# 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:** 4
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-and-worst-parts-of-major-cities-to-live-in/486898/61 "2009-02-24T05:46:05Z")
> [@Neptunian\_Slug](#): > > Agreed. Its not as close to the action as some would like to be. > > I lived right by the intersection of Wisconsin and Massachusetts so the M buses got me to work at Dupont, the 30 buses got me to Georgetown and the Mall and the 90 buses could get me up to U Street so I was pretty comfortable with the transit. It was a little futher to the grocery, but then my stores were larger than some of the “hole in the wall” Safeways you had closer into the city so I had a bit more selection. If you do have a car, its less of an issue finding street parking up there. And if you value space, you’ll get a bit more space. Hey! I used to live right by there as well - small world! One of the other perks of that neighborhood is that it’s right by the National Cathedral. 🙂 Organ recitals were always interesting - that thing rocks. ---
**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 24, 2009, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-and-worst-parts-of-major-cities-to-live-in/486898/62 "2009-02-24T06:06:59Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > Hey! I used to live right by there as well - small world! > > One of the other perks of that neighborhood is that it’s right by the National Cathedral. 🙂 Organ recitals were always interesting - that thing rocks. The first place I lived was right near the back entrance of the zoo, on Summit Place. I would sometimes wake up to the sound of screeching monkees, or roaring tigers. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-and-worst-parts-of-major-cities-to-live-in/486898/63 "2009-02-24T06:50:07Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > The first place I lived was right near the back entrance of the zoo, on Summit Place. I would sometimes wake up to the sound of screeching monkees, or roaring tigers. Wow - now _that_ sounds fantastic. I love this city, I really do. Folks, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise - at its best, there is no lovelier, more vibrant, more extraordinary city than Washington in all the Union. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-and-worst-parts-of-major-cities-to-live-in/486898/64 "2009-02-24T07:01:30Z")
> [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](#): > > I’d say [**HP**](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunters_Point,_San_Francisco,_California) is a bit more difficult a place to live. At least in the TL you can walk a few blocks and be in another neighborhood, and there are lots of good restaurants, bars, and theaters in the TL. People in HP can’t even go shopping without taking two buses up Potrero Hill. And, there’s also all the shootings. (To be fair, HP does have [Speakeasy](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speakeasy_Ales_and_Lagers).) You may be right, but I have little to no experience there. My wife, however, teaches high school in Hunter’s Point. The kids are a complete fucking disaster, mainly due to a nearly complete lack of parental involvement, and, in many cases, a complete lack of any authority in their lives at all outside of school. But that’s another post… Joe ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-and-worst-parts-of-major-cities-to-live-in/486898/65 "2009-02-24T07:10:04Z")
> [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](#): > > I’ve lived in **Duboce Triangle** (which is part of the Castro) for over two years, and I’m not sure there is a better place in the City. There’s a dog park, a supermarket, tons of bars and restaurants, hardware stores… Damn near everything. I think we have a walking score of 99%, and I think the only thing we’re missing is a mainstream movie theater (though we do have the Castro Theater). A very nice place. A very dear friend of the family used to live in a palace on Beaver St, a block uphill from Castro. I couldn’t live there - I have a form of MD, and the hills right there are horrifying, even to average people. It’d take me almost literally forever to go a block up one of those bastards just off the 24-line… I used to live in Noe Valley. near Castro and 26th. Also bad hills, but the particular block I was on is bearable. Another nice neighborhood, though I prefer the Castro - fewer fricking kids in those damn racing strollers than there are on 24th St… ETA : I like the Sunset, but it’s kinda boring. We live on a corner, and when I sit at the staring window, Nothing is going on. I miss the bar-clearing brawls and Mexican knife-fights I saw at 26th and Mission. Joe ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-and-worst-parts-of-major-cities-to-live-in/486898/66 "2009-02-24T08:53:05Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > Wow - now _that_ sounds fantastic. I love this city, I really do. > > Folks, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise - at its best, there is no lovelier, more vibrant, more extraordinary city than Washington in all the Union. I used to date a woman who lived behind the zoo, we would hear elephants a lot. I agree DC rocks. Also, Shaw has changed a lot and is getting pretty expenive to live there. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-and-worst-parts-of-major-cities-to-live-in/486898/67 "2009-02-24T09:07:12Z")
