Morningside vs Hamilton vs Washington Heights for Columbia student? (Inwood: apartments, rent)
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I'll be attending Columbia for grad school this coming fall and am starting to look for places. Morningside Heights is of course the closest to campus, and I won't be bringing a car, but I've also heard good things about Hamilton Heights and Washington Heights.
My budget is no more than $1,000 a month (utilities included), so I'm pretty sure I'll be getting a private room in a shared apartment rather than a studio or one-bedroom to myself, but that's fine. I don't mind having suitemates, just don't want to share my actual room with anyone else.
Can you guys help me figure out which neighborhood I should zero in on primarily?
About me: I'm a 26-year-old white male, will be studying Elementary Education at Columbia's Teachers College, I don't smoke, don't do drugs, only rarely drink at social events (yeah, I'm making myself sound like a goody goody, but I guess I kinda am), I'm an architecture buff, I like being outdoors and having access to green space and nature, I'm a writer and like to go to different coffee shops to work, I don't care if there are nightclubs or bars around but would enjoy if there are museums/theaters...yeah, I guess that's about it!
Based on the above, would you particularly recommend any of the three neighborhoods over another?
With your budget, I would recommend the west side of Inwood - as it's quiet and still relatively decent in price for a studio. One bedrooms go for 1700 and up, though. You may have to work part time or do an internship. I doubt Hamilton Heights or Morningside Heights have anything cheaper.
By the way, Columbia may have resources available to you - such as student housing, where they actually help you look for a room share.
With your budget, I would recommend the west side of Inwood - as it's quiet and still relatively decent in price for a studio. One bedrooms go for 1700 and up, though. You may have to work part time or do an internship. I doubt Hamilton Heights or Morningside Heights have anything cheaper.
By the way, Columbia may have resources available to you - such as student housing, where they actually help you look for a room share.
Thanks! I have a part-time job lined up that actually pays pretty decently, though I still doubt I'd be able to afford a studio or one-bedroom, so I'm primarily just looking for a good neighborhood where I can rent a private room for $1,000 or less.
I'll be attending Columbia for grad school this coming fall and am starting to look for places. Morningside Heights is of course the closest to campus, and I won't be bringing a car, but I've also heard good things about Hamilton Heights and Washington Heights.
My budget is no more than $1,000 a month (utilities included), so I'm pretty sure I'll be getting a private room in a shared apartment rather than a studio or one-bedroom to myself, but that's fine. I don't mind having suitemates, just don't want to share my actual room with anyone else.
Can you guys help me figure out which neighborhood I should zero in on primarily?
About me: I'm a 26-year-old white male, will be studying Elementary Education at Columbia's Teachers College, I don't smoke, don't do drugs, only rarely drink at social events (yeah, I'm making myself sound like a goody goody, but I guess I kinda am), I'm an architecture buff, I like being outdoors and having access to green space and nature, I'm a writer and like to go to different coffee shops to work, I don't care if there are nightclubs or bars around but would enjoy if there are museums/theaters...yeah, I guess that's about it!
Based on the above, would you particularly recommend any of the three neighborhoods over another?
Thanks for any input!
Hamilton Heights is best. You have Riverbank and Riverside Park there, plus Hamilton Heights is a lot cheaper but still walkable to campus. You won't find rooms under 1000 in Morningside Heights. I graduated from Columbia in 2017 with my MA.
Not sure why you would skip over Manhattanville (or whatever you want to call the area between Morningside Heights and Hamilton Heights) altogether...? West Harlem is West Harlem, really. You're going to need to be flexible with that budget.
Not sure why you would skip over Manhattanville (or whatever you want to call the area between Morningside Heights and Hamilton Heights) altogether...? West Harlem is West Harlem, really. You're going to need to be flexible with that budget.
Manhattanville is mostly bought out by Columbia, or is housing projects. With a budget of 1,000 he can easily find something in Hamilton Heights and it's still a walkable distance to Columbia itself. I did that for the duration of my masters program at Columbia.
I'd recommend giving PadMapper & Facebook apartment groups a shot. Great combo for apartment hunting. Morningside Heights seems to be the better area out of the others & commute would be a couple minutes. Of course, whichever you can find and afford. Wouldn't recommend going pass Washington Heights, as I'm not too familiar with beyond that point, but keeping a shorter commute is ideal. Manhattanville & Central Harlem (say, below 125th & around 8th/7th ave) are also nice areas.
you can walk from Hamilton heights and save that communing money. As NyWriterdude was saying there is not much housing available in Manhattanville and Washington heights is too far to walk. There is plenty to do in HH, bars, restaurants ect.
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