Hamilton Heights (New York, Inwood, York: low income, apartment complexes, for rent)

[stvincent]

Hi. I was looking online at the apartments for rent in Hamilton Heights and found some nice ones in the $1000 a month range for a 1bed/1bth. I am from Atlanta so these prices are higher than what we pay here but not that much higher and no where near as high as the prices in other parts of New York. I wanted to know if Hamilton Heights is safe, if there is alot to do in the neighborhood, what the people are like, the diversity, etc.

Thanks for your help!

[Viralmd]

Hamilton Heights is in the northern part of Harlem. Very historic (the Jumel mansion there is beautiful), but at least when I was in medical school near that neighborhood, it wasn't very safe. Harlem has been undergoing a renaissance (read: money coming in, indigent residents evicted) but I don't know about Hamilton Heights. There are many brownstones in the area that have been sold to individuals, but, again, haven't been there recently. There's not really much to do in the neighborhood, though. It's residential.

[Manhattan-ite]

Hello,

I like Hamilton Heights to walk around and see the beautiful architecture. Some of the most gorgeous houses in Harlem are there, specially in Convent Avenue around 142nd-145th streets. Alexander Hamilton's historic house is there, hence the name for the neighborhood, and the monumental City College adds to the architecture. In an increasingly gentrified Manhattan where everything looks the same, Hamilton Heights retains the flavor and character of its historic past- which is nice and that's why I like strolling around there.

That said, I wouldn't live there. The area is still mostly poor, kind of decayed and lacking services. Expect no bars, no good supermarkets other than Hispanic delis, mostly nothing expect good cheap rents, a convenient subway (A line) and some jazz clubs. The ride to Midtown takes a while.

Crime is low as in all of Manhattan- I've never had any problem there but I wouldn't walk around at night. Taxis might not want to take you up there. There are always the loitering crowds in the streets and apartment complexes looking suspicious, but if you mind your business you're fine. Also, I've noticed white people are observed there as in most of Harlem, simply because it's still unusual to see a white boy looking at brownstones in the neighborhood.

Maybe some Hamilton Heights resident or visitor can give more insight.

Cheers-

[Hustla718]

Originally Posted by Viralmd

Hamilton Heights is in the northern part of Harlem. Very historic (the Jumel mansion there is beautiful), but at least when I was in medical school near that neighborhood, it wasn't very safe. Harlem has been undergoing a renaissance (read: money coming in, indigent residents evicted) but I don't know about Hamilton Heights. There are many brownstones in the area that have been sold to individuals, but, again, haven't been there recently. There's not really much to do in the neighborhood, though. It's residential.

Area still has a lot of problems and isn't worth it. That's why it's cheap. Hamilton Heights is a fancy name for what it really is. Harlem. The population isn't getting richer, it's getting more immigrant. Poorer/the same. Used to be a Black area many years ago, now it's quickly becoming Dominican. The city of New York is still loosing it's White population. Although a couple of yupies are moving into dumpy areas like this, middle class White families are moving out of nicer areas in the outter boroughs, being replaced by minority low income families. Negative net growth. There are many times more Dominicans, Jamaicans, Mexicans and other Latino/Black groups coming into the city.

Originally Posted by Manhattan-ite

Hello,

I like Hamilton Heights to walk around and see the beautiful architecture. Some of the most gorgeous houses in Harlem are there, specially in Convent Avenue around 142nd-145th streets. Alexander Hamilton's historic house is there, hence the name for the neighborhood, and the monumental City College adds to the architecture. In an increasingly gentrified Manhattan where everything looks the same, Hamilton Heights retains the flavor and character of its historic past- which is nice and that's why I like strolling around there.

That said, I wouldn't live there. The area is still mostly poor, kind of decayed and lacking services. Expect no bars, no good supermarkets other than Hispanic delis, mostly nothing expect good cheap rents, a convenient subway (A line) and some jazz clubs. The ride to Midtown takes a while.

Crime is low as in all of Manhattan- I've never had any problem there but I wouldn't walk around at night. Taxis might not want to take you up there. There are always the loitering crowds in the streets and apartment complexes looking suspicious, but if you mind your business you're fine. Also, I've noticed white people are observed there as in most of Harlem, simply because it's still unusual to see a white boy looking at brownstones in the neighborhood.

