Seattle ghettos for mid 20's male (Tacoma, Everett: crime, felony, house)

[philopower]

Hi there,

I'm thinking about moving from Texas to Seattle or Portland for a change of scenery as well as the fact that the economy here in Houston is collapsing. I have a degree and some work experience but I'm willing to work in the service industry for a few months until I can find something more professional. I'm looking for an area in Seattle like Bedstuy in New York. Somewhere cheap, ghetto, but improving steadily with lots of young people moving in and good public transport. Does an area like that exist in the city?

Also I have about 6k saved, will that be enough for a few months?

[TrustInSal]

Im from Baltimore and Atlanta.

Seattle and ghetto shouldnt even go in the same sentence.

So might want to reevaluate what you're looking for... and the costs.

Hope I helped.

[homesinseattle]

Seattle doesn't have ghettos, nowhere near the traditional meaning of the word.

[Blondebaerde]

Guessing somewhere around Columbia City, though the area itself it actually getting cooler / more-hip by the day. Either side of it is just a bit shady, though.

Like others mention, nowhere near say some of those Baltimore or Philadelphia ghettos, however. Or maybe Detroit @Woodward Avenue in Highland Park, which was sketchy thirty years ago when I was a kid and probably isn't much better these days.

[mkarch]

Look at less developed places further south on the Light Rail line in Rainier Valley. Parts of the valley are still very transitional but there's nothing that compares to Bedstuy.

Whether $6K can last a few months depends on lifestyle. You could easily spend that in your first week here.

[RustinginSeattle]

The closest thing to what you are looking for would probably be White Center (it's own city), South Park, Skyway, and Rainier Valley. Not sure about up and coming though. Just a little cheaper and slightly more risky, although there is no where within 20 miles driving of Seattle that would be called "cheap".

And just for the record, I haven't spent much time in any of those places in the last 10 years, so I'm just speculating.

[cmswazey]

I agree, Rusting. I live a mile or so from White Ctr. It is starting to get some decent restaurants there though, last few years. Still hinky in some ways. It is not a city- it's unincorporated King Cty though both Seattle and Burien gave talked about annexing it. Ditto for Georgetown. So in a way, maybe they're somewhat up and coming.

[mkarch]

Also look at South Park. It's sort of a polluted industrial neighborhood - think about Brooklyn's Gowanus canal...

[Bolo99]

TS, I wouldn't risk coming to Seattle with only $6k. Try to have at least $10k saved up before taking the leap.

[RotseCherut]

Originally Posted by philopower

Hi there,

I'm thinking about moving from Texas to Seattle or Portland for a change of scenery as well as the fact that the economy here in Houston is collapsing. I have a degree and some work experience but I'm willing to work in the service industry for a few months until I can find something more professional. I'm looking for an area in Seattle like Bedstuy in New York. Somewhere cheap, ghetto, but improving steadily with lots of young people moving in and good public transport. Does an area like that exist in the city?

Also I have about 6k saved, will that be enough for a few months?

Back in the 90s , YEs.. Now, no.. Everyone wanted to move to the ghetto in Seattle and Portland for cheaper living and guess what?? The ghettos got gentrified and now are some of the most affluent areas to live in some parts of these cities. For example, Portland's old ghetto warehouse district, one of Portland's toughest hoods is now the most affluent neighborhood in inner Portland, the Pearl District. Seattle's old ghetto Central District, primarily a black neighborhood, is now becoming more or less an extension of Capitol Hill and is starting to match Capitol Hill in the price range. I was shocked to see most 1 bedrooms in the Central District averaging over $1700 or more a month. Also, areas like Alberta in Portland and Central District in Seattle are becoming very gentrified, with mostly white yuppies and hipsters and few of the original black residents. Some may view this as good or bad. But if you want hood or ghetto living, you are not going to find it in these old hoods.

I lived in Felony Flats neighborhood of SE 82nd/Flavel in Portland back in the 90s and it was much more of a fun, real-cultured type of ghetto. It had the druggies, pimps, hustlers, hookers, high speed cop chases, wannabe gangsters, real gangsters, etc. The area was mostly a white ghetto, but definitely had a mix of people. Felony Flats was mostly a white meth ghetto, but had a bit of diversity, with Blacks, Mexicans, Asian and Russian gangsters all thrown into the mix. Even though it was filthy, drug infested, shootings every week, lot of robberies, burglaries, etc, it had somewhat of a homely, community feel to it.

Now, NE Portland in the 90s was mostly black neighborhood and very turf oriented with shootings every day and gang warfare. It was common to see groups of young black guys rolling around in their low riders or tinted windowed sedans booming music. If you were white, you didn't usually go into that neighborhood. Although after the 90s, hipsters and other bargain hunters poured into the neighborhoods. Also, people started calling the cops more often and the locals didn't like the tatted up, trendy new age progressive, atheistic newcomers to the neighborhood. Many sold their homes, cashed out and moved the heck out of dodge. With the increase in police presence, breaking the "no-snitch" culture that was prevalent for decades, as well as renovations to the businesses and homes in the areas, the gangsters, drug kingpins and thugs also bailed from the area. Many moved out east to Rockwood or Gresham or just left PDX, altogether.


So, where is the ghettos or the inexpensive, cheap, "upcoming" or progressing areas in Portland or Seattle? Basically, they are cities or neighborhoods way on the outskirts of the main part of the cities and I don't think anybody would find any glory or amusement in living in these areas. In fact, these areas tend to be pretty lacking in culture, amenities and the crime is more annoying, like having your car stolen, house broken into, versus "Boyz in the Hood" style gang warfare or pimps and hustlers strolling the streets. I don't know, but it just seems that modern day ghettos in the Northwest are actually pretty dull, ugly , grimey and uneventful. I don't know why anyone would particularly want to live in them. Yes, they could offer cheaper living, but as I said, many are located far from all the action and entertainment. These ghetto neighborhoods don't seem to offer much on their own.

However, if you want to live in the crappiest neighborhoods in Portland or Seattle, knock yourself out, here are some places:

In Portland Area:
Outer NE Portland (Rockwood Neighborhood)
West Gresham (Near Rockwood)
N Portland along Marine Dr, the Industrial District
NE/SE 122nd Ave in Portland (Use to be pretty bad, but improving a lot)
Right near Burnside Bridge (The area around the bridge is rapidly becoming the most affluent in Portland, but the area directly around the bridge is still pretty shady and ghetto spot, not as dangerous as in the 90s though).

Worth Noting:
* 82nd Ave (It has been gentrified and now mostly an upscale Asian neighborhood, Felony Flats neighborhood has been more or less renovated and cleaned up)
* Burnside Warehouse District (Now the Uppity and Pretentious Pearl District)


In Seattle Area:
Anywhere along Aurora Ave from North Seattle to Everett
South Tacoma/East Tacoma/Parkland
Lakewood (The Cheapest and most Ghetto place to live in Seattle/Tacoma metro)
Fife (Hope you enjoy barb wire, there is lots of it there)
White Center
Kent/Auburn
Rainier Beach In Seattle (Becoming Less Ghetto Everyday And Not Cheap To Live Anymore)
Mount Vernon (Westside is pretty gritty)
Casino Rd area in Everett
SODO in Seattle (Very ugly, mostly industrial, not many options for residential living)