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I just got out of college am moving down to NYC and will be working in Times Square with a reputable company. My budget is up to $1300 rent. Looking for a studio. Where safe area can accomodate that price range:
P.s: i am moving there july please provide quick input ASAP it will be greatly appreciated.
South of E 96th Street (W 110th Street on the west side), above that is a heavy povety pocket. Or the neighborhoods known as Harlem (East/Central/West), Washington Heights, and Inwood. These areas have improved since the crack era but are still poor. With povety and high density comes crime. The housing conditions are also not to great and the area is full of low income public housing. Another pocket to avoid is in the Lower East Side close to the concentrations of public housing along the East River. These areas are robbery prone and have a strong drug trade. Also to avoid are public housing projects scattered across the rest of Manhattan.
In Brooklyn:
Avoid Brooklyn North. The northern areas of Brooklyn minus these pockets, Greenpoint and Williamsburg (NOT EAST WILLIAMSBURG). Although not attractive to most are okay areas. Park Slope is even better visually (I know I missed a few decent BK areas northwest of Prospect Park, someone should throw those in). For Southern Brooklyn there are a lot of decent areas, however I would avoid Coney Island and Red Hook due to high low income public housing concentrations. I would also avoid certain sections of Sunset Park and any area very close to public housing.
In the Bronx:
In the Bronx these areas are decent... Woodlawn, Riverdale, City Island, Country Club. All isolated neighborhoods in the fringes. Throgs Neck, Pelham Bay, and Morris Park are okay now but slowly decling. Blame overpopulation. Pelham Parkway is more quickly declining and has always had it's problems with gangs, drugs and crime although not nearly as bad as other Bronx neighborhoods. There are some blocks in Pelham Parkway that have really changed for the worst over the years.
Queens:
I am limited in knowledge on Queens. However I have been to Far Rockaway, stay very far away. Corona and East Elmhurt were pretty rough as well. You can really see the difference from the rest of Queens. Southside Jamaica I hear is pretty bad.
S.I.:
Worst areas are near public housing and pockets in the north.
For $1300, you would probably be able to find a studio in most NY neighborhoods. If I were you, I'd stick with the West Side - Chelsea or the West Village downtown, Upper West & West Harlem up - since they will be on the train lines you need to get to Times Square.
Most places in Manhattan are pretty safe these days, gentrification is running rampant. I lived on the Upper East Side for 3 years, then in West Harlem (127th street) for 5, and actually felt safer in Harlem. There was more petty crime (people stealing my side view mirrors, for instance), but just way more people out at all hours, especially in the morning with men going to the mosque. And, I rented an apartment for about $100 less than my UES address that was a huge two bedroom as opposed to a studio.
But, if I were just out of college, didn't care about space and was getting my first NYC apartment, I'd sitck with places lower downtown. You will be closer to all of the nightlife. Stay West, and stay away from 2nd & 3rd Aves from about 70th - 90th streets unless you want to feel like you're back in college. There are tons of bars and tons of drunken frat boys. Not like downtown where people at least pretend to be a bit counter-culture.
$1300 won't get you much in any neighborhood, much less in the priciest neighborhoods like Chelsea, the Upper West Side, etc. You're not going to end up in a tenement in the South Bronx, but you won't be on Central Park West, either, with that budget.
In the Village Voice and on Craigslist, there are always a few listings for studios in the more desirable neighborhoods for $1300 or under. You just need to get there early, with a cashier's check or money orders for 1st month & security, and a credit report if possible. Just bear in mind that these studios will be VERY small and possibly have weird features. For instance, when apt hunting with a friend last year we saw a small place on Charles Street (W. Village) which was great until we realized that there was no bathroom. There were two closets off the kitchen, one with a toilet and the other with a shower. Hands had to be washed in the kitchen sink.
Up around Columbia, in the 100s & 1teens, is a decent spot for your price range, too.
Astoria is real nice. Chelsea is very nice but depending on where you are, you have to deal with the Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night saturation of kids coming into the neighborhood for all the "in" clubs. A lot of traffic, noisy, and kids hanging out and vomitting all over the neighborhood.
If your looking for safety, anywhere in Harlem is a bad idea. A lot of people try to deny this but COLUMBIA is in HARLEM. Washington heights is in HARLEM, too. I went to the court house by the brooklyn bridge and the majoring of people there were from harlem's 150s to 110s. So don't get tricked. Its good for a realty investment, Bloomberg is trying to fix the area up.
The rents are raising daily, so good luck finding something in NYC.
The Bronx. If you have a car, then sell it. This borough is known for car thefts, break ins and car fires. Besides that, its not too bad.
People create false advertisements on craigslist. Your best bet with finding something in the city is to get a realtor.
I've heard that Queens has a lot of inexpensive places. Brooklyn, I don't know anything about that. To tell you the truth, I've been looking in Westchester. The places are not too expensive. The metro north gets you there ( to grand central ) in like 30 minutes
i agree with the majority of hustla718's post. you owe him for being straight with you. these days 1.3K/month doesn't get you much, especially not in the city. in fact, i'd give up the manhattan dream, if i were you. you can get a pretty decent place for that amount in either queens or brooklyn. astoria is a great neighborhood. if you can find something for 1300/month in astoria, take it. however, beware of the broker masquerade. east elmhurst becomes astoria very easily to many brokers. the same is true for bushwick and williamsburg. jackson heights is ok. it's VERY hispanic, though. so much so, that you might feel a uncomfortable. i like visiting jackson heights, but i don't think i would live there. you could get something good in either bay ridge or bensonhurst for 1300/month. but, like the other people have said, SEE IT FIRST. see it during the day, when the broker wants you to see it. then, go see it at night and find out what the train ride is like and who is out walking around in the neighborhood. good luck. it's a live and learn in the city, bro.
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Astoria
