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Hello all,
I will be attending Fordham University Grad School starting this Fall 2011. I've been doing heavy research on these forums and elsewhere on where to live. Based on posts from the last 5 years, I've narrowed it down to these places:
Belmont - Between Fordham Rd and 187th
Bedford Park - between Bedford Park Blvd and Mosholu Pkwy
Pelham Pkwy - South of Pelham Pkwy between Williamsbridge and White Plains Rd.
I'm interested in hearing folks' current opinions on the safety of these neighborhoods. Are they safe to walk to/from Fordham University at night (8pm-11pm)? What time do things start to die down?
I read here (//www.city-data.com/forum/new-y...rd-safety.html) that Fordham Rd can be 'sketchy' and a favorite location for 'stick-up kids' at night. About what time do these areas start to die down and get 'sketchy'? Just saying 'night' can be sort of ambiguous.
It depends.Belmont is probably the most "sketchy" of the 3 ,yet it probably has the most Fordham students.Lots of them live there and it's really not that bad.I's great to have all the bars,restaurants and Italian markets but it is not convenient to a subway at all which might be something to consider.I'd also be a little more leery of the walk from the subway on The Grand Concourse late at night than the walk from the Fordham campus late at night . The neighborhood South of Fordham and just to the West of "Little Italy" has more of a crime problem than either the immediate Fordham area or Belmont,Little Italy itself.
Bedford Park is very nice and you can walk right out of the campus into it without going anywhere near Fordham Road if that's what you want.Personally,I don't think Fordham Road is that much of a problem.Bedford Park is pretty quiet and residential though.That has it's plusses and it's minuses,depending on your perspective.
In terms of livability,Pelham Parkway is the best of the 3 because it has hundreds of stores and 2 subway lines but it is the furthest of the 3 from the Fordham Campus.It's not a burdensome distance but still,it's closer to 15 mins than the 5 from Bedford Park.The walk at night might be a little weird from Pelham Parkway because you would walk along a stretch of Fordham Road that is in the middle of Bronx Park with The Zoo on one side and The Botanical Garden on the other... i.e, no city pedestrian traffic at all....VERY desolate at night You could always take the Bx12 bus through the park though.It literally takes less than 5 mins from PP to Fordham. I suspect that's what most of the students do at night.
If you are thinking about Pelham Parkway you really should check out the area NORTH of Pelham Parkway and WEST of White Plains Road.It's actually nicer than the area you described(South and between White Plains Rd and Williamsbridge) and it is closer to Fordham. Williamsbridge Rd is also a bit of a hike to Fordham.Check out the area between Pelham Parkway North and Waring Avenue and between Bronx Park East and Olinville Ave.
You really have to check out all of the areas yourself and get your own feel.Crime is not a significant problem in any of the 3 neighborhoods but there are a lot of other considerations.
I live in Bedford Park, and I think it's the best of the three - but really most of the Fordham students who aren't on campus live in Belmont. The downside is that if you're planning to go to Manhattan regularly, the walk to the subway is really far. Of course there's the Fordham metro north right next to the college, but if you want to get to the west side, or forego the expense, it's a long walk to the D train.
If you choose Pelham Parkway, you'd probably end up taking the bus. It's not that close, and the walk over there is pretty unpleasant.
Thanks for the great info so far. I definitely plan to walk around all three areas when I arrive to look at apartments, but I know I won't get to see everything and I won't have the energy to check them all at all times of day, so I want to see what others think.
It sounds like a lot of positives for Bedford Park. What are the boundaries of the nice part of Bedford Park I should consider living in?
@bluedog2, what are the boundaries of "Little Italy"? Specifically, where is west of "Little Italy" where there is more crime?
@yodel, You mentioned a downside of Bedford Park is the distance to the subway. It looks like the Bedford Park Blvd B,D Train stop is right in Bedford Park. Do you just live on the other side of the area?
Little Italy is a small area.I would confine my search to the area bounded by Fordham Road,3rd Avenue( St Barnabas Hospital),Lorrilard Place or Bathgate Ave and Beaumont/Belmont Ave.It's really only a 6 or 7 block x 6 block area and it forms a sort of triangle at the South near St Barnabas.It definitely starts to get "hoody" to the South and West of this area and even in the last few blocks to the East( Southern Boulevard).
In Bedford Park, I think you want to be between Bedford Park Boulevard,The Grand Concourse,Decatur Ave and Mosholu Parkway.The neighborhood to the North of Mosholu Parkway is Norwood and you could look there too,especially around the Southern and Western edge of Reservoir Oval.It's not quite as nice as the Bedford Park area but it is fine,with a lot of shops on Bainbridge Ave and 204th streets and a subway stop at 205th st.So maybe I'd actually say between Bedford Park Blvd and Bainbridge/205th St.
Do you know what you want to pay and how big an apartment you want ?
Belmont (Little Italy) is far from the subway. Bedford Park has the subway (4&D) on the Grand Concourse and the metro north at Webster. I agree with bluedog about the best Bedford Park boundaries. Belmont (Little Italy) is where all the Fordham students live. We love going there. I'm a Fordham alum and use my pass to cut through the university to get to little Italy quite frequently. We don't eat out there very much, but I get a lot of casa bread and canolies, and get pizza at Full Moon. My sister lived above Ann and Tonys for years (she went to Fordham too).
Do you know what you want to pay and how big an apartment you want ?
Looking for a 1 or 2 bedroom. I would like to pay under $1500/month which looks very doable based on what I've seen. Let me know if you have any other tips on areas on Bronx apartment searches in general.
Last edited by MonkeyBusiness; 05-20-2011 at 12:05 AM..
Looking for a 1 or 2 bedroom. I would like to pay under $1500/month which looks very doable based on what I've seen. Let me know if you have any other tips on areas on Bronx apartment searches in general.
You will have no problem with the rent in these neighborhoods.You should be able to find a really nice( 800 or 900 sq ft),big 1 br in a deco bldg for 1,000 or 1,100 and a 2 br for 1,300 or 1,400.That would be for a really nice elevator bldg with new kitchen and bath,super,laundry in building,etc.
The areas discussed so far(Pelham Parkway,Bedford Park,Belmont) are the neighborhoods within walking distance of the campus.There are lots of other Bronx neighborhoods you could look in that are not too far but you would have to travel a bit.Riverdale,Van Cortlandt Village,Norwood,Woodlawn,Pelham Bay and Morris Park are all fairly close.
I'd try Craigslist, or maybe the housing office at your school would have some listings. Good luck.
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You could always take the Bx12 bus through the park though.It literally takes less than 5 mins from PP to Fordham. I suspect that's what most of the students do at night.
