Moving from IN to NY... Elmira info needed. (Lewis: section 8, apartments)

[simon333]

Hi all,
We are moving from a small farm town in Indiana to NY..
I found a place to rent on Lewis street in Elmira.
Is this neighborhood ok for a family of country folks?
I hear to stay away from east side.. But that's all I've heard.. It's a long way from home for us.. Anybody from the area that can tell me what the street, block, and area is like?

[ckhthankgod]

It should OK, but do you prefer a more small town/rural type of community or it doesn't matter too much?

[simon333]

I do prefer small town, but affordability is an issue. Don't mind a neighborhood setting, so long as we can walk down the street safely. I don't want to have to install a security alarm, and bars on the windows to feel safe.

[daydreamin71]

The Southside has gotten rougher over the last 10-20 years, but you should be ok on Lewis St. Just use the same common sense about your surroundings that you would use anywhere. 2am would probably not be the best time to go for a walk; make sure you lock your car and house, etc. But if you use common sense and stay aware, there's no reason you shouldn't be fine walking that area. There does tend to be a lot of teenagers running around at all hours in that area so there tends to be some occasional problems with kids getting rowdy, some vandalism, theft from unlocked cars. A lot of the area is renter occupied, and many of the apartments are section 8 housing. But nothing that would make me feel I need to install an alarm system for the house, etc. My mother lives near Lewis, on the other side of Pennsylvania ave so I have seen the area evolve from the 1970s to present, and am still down there frequently.