**Osaka** (Japan) There _are_ areas of the city that are well-known as upscale areas, and other places known as being rundown, but frankly, unless you were born there you wont be able to tell and they will all look the same to you. When people talk about good places to live in the city, they mean good access to public transport shops and schools. That’s about it, and those things can be had anywhere throughout the city. That’s in the city proper, but if we talk about satellite cities, where well-to-do people commute from, the best places to live are Nara, Minoh, and a bit further afield, Ashiya, in my opinion, but that’s only because these places have trees and mountains. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-and-worst-parts-of-major-cities-to-live-in/486898/68 "2009-02-24T18:24:33Z")
**Chicago** : If by “best” you mean lots of bars, nightlife, access to public transportation, etc., IMHO you can’t do much better than [Lakeview](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakeview,_Chicago), colloquially referred to as “Wrigleyville.” If by “best” you mean most expensive, it’s gotta be the [Gold Coast](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_Coast,_Chicago). Worst: [Englewood](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Englewood,_Chicago). ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-and-worst-parts-of-major-cities-to-live-in/486898/69 "2009-02-24T19:23:53Z")
HeyHomie, you beat me to it. Perfect choices. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-and-worst-parts-of-major-cities-to-live-in/486898/70 "2009-02-24T20:23:23Z")
Not a major city, but since it’s my home: **Springfield, Illinois** : Best: Probably Leland Grove, an area of tree-lined, narrow boulevards with lots of turn-of-the-century era mansions. The west end of the neighborhood butts up against Chatham Road, a main city thoroughfare. Lots of good shopping and good schools nearby. Worst: Just about anywhere in the area east of 11th street and west of Dirksen Parkway, but for all-time badness I’d say the area that butts up against the northeast end of Bunn Park, or any street named after a bird (Bluebird Court and surrounding streets). ---
**Author:** ![Neidhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Neidhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neidhart)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-and-worst-parts-of-major-cities-to-live-in/486898/71 "2009-02-24T23:12:08Z")
In DC, Congress Heights has to be in the running for worst neighborhood. There’s nothing within walking distance, no restaurants, no supermarkets, and a long bus ride to get to the nearest half-decent shopping area. The place was a free-fire zone during the Barry years, although it seems to have gotten a little better lately. And the housing is cheaply-built 1940s/50s boxes that have gotten really run down. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-and-worst-parts-of-major-cities-to-live-in/486898/72 "2009-02-24T23:53:03Z")
> [@Snnipe\_70E](#): > > San Jose Ca. > > One of the best parts the better part of Willow Glen, Worse part of East Side. Mostly true. But there’s a little area over by Happy Hollow that is hell on earth. In general, most of the San Jose area is very nice. Very expensive also. ---
**Author:** ![Shamozzle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shamozzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shamozzle)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-and-worst-parts-of-major-cities-to-live-in/486898/73 "2009-02-26T22:27:48Z")
I haven’t lived in Vancouver for a while but if I remember correctly the most expensive places to live were in Point Grey, Coal Harbour, Yaletown, and the West End. The worst area is obviously the East Side/East Hastings area. But the most desirable neighbourhood for me would be Kitsilano: Close to downtown, UBC, and the water, it’s full of great restaurants and little shops, parks, etc… It’s a yuppie paradise. ---
**Author:** ![GovernmentMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e9c0ed/32.png) [@GovernmentMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GovernmentMan)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2010, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-and-worst-parts-of-major-cities-to-live-in/486898/74 "2010-08-09T10:29:02Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > > [@dalej42](#): > > > > For example, you can’t say … Beverly Hills is the best part of Los Angeles. > > 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. > > I used to live near the USC campus which is a few miles south of downtown and also located in L.A. proper. Although it’s a very expensive school, it’s a very crummy neighborhood. The university-owned apartments are nice, and the small campus itself is of course majestically manicured (although at night, boy do the rats come out to play). You go ~2 miles south and you are in what was formerly the notorious South Central Los Angeles. > > I guess the nicest part of L.A. proper would still be one of those fancy downtown lofts, as long as you never stray too far away. 😃 reviving an old topic but … you’re saying neighborhoods like Griffith Park, Los Feliz, Hollywood Hills, Hancock Park, Westwood, Century City, Silver Lake, Eagle Rock(and the aforementioned Bel Air, Pacific Palisades, Brentwood) aren’t nice places to live? And you’re not aware that most of the valley is also part of LA, so there’s Studio City, Toluca Lake, Sherman Oaks, Encino, Tarzana, Woodland Hills, West Hills, Chatsworth, Porter Ranch, Granada Hills, etc ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2010, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-and-worst-parts-of-major-cities-to-live-in/486898/75 "2010-08-09T12:04:25Z")
London calling… Very hard to define ‘best’ and ‘worst’ as London is a collection of small villages that merge together with nice streets next to nasty, and what some people love, others hate. So this list is HIGHLY subjective. But working on the basis that Londoners think of the city in terms of “west”, “north” etc. West Best: Mayfair (although I can’t stand it, full of Russian Oligarchs and Saudi Princes) Worst: Acton (favoured by Aussie expats, for some weird reason) North West Best: Hampstead (home to the fragrant Helena Bonham Carter) Worst: Crickelwood (home to drunks and drop outs) North Best: Islington (favoured by young professionals) Worst: Tottenham (favoured by football hooligans) North East Best: Victoria Park (once rough, now home to yummy mummys) Worst: Stratford (where they’re building the Olympics. Thank God) South East Best: Greenwich (of time fame) Worst: Kidbrooke (the land that time forgot) South Best: Clapham (more young professionals) Worst: Tooting (no professionals at all) South West: Best: Richmond-upon-Thames (even sounds posh) Worst: Kingston-upon-Thames (name is misleading) ---
