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Me and my wife are thinking of moving to astoria do u think we would fit in were a same sex legally married couple i work nights and she works days you think its safe if im coming home after 12
Yea you'd fit in. Try to live near a subway not near Public Housing
My childhood friend got married to a local Astoria resident, and moved to Astoria. She has been there for 12 years, and he has been their lifelong....they like Astoria but despise the people moving in as rude and condescending. They are both working class ethnics (She is PR, he is Hungarian I believe) and they are continually complaining about the Manhattan transplants and/or white bread-sex in the city-wannabe actors-you have to be rude like other NYers-obnoxious-newbies.
They do relent and admit, yes Astoria has improved and their place is worth a fortune, but at the end of the day they are annoyed with what is happening to "their" neighborhood.
Since we have been looking for apartments in Astoria, I've noticed that a HUGE majority of the residents are from outside of ny. Most people we talked to are from the north, south and west. It's amazing, it really almost feels like an isolated town with a completely transient population. Most locals are moving out, or are realtors who know older greek family members. There is a bit of condescension and snobbery I've noticed. Many have roommate situations or are unmarried couples living separately who will one day pack up and leave to the suburbs. Not that there is anything wrong with suburbs. Astoria feels more like an amusement park rather than a community. Talking to some of the older residents they said that they used to know their neighbors and felt that their kids are safe because everyone knew each other and watched out for one another, now it's a revolving door of tenants many of whom stay for a short while and then move on.
Eh, there are always pluses and minuses to any situation. I do like a community feel though. I'm such a socialist.
I feel like Hoboken has been like that for over 15 years. It had a very frat atmosphere, not sure if it's still the same, haven't been there in a while.
Where I lived in Astoria (by Ditmars, about a 10 minute walk to the N/W), everyone on the block has owned their homes for generations. My landlord lived upstairs from me (he'd owned the house for many years), and above them there was a young couple (not sure where they were from though). I really liked the neighborhood. And I grew up in both Queens and LI, so I'm not a transplant.
I lived in my apartment for almost 2 years. Twice I had someone try to break into it in the middle of the night. Luckily I'm a light sleeper and was able to wake up and turn on the lights before they entered. Plus, with all the locks/doors my landlord installed, it was like trying to break into fort knox.
Old thread but still relevant to what's going on today. As Entangled noted there are many recently arrived transplants or ex- Manhattanites/ Brooklynites escaping high rents and wanting more space for their (stagnant) incomes. A lot of them are not wealthy or affluent but mostly entry level workers, freelancers and actors trying to make it like everyone else. There's a different vibe Ditmas Blvd (longer term residents, many homeowners) than around Broadway or 36th Avenue (more recently arrived, younger people). Many young 20 something's live around Broadway and have been moving to the area for a while now but in recent years it's been more pronounced; possibly due to relocating due to the national economy, rental increases, etc. I heard somewhere since 2000 Astoria lost 10,000 residents. It would be interesting to see if there's a corresponding increase in people who relocated to the area. That's for different thread though...
While not unsafe the Broadway corridor can seem somewhat "seedy" at night under the elevated tracks around 31st Avenue. According to DNAinfo for the past couple of months apartments in the surrounding blocks have been dealing with a rash of midday break ins when people are at work. City Data forum users aren't the only ones who take note of changing demographics)
The businesses on Broadway and especially Ditmars are dealing with sidewalk trash problems from people visiting the area and especially weekend revelers going bar hopping which makes people who have never been to the area before think it must be sketchy area. Homeless getting on and off at the last stop on the N/Q could make people checking out the area jump to conclusions. Astoria in general is pretty safe (except around 21st Street near the projects); Queens has some of the safest and most affordable neighborhoods in NYC besides Staten Island. Like any other neighborhood in NYC use street smarts and trust your instincts, I lived there for a year and had no issues with crime and never witnessed anything that made me think of moving away (unlike some areas of the other boroughs...)
Where I lived in Astoria (by Ditmars, about a 10 minute walk to the N/W), everyone on the block has owned their homes for generations. My landlord lived upstairs from me (he'd owned the house for many years), and above them there was a young couple (not sure where they were from though). I really liked the neighborhood. And I grew up in both Queens and LI, so I'm not a transplant.
I lived in my apartment for almost 2 years. Twice I had someone try to break into it in the middle of the night. Luckily I'm a light sleeper and was able to wake up and turn on the lights before they entered. Plus, with all the locks/doors my landlord installed, it was like trying to break into fort knox.
That would freak me out. When was the break in? I am not scared of being anywhere in nyc, probably to a fault at times, but break ins scare the crappolla out of me. It's one of the reoccurring nightmares.
That would freak me out. When was the break in? I am not scared of being anywhere in nyc, probably to a fault at times, but break ins scare the crappolla out of me. It's one of the reoccurring nightmares.
Window guards will help prevent break ins most of the time, unless you leave your front door unlocked/ open. I used to think windows with "bars" (as I called them when I was new to the city) were a sign of a bad area but you'll notice even on the UES and high income areas of Manhattan apartments with window guards on the first few floors. Or if they don't have them they'll have alarm systems; just part of living in cities.
If your building has a fire escape than you really should have window guards since a lot of burglars come down from the roof and enter the apartment through a rear fire escape.
I don't think Astoria is becoming a bad area, and there is no evidence to support that either. Can you actually provide any? Thanks for the pics, but these are the exception in Astoria, not the rule. Furthermore, they are not building more housing projects in Astoria...quite the opposite...all of the new housing is ultra luxury. So I ask, why do you REALLY believe this neighborhood is getting worse? Evidence please.
Gentrification by definition flushes out the old and replaces them with the new. What is not including in the definition is what happens during the "flushing". Each community reacts to change differently.
Born and raised in Astoria. I grew up down by the boys club. Anyways, it was rough back then (1980's). My parents bought a house in Jersey circa 1986-87. I moved back in 1991....still rough. Anyways, fast forward to 2006 when I was condo hunting and those damned hipsters priced me out of MY neighborhood.
YES...MY neighborhood!!! SO here I sit in Southwestern Queens...in my little condo in Howard Beach. ANd damn, do I LOVE this neighborhood! It's like what Astoria used to be. Everyone knows everyone. You walk into Dunkin Donuts or Waldbaum's and you WILL bump into someone and chit chat for a minute or two. ANd yes, there are rougher parts (Ozone Park...Lindenwood)...but hell, this is NYC.
ANd while the mcmansions here are $$$$...you can still pick up a condo or co-op for a good price. ANd best of all...no God damned HIPSTERS!!!!
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That would freak me out. When was the break in? I am not scared of being anywhere in nyc, probably to a fault at times, but break ins scare the crappolla out of me. It's one of the reoccurring nightmares.
