# The best and worst parts of major cities to live in **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 21, 2009, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-and-worst-parts-of-major-cities-to-live-in/486898 "2009-02-21T23:22:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-and-worst-parts-of-major-cities-to-live-in/486898/21 "2009-02-22T13:57:19Z")
Boston: Most people would probably say the best neighborhoods are Back Bay and Beacon Hill. Worst? I don’t know, these days. Some section of Roxbury or Mattapan, maybe? ---
**Author:** ![Lo-Slung\_Denim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f6c823/32.png) [@Lo-Slung\_Denim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lo-Slung_Denim)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-and-worst-parts-of-major-cities-to-live-in/486898/22 "2009-02-22T14:31:34Z")
> [@Illuminatiprimus](#): > > London is quite hard because it’s so big and varied. I suppose for me the best part would be somewhere like Mayfair, and the worst would be Woolwich. I pick the leafy avenues of Notting Hill as the best, and the rubbish and turd-strewn streets of Peckham as the worst. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-and-worst-parts-of-major-cities-to-live-in/486898/23 "2009-02-22T14:35:47Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > I’ll go ahead and change my answer then: Bel Air is undoubtedly the nicest part of L.A. 🙂 [Holmby Hills](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holmby_Hills,_Los_Angeles,_California) is nicer. Aaron Spelling’s estate is in Holmby Hills, as well as the Playboy Mansion. Worst is probably [Skid Row](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skid_Row,_Los_Angeles). ---
**Author:** ![Desert\_Nomad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desert_nomad/32/177_2.png) [@Desert\_Nomad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desert_Nomad)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-and-worst-parts-of-major-cities-to-live-in/486898/24 "2009-02-22T15:24:36Z")
Best part of Dubai is Jumeirah or Umm Sequeim (which are right next to each other). worst would be Al Quoz, a huge industrial area. ---
**Author:** ![Desert\_Nomad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desert_nomad/32/177_2.png) [@Desert\_Nomad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desert_Nomad)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-and-worst-parts-of-major-cities-to-live-in/486898/25 "2009-02-22T15:48:52Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Milwaukee, the County > Best Part, any of the Suburbs with the one’s to the North being the upper-est class. > Worst Part, the so called ‘North Side’ > > Milwaukee, the city > Best part, probably the River West area, or the East Side depending on your point of view. > Worst part, still the North Side. I used to have family about 5 or 10 blocks from the hospital and lake near the Sentry on N. Downer Ave. Is this considered North or East? It seemed like a nice part of town, but the houses there are quite old… 1940s or so I think. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-and-worst-parts-of-major-cities-to-live-in/486898/26 "2009-02-22T16:11:22Z")
> [@Desert\_Nomad](#): > > I used to have family about 5 or 10 blocks from the hospital and lake near the Sentry on N. Downer Ave. Is this considered North or East? It seemed like a nice part of town, but the houses there are quite old… 1940s or so I think. That would be the East Side. Yes, very nice area. ---
**Author:** ![Furious\_Marmot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dfb087/32.png) [@Furious\_Marmot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Furious_Marmot)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-and-worst-parts-of-major-cities-to-live-in/486898/27 "2009-02-22T16:15:05Z")
Oklahoma City sucks all over, really. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-and-worst-parts-of-major-cities-to-live-in/486898/28 "2009-02-22T16:28:56Z")
In Milwaukee, Lake Drive on the east side has a lot of old mansions along Lake Michigan as it heads toward the north shore suburbs. Wisconsin Avenue _west_ of Miller Valley likewise has a nice series of grand old homes from the 1920s and '30s. The highest crime area is reportedly the Wisconsin Avenue corridor (with the streets north and south of it) _east_ of Miller Valley, although the Latino core along National Avenue has a lot of problems too. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-and-worst-parts-of-major-cities-to-live-in/486898/29 "2009-02-22T20:22:10Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > That’s a little unfair. As far as most people are concerned, L.A. county _is_ L.A. In Los Angeles proper there is really no good part to live in. They have been making some attempts to revitalize the downtown area with some ritzy high-rise apartments, but they still exist only blocks from Skid Row, the largest concentrated homeless colony in the States. Not true: My parents live in Studio City, which is definitely part of L.A., and it’s very nice. Quiet, tree lined streets, walking distance to many cafes, restaurants, and small stores. Ed ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-and-worst-parts-of-major-cities-to-live-in/486898/30 "2009-02-22T20:57:35Z")