**Author:** ![Who\_me\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/958977/32.png) [@Who\_me\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Who_me_1)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2010, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-and-worst-parts-of-major-cities-to-live-in/486898/76 "2010-08-09T12:37:21Z")
> [@Neidhart](#): > > In DC, Congress Heights has to be in the running for worst neighborhood. There’s nothing within walking distance, no restaurants, no supermarkets, and a long bus ride to get to the nearest half-decent shopping area. The place was a free-fire zone during the Barry years, although it seems to have gotten a little better lately. And the housing is cheaply-built 1940s/50s boxes that have gotten really run down. Yeah, working for the electric company, Congress Heights (and the nearby Washington Highlands) and Trinidad were the places that I disliked going the most. I never really had much problem, but one time I heard on my police scanner that there had been a series of shootings in the area of Washington Highlands where I was headed… I turned it over to day shift. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2010, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-and-worst-parts-of-major-cities-to-live-in/486898/77 "2010-08-09T13:27:14Z")
Barcelona, considering only the city and not its metro area: I would like to live in the lower parts of Gràcia. Like many other parts of the city, Gràcia used to be a separate town; the road leading from it to Barcelona’s Old Town is Passeig de Gràcia (La Pedrera, Casa Batlló); Park Güell is on its upper edge; one of Gaudí’s earliest jobs is close to the area where Gràcia meets Vía Augusta. You can walk from Gràcia to the downtown area in a matter of minutes, good subway and bus communications, good connections (bus, metro and local trains) to all the universities in the metropolitan area; at the same time, it’s a lot cheaper than downtown or Vía Augusta, and a lot more residential than Dreta de l’Eixample (which for a while seemed to be taking down housing and building up offices in every corner). Good supermarkets, a (Farmer’s) Market, little stores. You do get a lot of variation in how well-maintained the buildings are, so need to watch out for that, but the same can be said of all but the poshest parts of town. Worst part, el Raval. Good place to look for second-hand clothes, but I’d only go there in extremely-bright daylight. Run-down houses, prostitutes, drugs, grafitti over grafitti and side streets that stink of pee. ---
**Author:** ![FordTaurusSHO94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f07891/32.png) [@FordTaurusSHO94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordTaurusSHO94)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2010, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-and-worst-parts-of-major-cities-to-live-in/486898/78 "2010-08-09T19:02:16Z")
Little Rock, assuming it can count as a major city. The Heights, West Little Rock, and anything north of 630 is alright. Anything south of 630 is the ghetto. ---
**Author:** ![Sue\_Duhnym](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/91b2a8/32.png) [@Sue\_Duhnym](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sue_Duhnym)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-and-worst-parts-of-major-cities-to-live-in/486898/79 "2010-08-10T03:48:22Z")
> [@Snnipe\_70E](#): > > San Jose Ca. > > One of the best parts the better part of Willow Glen, Worse part of East Side. I agree with Willow Glen but I’d also to add the Rose Garden as a close second. For worst, I’ll see your East and raise you South. I live in Silver Creek (used to live in WG) and it’s a tiny pocket of okay smooshed in between Almaden and Evergreen. That said, it still sucks here, it just sucks in a totally boring, “OMG the tennis pro was beaten by his lover’s husband with a free weight!” kind of way. I hate it here. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-and-worst-parts-of-major-cities-to-live-in/486898/80 "2010-08-10T04:26:09Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > **Chicago** : If by “best” you mean lots of bars, nightlife, access to public transportation, etc., IMHO you can’t do much better than [Lakeview](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakeview,_Chicago), colloquially referred to as “Wrigleyville.” If by “best” you mean most expensive, it’s gotta be the [Gold Coast](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_Coast,_Chicago). > > Worst: [Englewood](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Englewood,_Chicago). Since someone felt the need to bump this thread, I’ll point out that Wrigleyville is only a small part of Lakeview. Chicago’s a huge city, so “best” is pretty subjective. A lot of people would probably say Lincoln Park is the best neighborhood, but I’d never live there in a million years. I used to live sort of on the line between Ravenswood and Lincoln Square (according to the city, I guess I technically lived in Lincoln Square and Ravenswood is a smaller neighborhood within LS, but in my mind they’re separate), and I really enjoyed it. But a lot of other people wouldn’t like it because it’s so far to the north. Eh. Also, I’d say that the worst neighborhood is South Woodlawn. A friend of a friend lived there and visiting him was the only time I was ever legit worried about my surroundings in Chicago. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-and-worst-parts-of-major-cities-to-live-in/486898.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-and-worst-parts-of-major-cities-to-live-in/486898.md?page=5)