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Hartford North End Blue Hills Mini Tour


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This is my neighborhood where I have lived for over 20 years. I hope you enjoy. Sorry the pix are so small. I took these on my way home. This is only a very small sample of this great neighborhood I call home. I just wanted to introduce you to the nice parts of the North End since it seems like most people don't know we exist. This is one of the most beautiful and stable neighborhoods in the city. The sad thing is that none of the houses you are about to see would sell for over $250,000 when if they were in West Hartford some could go for as high as $500,000 or more. Anyway enjoy.

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i imagine the north end of hartford is bigger than what you took pictures of. that looks much more suburban than some of the more suburban-looking neighborhoods in providence (mine is one of them).

i don't know where i was, but i think it was 44. it wasn't pretty. and then i think i took blue hills ave to windsor or something. it was pretty dense housing and businesses, but not what i'd call a very nice neighborhood, and certainly not what your neighborhood is like.

how far out are you?

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That looks just like the typical older suburb in New England. This is the neighborhood people think is so bad?? :blink:

i think he lives in a remote part of the bad north end of hartford... it looks almost like you're getting into windsor at that point. if you drive north through hartford from downtown, there are some seriously bad neighborhoods. think the worst parts of providence (or central falls) only worse.

the 3 major CT cities have some of the worst ghettos in new england.

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i think he lives in a remote part of the bad north end of hartford... it looks almost like you're getting into windsor at that point. if you drive north through hartford from downtown, there are some seriously bad neighborhoods. think the worst parts of providence (or central falls) only worse.

the 3 major CT cities have some of the worst ghettos in new england.

No my friend. This is around the corner from Blue Hills Ave. and Albany Ave. (44) in the heart of the ghetto. The neighborhood is actually not as nice when you get closer to Bloomfield. This is what everyone thinks is soooo bad. This is an all black neighborhood and most suburanites in Hartford would be scared here. That's the ridiculousness that I have to deal with. People just don't take the time to explore. You do have to go through bad neighborhoods to get here from most directions except West Hartford. That's why we are hidden away from the out of towners and suburbanites.

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No my friend. This is around the corner from Blue Hills Ave. and Albany Ave. (44) in the heart of the ghetto. The neighborhood is actually not as nice when you get closer to Bloomfield. This is what everyone thinks is soooo bad. This is an all black neighborhood and most suburanites in Hartford would be scared here. That's the ridiculousness that I have to deal with. People just don't take the time to explore. You do have to go through bad neighborhoods to get here from most directions except West Hartford. That's why we are hidden away from the out of towners and suburbanites.

sounds like parts of providence... there are hidden gems in the ghettos... and there are hidden ghettos in the nice areas.

does your neighborhood (the nice looking one from the pics) border west hartford? the part i was in didn't get nice until we reached windsor.

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sounds like parts of providence... there are hidden gems in the ghettos... and there are hidden ghettos in the nice areas.

does your neighborhood (the nice looking one from the pics) border west hartford? the part i was in didn't get nice until we reached windsor.

Jim, this is the part you were at. Some of those houses are on Blue Hills Ave. You did not stop to look very well. All of these streets are right off of Blue Hills near Keney Park. Blue Hills Borders the West End, West Hartford, Upper Albany - Htfd, North East - Htfd, and Bloomfield. I will try to post a map to detail the actual area shown in a little bit.

Actually Jim, I'm wrong. If you went into Windsor you were on North Main St. It is bad over there.

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Jim, this is the part you were at. Some of those houses are on Blue Hills Ave. You did not stop to look very well. All of these streets are right off of Blue Hills near Keney Park. Blue Hills Borders the West End, West Hartford, Upper Albany - Htfd, North East - Htfd, and Bloomfield. I will try to post a map to detail the actual area shown in a little bit.

Actually Jim, I'm wrong. If you went into Windsor you were on North Main St. It is bad over there.

yeah, that's where i was... i remember taking main st.

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:sick:

No my friend. This is around the corner from Blue Hills Ave. and Albany Ave. (44) in the heart of the ghetto. The neighborhood is actually not as nice when you get closer to Bloomfield. This is what everyone thinks is soooo bad. This is an all black neighborhood and most suburanites in Hartford would be scared here. That's the ridiculousness that I have to deal with. People just don't take the time to explore. You do have to go through bad neighborhoods to get here from most directions except West Hartford. That's why we are hidden away from the out of towners and suburbanites.

It looks like a nice area to live in....and I don't think Hartford is the scariest ghetto in NE. It's way too small geographically to be considered that bad...It's no different than any other 2nd tier NE city like Prov, Spfld, Worc., or NH. If I had the energy, time, and patience , I would post my block( nice ) and then then the area across from the park ( ghetto ) where they shot dead 6 people in 2005. It's all relative. I feel safe where I live, but my sister wouldn't be caught dead living anywhere near me.