Maybe some Hamilton Heights resident or visitor can give more insight.

Cheers-

Crime in Manhattan is not at a low. In Harlem and Washington Heights murder is at a 10 year high. That neighborhood was all Black and is now a growing Dominican area, still may be mostly Black though. These are VERY different communities then the areas south of them (Midtown, Upper East Side, Upper West Side, SoHo, ect). In relation to crime, education, language barriers, and of course poverty. This area is notorious for drug activity.

[Manhattan-ite]

Hustla, I would love to know where you get your crime statistics. You say that murder in Harlem and Washington Heights is "at a 10 year high".

Could you please prove this?

Interestingly enough, New York magazine is publishing this week the "Best of New York" issue. One of their reasons to love New York right now is the dramatic drop in crime, and they give statistics for Washington Heights and Inwood (34th Precinct). There, crime has gone down spectacularly:

From 103 murders in 1990 to 9 in 2005.

Against this, can you offer data that will prove your saying murder is at a 10 year high?

Thank you.

[big happy]

Having read many of hustler's previous threads i would be inclined to believe him without proof

[Hustla718]

Originally Posted by Manhattan-ite

Hustla, I would love to know where you get your crime statistics. You say that murder in Harlem and Washington Heights is "at a 10 year high".

Could you please prove this?

Interestingly enough, New York magazine is publishing this week the "Best of New York" issue. One of their reasons to love New York right now is the dramatic drop in crime, and they give statistics for Washington Heights and Inwood (34th Precinct). There, crime has gone down spectacularly:

From 103 murders in 1990 to 9 in 2005.

Against this, can you offer data that will prove your saying murder is at a 10 year high?

Thank you.

That figure is a comparison to the crack era. The early 90's. Of course it's lower now. If we had crack today, epect similar figures. However this year murder has hit a 10 year high in Uptown Manhattan. Higher then every year back to 1996. The city uses the old references to look good. The reality is crime is up and it is still at an unacceptible level.

[theanswer]

Because We’ve Got the Lowest Crime Rate in 40 Years (and the Lowest of Any Major U.S. City)

* By Ira Boudway


While crime is down across New York, nowhere has it dropped more than in Washington Heights and Inwood, where felonies have declined by 85 percent over the last fifteen years. Here, a side-by-side comparison of major crimes in the 34th Precinct, 1990 to 2005.

[stvincent]

OK, many of you claim that Hamilton Heights is not a good place to live...have any of you got any alternatives for me then? I would rather live in Manhattan if at all possible. I visited Brooklyn and it felt more like a suburb full of high rises than a part of the big city. Being from ATlanta, all we have is suburbs so I if I were to move up there I would want to feel like I am living in the heart of the city. I do not want to spend any more than $1500 on a one bedroom. The Bronx I will not even consider. When I visited NYC last summer my friends wouldn't even let me step foot in that bourough. Staten Island is boring to me, much morse than Atlanta's suburbs, and the architechure in Queens hurt my eyes. But maybe I was in the wrong parts. I am just looking for a place where I would feel like I am in the middle of it all without worryin about being shot or robbed. When I visited Harlem last summer it seemed nice. I had heard awful things about the community but it seemed like any other part of Manhattan, with the exception of there being Black people there. 125th Street was awesome to me. Is this the Harlem that I should be afraid of?

[Manhattan-ite]

You can live in Harlem and be perfectly safe. Lots of people are moving there to newly-built condos. The area is changing and developing and rents are still somewhat affordable. I like Harlem- the only reason I wouldn't live there is the general lack of good services, restaurants, supermarkets, etc.

Brooklyn does feel like a suburb, I agree. Why don't you try living with a roommate? Sharing a rent you'll be able to live almost anywhere.

Anyway, $1500 rents you a studio and maybe a 1-bedroom in some areas of Manhattan. You can try the East Village, Chelsea, maybe Hell's Kitchen. Look on Craigslist and narrow a search by price and location.

And keep in mind that most anywhere in the island of Manhattan is safe and sound.