her to live with me soon)

Talmadge looks fairly new and modern and still about 50 mins train to NYC and also seems to have a garage attached which is a definite plus for me

[Penga25]

i can only comment on franklin greens since i lived there for 3 years. it is very safe, never had an issues at any time of day or night. the surrounding area is all suburbs and the kmart/stop and shop strip mall never posed an issue. the maintenance is quick and professional. there are 2 sides to the complex, if you live there try and stay on the "north" side which is the side accessed through the big circle (if you look at a map you will understand) the south side has a fair share of affordable housing which isnt to say its not safe but its comes with ALOT of kids just hanging out all day.