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No my friend. This is around the corner from Blue Hills Ave. and Albany Ave. (44) in the heart of the ghetto. The neighborhood is actually not as nice when you get closer to Bloomfield. This is what everyone thinks is soooo bad. This is an all black neighborhood and most suburanites in Hartford would be scared here. That's the ridiculousness that I have to deal with. People just don't take the time to explore. You do have to go through bad neighborhoods to get here from most directions except West Hartford. That's why we are hidden away from the out of towners and suburbanites.

When I first got a job in Glastonbury, CT, a Jamaican co-worker took me to a Jamaican restuarant on Albany Avenue. I didn't know Hartford well at the time, all I know was the food was pretty good, and being a New York City rat for many years, I wasn't scared by the neighborhood. But none of the white workers, would ever go with us. They all thought I was nut. After the Jamaican co-work quitted, I still go there from time to time, sure I've gotten stared at, but when I am in a all white neighborhood, I've gotten stared at too. Is it because I am Asian :shades:

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When I first got a job in Glastonbury, CT, a Jamaican co-worker took me to a Jamaican restuarant on Albany Avenue. I didn't know Hartford well at the time, all I know was the food was pretty good, and being a New York City rat for many years, I wasn't scared by the neighborhood. But none of the white workers, would ever go with us. They all thought I was nut. After the Jamaican co-work quitted, I still go there from time to time, sure I've gotten stared at, but when I am in a all white neighborhood, I've gotten stared at too. Is it because I am Asian :shades:

Sounds like you are talking about either Scott's or Golden Krust. Scott's is awesome and the Scotts are really good people they actually go to my church. Golden Krust is pretty good too. Then again you could be talking about Jahm Ske or McGregor's or Channer's. Theres too many to count really.

As for the North End, yeah there are seriously some really bad areas around here that I try to avoid. I would have to have a GREAT reason to go to certain streets and actually chill there. Meaning she has to look really really really good!!!!!

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Tycoon - that 4th house is beautiful. Exactly the style of house I have been looking for :)

Jerry - While Tycoon is right in saying the entire North End of Hartford gets a bad rap, there are some downright scary neighborhoods.

Well, there's scary neighborhoods everywhere. I guess that's my point. In direct response to Tycoon's post in the RI forum, there are places in Prov that are probably just as bad if not worse than the North End of Htfd. Some RI posters will have you believe that it's an urban utopia. That's because they don't venture into the areas...kinda like West Htfd. people not crossing the dreaded border.

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Well, there's scary neighborhoods everywhere. I guess that's my point. In direct response to Tycoon's post in the RI forum, there are places in Prov that are probably just as bad if not worse than the North End of Htfd. Some RI posters will have you believe that it's an urban utopia. That's because they don't venture into the areas...kinda like West Htfd. people not crossing the dreaded border.

for those who havent' ventured to this hartford forum's defense... a lot of people on the prov forum actually do go to the worst areas of providence. in fact, i live a few blocks from the worst projects in the city.

hartford is actually known to have some of the worst ghettos in new england. there's a reason they are on the top 25 most dangerous cities list (although in a year, they dropped about 15 places, so they're doing a good job at cleaning up).

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for those who havent' ventured to this hartford forum's defense... a lot of people on the prov forum actually do go to the worst areas of providence. in fact, i live a few blocks from the worst projects in the city.

hartford is actually known to have some of the worst ghettos in new england. there's a reason they are on the top 25 most dangerous cities list (although in a year, they dropped about 15 places, so they're doing a good job at cleaning up).

The 2004 numbers were wildly skewed due to a nursing home fire that made national headlines. 16 patients died and the fire was ruled arson therefore we had 16 extra homicides for the year. That hurts when you only have 20 something total homicides.

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for those who havent' ventured to this hartford forum's defense... a lot of people on the prov forum actually do go to the worst areas of providence. in fact, i live a few blocks from the worst projects in the city.

hartford is actually known to have some of the worst ghettos in new england. there's a reason they are on the top 25 most dangerous cities list (although in a year, they dropped about 15 places, so they're doing a good job at cleaning up).

I'm glad that you can speak for all of UP RI posters, Jim...I don't agree with you on that one. Have you been to Cranston & Hanover block? Public & Prairie? I would guess not and Tycoon was a little offended by the slight elitism coming from certain people. While I agree with you on some points, it's fruitless to start a topic on UP about race, politics, Iraq, etc....The arguments, opinions, and comments just run in circles.

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I'm glad that you can speak for all of UP RI posters, Jim...I don't agree with you on that one. Have you been to Cranston & Hanover block? Public & Prairie? I would guess not and Tycoon was a little offended by the slight elitism coming from certain people. While I agree with you on some points, it's fruitless to start a topic on UP about race, politics, Iraq, etc....The arguments, opinions, and comments just run in circles.

yes i have. have you been to the section of hartford i was describing? how about the ghettos in bridgeport or waterbury or even some parts of new haven? i am not being elitist. while i do love providence, i recognize that we have some bad neighborhoods. i've been through a lot of them (like i said, i live right around the corner from the worst projects in the city and drive through it on occasion). i also love new haven, but i know that there are certain neighborhoods that are pretty bad. how much time have you spent in CT? before i moved to providence, i lived just outside new haven and spent some time in the city. while these bad neighborhoods are small compared to those in cities like new york, boston, or philly (where i've also been in some of the worst neighborhoods), you just can't really compare them because the cities aren't comparable in size to begin with. i also went to uconn, and spent time in hartford and have driven around and been through some of the neighborhoods there as well. the one i described was just the worst of what i've seen there.

i've read enough about what other people post and do for a living to know that they spend time in many of these bad neighborhoods. so while i can't speak for all the posters from providence, i imagine that they have experience in these neighborhoods.