[Brentwood](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brentwood,_Los_Angeles,_California) and [Pacific Palisades](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Palisades), which rival Beverly Hills in its exclusivity, are districts of the City of Los Angeles. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-and-worst-parts-of-major-cities-to-live-in/486898/31 "2009-02-22T20:58:43Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > Not true: My parents live in Studio City, which is definitely part of L.A., and it’s very nice. Quiet, tree lined streets, walking distance to many cafes, restaurants, and small stores. > > Ed Another thing I learn. I thought surely Studio _City_ was a city, but it’s not. ---
**Author:** ![Lisa-go-Blind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Lisa-go-Blind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lisa-go-Blind)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-and-worst-parts-of-major-cities-to-live-in/486898/32 "2009-02-22T21:48:27Z")
Austin, Texas: I’d say the worst is southeast Austin - I used to live in East Riverside. They have a few swanky developments going up around I-35, but in general it’s a mix of all sorts of badness: it’s part ghetto, but without the culture of most low-income Austin neighborhoods; it’s stuffed with students, but is still a good 30-minute or so bus ride to campus (which, thanks to traffic on the interstate, takes twice as long during rush hour); it’s in the process of being semi-gentrified, which makes it boring; and it’s ugly as sin, thanks in large part to the strip malls and fast food joints that line the highway-like streets (speed limit: 35!). And for it being a poorer area with a lot of students, the bus lines suck severely. Best: Well, Westlake is probably the poshest, and South Congress is the coolest, but my vote goes to Hyde Park (my current home) because it strikes the perfect balance. It’s safe, it has both apartments and houses, the stores and restaurants are almost exclusively local, you can walk or take the bus, there are plenty of interesting/beautiful places, it’s convenient to downtown, etc. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-and-worst-parts-of-major-cities-to-live-in/486898/33 "2009-02-22T21:56:22Z")
> [@bump](#): > > No way… it all depends on what you’re looking for. I wouldn’t live in Uptown these days unless you paid me. If I was 25 again, it would be the place to live, but at 36, I prefer having a house with a yard, etc… > > I’d say that NE Dallas (Lake Highlands/Lakewood) is the best part of Dallas to live in. Older well kept homes, large trees, lots of retail opportunity, not far from Uptown, Greenville, and Addison if you like to go out, not far from Downtown if you work there, or patronize the arts. Depending on where you live, you can even be well served by the local freeway network. > > As for the worst part… somewhere south of I-30 for sure. South Oak Cliff seems to get a lot of bad press. I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree. I was 39 when I last lived in Dallas. I lived right on Cedar Springs and if I ever go back to Dallas, I’ll only consider Uptown/Oak Lawn. But, that’s me. I haven’t seen any part of Dallas north of Northwest Highway that I like. But, I"m biased. I like the area between 35 E and Central Expressway from roughly Cedar Springs to Northwest Highway. ---
**Author:** ![BigNik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/73ab20/32.png) [@BigNik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigNik)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-and-worst-parts-of-major-cities-to-live-in/486898/34 "2009-02-22T23:29:35Z")
Sydney checking in. It’s kinda hard to qualify under the OP’s rules, because the incorporated (i.e. council area) of the City of Sydney doesn’t really equate to the way it works in the US - and the whole definition of a “suburb” is horribly different. But the “best” and “worst” is a massive value judgement. If you’re talking about the City of Sydney council, I’d say that the worst part is around Rosebury and the best part would be the Eastern part of Newtown (the Western part is in Marrickville Council’s area), but property prices would argue that Redfern is the worst part and that Elizabeth Bay is the best. If you’re talking about Sydney as a real city, the worst part would be in the South West (around Macquarie Fields), and while property prices are highest in Point Piper, I still wouldn’t live there if you paid me. I’m a kid of the Inner West - if I go to the Eastern Suburbs, I get nosebleeds. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/13edae/32.png) [@That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-and-worst-parts-of-major-cities-to-live-in/486898/35 "2009-02-23T02:32:51Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Milwaukee, the County > Best Part, any of the Suburbs with the one’s to the North being the upper-est class. > Worst Part, the so called ‘North Side’ > > Milwaukee, the city > Best part, probably the River West area, or the East Side depending on your point of view. > Worst part, still the North Side. Milwaukee County, best I’d have to go with River Hills, maybe Whitefish Bay (AKA White Folks Bay). Worst part, north side as well. Entirely devoid of any redeeming value whatsoever. I’ve lived in Milwaukee for 30 years and have never, ever gone to the north side for any reason whatsoever. City of Milwaukee, I’d say best is the Third Ward (I’m partial to it as I live there). Riverwest, though trendy, is still plagued with fairly high crime, mainly car break-ins and robberys/muggings, and that sandwich delivery driver was killed there a while ago. Worst, again the north side. Milwaukee is the most segregated city in America, and the north side is why. If you live there and have any money to move anywhere, anywhere else, you do it in a hearbeat. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-and-worst-parts-of-major-cities-to-live-in/486898/36 "2009-02-23T03:03:55Z")
