Old Northeast neighborhood of St. Petersburg - safe or not? (Tampa: condo, crime)

[accidentaljerseygirl]

I'm reading conflicting reports about crime in the Old Northeast neighborhood of St. Petersburg. Some say it's safe & its active home owners association (HONNA) helps. Others say that downtown St. Pete crime has crept into this neighborhood. If you live in Old Northeast or you know people who do, please provide some perspective. Thank you.

[theurbanfiles]

It felt incredibly safe to me when I was there over the weekend.

If you take a look at housing value, generally it's hard to find something in the neighborhood below the 400s, so it's unlikely that any crime happening there has much to do with the residents. Are there people going into the neighborhood and vandalizing stuff or stealing stuff occasionally from other parts of St. Pete? Perhaps.

But I can still say with confidence that is one of the safest feeling urban neighborhoods I have come across in America, even alone, and at night.

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by clevelander1991

It felt incredibly safe to me when I was there over the weekend.

If you take a look at housing value, generally it's hard to find something in the neighborhood below the 400s, so it's unlikely that any crime happening there has much to do with the residents. Are there people going into the neighborhood and vandalizing stuff or stealing stuff occasionally from other parts of St. Pete? Perhaps.

But I can still say with confidence that is one of the safest feeling urban neighborhoods I have come across in America, even alone, and at night.

The thing is, you don't actually live there. As I have posted before, this neighborhood is very similar to one here in Sarasota where I lived for many years (Laurel Park). When you have a neighborhood with small lots near the downtown, you are going to have people "passing through" and causing problems. Now maybe overall the people who live there are OK with it, but personally I would never live in such a neighborhood again. I much prefer living 5 minutes out from the downtown core where you don't have so many "unknowns" just passing through. Price of housing has NOTHING to do with it.

To me, for the money they want for those old houses there, I would much rather have something a littler further out, maybe toward the beach. I love St. Pete and would consider living there someday, so understand I am just giving my perspective. Everyone is different as to what they can/will tolerate in a neighborhood.

[GiovanniTheGreat]

Originally Posted by gypsychic

The thing is, you don't actually live there. As I have posted before, this neighborhood is very similar to one here in Sarasota where I lived for many years (Laurel Park). When you have a neighborhood with small lots near the downtown, you are going to have people "passing through" and causing problems. Now maybe overall the people who live there are OK with it, but personally I would never live in such a neighborhood again. I much prefer living 5 minutes out from the downtown core where you don't have so many "unknowns" just passing through. Price of housing has NOTHING to do with it.

To me, for the money they want for those old houses there, I would much rather have something a littler further out, maybe toward the beach. I love St. Pete and would consider living there someday, so understand I am just giving my perspective. Everyone is different as to what they can/will tolerate in a neighborhood.

Didnt you say you already lived there and are now in Bradenton for good and like it there more? I dont know if you're coming or going often times.

[CubsFan20]

The thing is, ghetto thugs from south st. pete know where the good houses to rob are. And HINT, they aint in south st pete

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by GiovanniTheGreat

Didnt you say you already lived there and are now in Bradenton for good and like it there more? I dont know if you're coming or going often times.

YOU are the one who doesn't know if he's coming or going - never said any of what you claimed....

[Irishiis49]

Mentioned before that my son owns an adorable bungalow on Burlington St in Historic Kenwood...it's part of their 5 year plan before having kids and needing good schools...I could live there too at this point of my life(empty nest)...but if I was younger and had school age kids...no way...They are very happy enjoying proximity to restaurants and night life...but I'm sure once kids arrive and the house gets too small and not happy with urban life hassles...they will move on...

[CubsFan20]

Originally Posted by Irishiis49

Mentioned before that my son owns an adorable bungalow on Burlington St in Historic Kenwood...it's part of their 5 year plan before having kids and needing good schools...I could live there too at this point of my life(empty nest)...but if I was younger and had school age kids...no way...They are very happy enjoying proximity to restaurants and night life...but I'm sure once kids arrive and the house gets too small and not happy with urban life hassles...they will move on...

That's the problem with the "hip" areas of st. pete, a lot of them are not conducive to having children. Downtown Tampa is having this problem now. All the young hipsters there who just got married and bought their $300 grand condo are going to be SOL when they have kids and realize all the schools zoned for downtown suck, and their kids are going to go to school in the hood. Oh, and their kids cant play outside.

[theurbanfiles]

GYPSYCHIC, I'd agree with you that simply because of the nature of being an urban neighborhood, and more passing through, there is more likely to be property crime and such in the neighborhood, though I would at least guess that is where it starts and ends. There's an increased risk that comes with living somewhere urbane, but then again, there could also be a reward in being "close to the action", being able to walk places, and also that brings up the question of what we should really worry about: Possible property crime, or being increasingly sedentary, or stepping behind the wheel of a car? Not saying you're wrong, just saying that there are things that have to be considered everywhere. So, while I'd agree with you about there or almost any city neighborhood being somewhat more risky, I still would say that it if the OP desires urban living, it is one of the safer spots you could find around in the US (parts of Japan, Canada, Europe are safer on an entirely different scale, but such is life). Obviously, buying a good security system and becoming more aware are two big steps to take.

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by clevelander1991

GYPSYCHIC, I'd agree with you that simply because of the nature of being an urban neighborhood, and more passing through, there is more likely to be property crime and such in the neighborhood, though I would at least guess that is where it starts and ends. There's an increased risk that comes with living somewhere urbane, but then again, there could also be a reward in being "close to the action", being able to walk places, and also that brings up the question of what we should really worry about: Possible property crime, or being increasingly sedentary, or stepping behind the wheel of a car? Not saying you're wrong, just saying that there are things that have to be considered everywhere. So, while I'd agree with you about there or almost any city neighborhood being somewhat more risky, I still would say that it if the OP desires urban living, it is one of the safer spots you could find around in the US (parts of Japan, Canada, Europe are safer on an entirely different scale, but such is life). Obviously, buying a good security system and becoming more aware are two big steps to take.

Absolutely, everyone needs to weigh the pros and cons. I realized after 12 years of living in the Laurel Park neighborhood, the advantage of being "walking distance" to downtown vs the various crime we endured (not to mention noise) was far outweighing the advantages. The neighborhood we live in now is actually close to many things we can walk to (but not downtown) and is just off a major highway (US 410 and across from the airport, but all of these things are balancde out and there is very little crime; and I feel safe to walk around anytime day or night. In Laurel Park we were the victims of various crimes MANY MANY times; like I said proximity to downtowns have their downsides. People are also paying big prices now for the convenience of these locations, so that should be taken into account as well. One can go just a mile or two further away and have it make a huge difference in every way.