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I'm glad that you can speak for all of UP RI posters, Jim...

He never said he spoke for everyone in Providence. Just because you have something personal against Providence doesn't mean you have to jump all over people who like the city.

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I'm glad that you can speak for all of UP RI posters, Jim...I don't agree with you on that one. Have you been to Cranston & Hanover block? Public & Prairie? I would guess not and Tycoon was a little offended by the slight elitism coming from certain people. While I agree with you on some points, it's fruitless to start a topic on UP about race, politics, Iraq, etc....The arguments, opinions, and comments just run in circles.

With that said, both cities have their fair share of problems and fair share of strengths. Hartford for business climate and Providence for quality of life...For people that have never been to the city, I suggest to do so. It is a lot more culturally diverse than one might think or judge by UP posters. One can even learn something and see what works and why..

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He never said he spoke for everyone in Providence. Just because you have something personal against Providence doesn't mean you have to jump all over people who like the city.

I have nothing against Providence. I live there and love it. However, I don't believe in painting a picture of some blissful bastion when it certainly isn't. The reason Tycoon posted these pictures is in direct response to people painting the term ghetto in predominantly black neighborhoods. So he wanted to show pictures of what a "fully-functioning" safe black neighborhood looks like..There are some people who still have pre-conceived notions about minority business, culture, and ways of life. I think both were right in some of their posts, but I alsio disagreed to a few of the things they said. With all that said..it is better to paint pictures in a positive light, but when one doesn't ...they shouldn't be chastizesd esp. when they started such a broad topic like " Gentrification"...What else can you expect when the subject crosses topics that could go on and on and on?

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I don't believe in painting a picture of some blissful bastion when it certainly isn't.

Which is it, we're planting a misconcieved notion of Providence as a land of milk and honey, or we're being too hard on ourselves about our disadvantaged neighborhoods?

I'm glad that HartfordTycoon shared these photos, but the images in this thread have no relation to the Valley and Olneyville areas we were talking about in the Gentrification thread. People are not saying it is because of blacks that Olneyville is failing as a community, there are a myrad of factors that are holding Olneyville back, among them race, and in the Gentrification thread, we are trying to touch on all of them.

I'm not sure who you are trying to chastize, since I was the one who started the Gentrification thread.

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I have nothing against Providence. I live there and love it. However, I don't believe in painting a picture of some blissful bastion when it certainly isn't. The reason Tycoon posted these pictures is in direct response to people painting the term ghetto in predominantly black neighborhoods. So he wanted to show pictures of what a "fully-functioning" safe black neighborhood looks like..There are some people who still have pre-conceived notions about minority business, culture, and ways of life. I think both were right in some of their posts, but I alsio disagreed to a few of the things they said. With all that said..it is better to paint pictures in a positive light, but when one doesn't ...they shouldn't be chastizesd esp. when they started such a broad topic like " Gentrification"...What else can you expect when the subject crosses topics that could go on and on and on?

That is the main reason why I posted these. It may not have been intentional, but it came off as if some of you had never heard of stable middle class neighborhoods that are predominantly black or hispanic. I posted this to illustrate my neighborhood, which is the only neighborhood I have ever lived in. I feel it gets overlooked here in Hartford and that gross generalizions are made about the North End, when in reality there are some hot spots. The vast majority of the North End is reasonably safe, especially the more residential areas. The commercial areas on this side of town can be tough at times, but on the day to day are reasonably safe as well. I have never been robbed or beaten and I live here and go into pretty tough parts of the city routinely. Granted I blend in and that makes it a bit easier. To me it's common sense that most black people in America live in safe quiet neighborhoods. I know this from vast experience being black. :D It is also true that most of the people in bad inner city neighborhoods are persons of color, and I think this is why some people get confused about the truth. The fact is that in every state or metro with a sizeable black community, most of that community is middle class and does not live in the slums.

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those houses don't look bad at all, though a few look like they could deteriorate quickly if not for some repairs. All in all seems like a good neighborhood, one i certainly wouldn't mind buying into. i agree, if in west hartford you could double the value/price. hard to believe that is in the north end, though when people hear north end, most likely they envision albany ave and homestead. i was stopped at a stoplight on albany ave last weekend when a panhandler tried soliciting money from me, walked right up to the car knocking on the window.

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The Blue Hills area is pretty nice, there are a few bad parts thrown in, but it's generally safe. If you cut past Weaver and over to Nahum Drive it's pretty crappy, and if you go east a little toward Kent St and Deerfield St it can get pretty brutal too...

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