> [@That\_Guy](#): > > Milwaukee County, best I’d have to go with River Hills, maybe Whitefish Bay (AKA White Folks Bay). > Worst part, north side as well. Entirely devoid of any redeeming value whatsoever. May I recommend the [Mount Mary](http://www.steigerwaldconstruction.com/images/history/mtmaryfront2.jpg) and [Story Hill](http://storyhillneighbors.org/) neighborhoods, both on the north side. Of [Story Hill](http://www.jsonline.com/realestate/32485819.html): “But this wasn’t just any charming old neighborhood in a city known mostly for making beer. This was a neighborhood so picture-perfect, with its single-family homes made mostly of stone and brick, it looked as if it had leapt from the pages of a children’s fairy tale book.” ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-and-worst-parts-of-major-cities-to-live-in/486898/37 "2009-02-23T03:16:57Z")
> [@That\_Guy](#): > > Milwaukee County, best I’d have to go with River Hills, maybe Whitefish Bay (AKA White Folks Bay). > Worst part, north side as well. Entirely devoid of any redeeming value whatsoever. I’ve lived in Milwaukee for 30 years and have never, ever gone to the north side for any reason whatsoever. A couple of months ago I was downtown and had to make my way to about 35th and Capital. Hmm, I thought to myself, I shoot up Wisconsin and hang a right. As I traveled down 35th st, I saw “35th and Vilet”, “35th and Lisbon”, “35th and North”, “35th and Auer”, “35th and Cherry”, “35th and Wright” and I remember thinking to myself, “Boy, these are the intersections you hear about on the news every night” I didn’t even feel comfortable stopping for red lights. Next time I go that way, I’ll take Lincoln Memorial Dr to Lake Dr to Capital and go that way which is the way I went back. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-and-worst-parts-of-major-cities-to-live-in/486898/38 "2009-02-23T03:17:06Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > Hey! The Tenderloin has inexpensive curry! And also Dottie’s True Blue Cafe - best pancakes in the city. 🙂 > > As for DC - well, Upper Northwest (Tenleytown, Spring Valley, AU Park, etc) is probably the _safest_ part of the city, but it can be remarkably bland. Dupont Circle is almost as safe, but boasts a generous selection of bookstores, restaurants, and bars. Much more fun. 🙂 > > As for the worst place to live - hell, this is DC, you can take your pick. Anacostia is excitingly unsafe, to be sure. Trinidad is another place you wouldn’t want to live - our police department actually set up roadblocks there over the summer to stop a rash of drive-by shootings. (Though I will say, that neighborhood _looks_ fantastic - nice houses, neat yards. Fun place to walk through on a summer evening - so long as you’re walking with about a dozen or so ACLU roadblock observers). I lived in DC for 12 years (80’s and early 90’s) and I honestly can’t remember any neighborhood called Trinidad. Where the hell is it? I was gonna say Shaw is the worst. And either Dupont or Adams Morgan (for the less financially able) were the best. Yes, Adams Morgan had a riot – but it was kind of fun and no one got killed. It added to the spice of the neighborhood. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/13edae/32.png) [@That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-and-worst-parts-of-major-cities-to-live-in/486898/39 "2009-02-23T03:30:21Z")
> [@Walloon](#): > > May I recommend the [Mount Mary](http://www.steigerwaldconstruction.com/images/history/mtmaryfront2.jpg) and [Story Hill](http://storyhillneighbors.org/) neighborhoods, both on the north side. I wouldn’t consider Story Hill north side at all. After all, it borders Tosa and is next door from Miller Park. That’s pretty much as central as you can get in both the county and city. However, I agree, there are some beautiful homes in that neighborhood and it sure has gentrified in the past few years. Likewise, Mount Mary is too far west to be considered north side. Go about 20-40 blocks east from there and then I would consider that north side. Defenitely a nice, older middle class neighborhood though. I would consider the north side the areas Joey P is talking about in his post. Anything from say, 60th street east to I-43, and from North Ave north to oh, maybe Silver Spring. ---
**Author:** ![Neptunian\_Slug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce7236/32.png) [@Neptunian\_Slug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neptunian_Slug)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-and-worst-parts-of-major-cities-to-live-in/486898/40 "2009-02-23T04:06:22Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > I lived in DC for 12 years (80’s and early 90’s) and I honestly can’t remember any neighborhood called Trinidad. Where the hell is it? > > I was gonna say Shaw is the worst. And either Dupont or Adams Morgan (for the less financially able) were the best. Yes, Adams Morgan had a riot – but it was kind of fun and no one got killed. It added to the spice of the neighborhood. I had to look it up myself, its up by Gallaudet in NE. Rents in Adams Morgan and surrounding areas certainly are going sky high since I left in 1995, but I don’t know if I would chalk it up as one of the best neighborhoods. I would say Spring Valley/AU Park and Georgetown in terms of the wealth factor. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-and-worst-parts-of-major-cities-to-live-in/486898.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-and-worst-parts-of-major-cities-to-live-in/486898.md?page=3)