St Paul Worst Crime Area (Minneapolis, Plymouth: apartment, rental, home)

[Globe199]

Originally Posted by obama08

one other area i would not go near is lexington st and university ave just because there are alot of gang activities in that area esspacially that tall public housing building where 90% of the rasidents are somalians and im not trying to sound like im racsist or anything but i swear to god they are one dangerous type of people. so i would encourge you new comers and visters not to be near that area...and ohh yea 85% of the people living in that area are blacks and somalis thank god they build a new police station in that area

I don't think the immediate area surrounding Lexington & University is that bad. But certainly when you start going east on University it gets sketchy. Actually, I think the biggest problem between the Capitol and Lexington are all the empty storefronts and general 'deserted' feeling. I go that way about once every three years.

[MRNorthSide]

Originally Posted by Camden Northsider

When would you like to come nalts? And LOL - my friend that lives a few blocks away from Metro State in E St. Paul always comments on how nice the northside neighborhoods look on his drive to get to our house from downtown (down fremont and past broadway/ lowry, etc.).

Faces of Frogtown:



Frogtown Prostitution mug shots.

Edgerton:



Mt Airy:

http://www.stpaulpha.org/images/pageorg.jpg (broken link)

[kipkip12]

it makes me wonder how East Side St. Paul is today. I found Rice Street to be kind of interesting to visit, if not for the Scandinavian Market and Tobacco Shope near 694. The odd thing to me was so many cemeteries along Dale street it seems like there was a different one every other block. and run down or decreptitating business. There is a gas station on Rice st. with a popcorn maker in it with one of the friendliest attendants. it would somehow draw you back unlike some areas in the suburbs.

[Double]

Originally Posted by lukeache

I was looking at the St Paul crime map and the worst part of the city for crime (not surprisingly) is East St Paul, just about any immediate areas along Arcade Street all the way up to Arcade/Maryland. That area around Metropolitan State University is pretty bad too. I was walking around MSU last week and I parked by Maria Ave and 5th Street, I could not believe some of the houses in that block. Very trashy, ghetto looking! Also, they built a "short stay" hotel on Maria Ave and as I was walking, I noticed lots of shady people just sitting on the steps of the houses, I could not tell if they were homeless ppl, drug addicts or what, but some very strange vibes in that area. Also, I will never forget when that St Paul cop was shot(Vick?)..surprisingly by Arcade/Reaney Ave. For those of you considering moving to St Paul, stay away from the East Side..it might not look that bad, but it is very bad!!

Why would a guy from Eagan just randomly post a thread advising nobody in particular to stay away from the East Side?

The houses are "ghetto-looking"? Though not quite ghetto enough to be deemed as "straight ghetto". Thanks for tossing us a crumb.

You noticed lots of "shady people" sitting on the steps of the houses? Did you stop an ask these people why they were sitting there? How dare they sit on the steps? Maybe they, gasp, LIVE THERE! And ruining your "vibe" while they're at it.

Thanks for not forgetting that Sgt. Gerald Vick was shot on the east side. I hope you also don't forget that Deputy Christopher Dewey was shot in the small town of Mahnomen, MN (pop. 1200) 235 miles northwest of St. Paul just last month.

Your poor advice about moving to the east side is offensive.

[Camden Northsider]

I actually really like the neighborhood around Metro State - beautiful old homes on hilly streets, the neighborhood has a ton of charm and character as well as a lot of residents that do really keep up and take pride in the neighborhood. I've known a few people that lived in this area (all young professionals) that all seemed to really like it (and they had awesome apts that consisted of entire floors of old mansions) - up until a year or two ago, we used to go there every 4th of July and walk from their house to Metro State to watch fireworks - we never saw anything remotely "scary" while out in the neighborhood or walking back to their house at night.

I'm pretty ignorant about St. Paul neighborhoods - is the above nbrhd part of Dayton's Bluff? If it is, it seems like there's been a ton of positive press and renewed interest in rehabbing old homes in this area in recent years, to the point where its even had some write-ups in a couple of national publications (This Old House to name one).

Also, as I don't know much about St. Paul, I often don't pipe in too much re: neighborhoods there, but I don't know what everyone's fears are about E St. Paul - from what I've seen of it, the areas people call "ghetto" I would deem everyday blue-collar areas as can be found throughout the Midwest, and some areas I've heard are actually really nice - I also have friends that live in the more 'blue collar' areas of East SP that are raising young families and bright happy children there without incident.

People in MN really need to get out more and regain some perspective of what to consider "dangerous" or "ghetto". This isn't a rosy-colored view, and I'm not denying that there is a LARGE gap between the rich and the poor in the cities that old-school Minnesotans would never have tolerated in the past. I similarly don't deny there are problematic areas where unnecessary violence often takes place here (and I am not implicating any area in particular here as you can find this in most "areas" in MSP). What confuses me, however, is how there can be so many people that are seemingly so obcessed with (and harbor such irrational fear about) issues of crime, poverty, and quality of life in neighborhoods they know nothing about; yet, rather than do something positive and productive like volunteer at a community center or nonprofit agency that serves that neighborhood (and try to become more informed/ better people in general), they devote hours upon hours to bashing/ slinging mud at these neighborhoods and their residents on boards like this. Get a life!!!!

[Ghengis]

Excel Energy Center During Wild Games

[krillbee]

Originally Posted by kipkip12

it makes me wonder how East Side St. Paul is today. I found Rice Street to be kind of interesting to visit, if not for the Scandinavian Market and Tobacco Shope near 694. The odd thing to me was so many cemeteries along Dale street it seems like there was a different one every other block. and run down or decreptitating business. There is a gas station on Rice st. with a popcorn maker in it with one of the friendliest attendants. it would somehow draw you back unlike some areas in the suburbs.

Rice Street has some potential. If it can rid itself of it's 'suburbia' look along the northern part of it, it could do a lot better. The auto places, strip malls near Larpenter Ave, and things like that really don't help.

[bscavo34]

i work in east st. paul and i will say that i wouldnt live there if the rent was free!

i see a lot of "east side pride" signs and yet i dont know where the "pride" comes in with all that trash in the streets and in people's yards. i am sure there are some "decent" parts... but a lot of it is gross. lots of ghetto people just sitting around, blaring their music, not caring about their neighbors.. and drinking while waiting for their welfare check to be delivered.

[bscavo34]

people that grew up in this neighborhood take offense to anyone that has anything bad to say about it, completely avoiding the fact that there IS a lot of people in the area that are simply up to no good! there are many vacant and abandoned houses... and a LOT of the houses that are lived in are not very well kept up. not saying all.. eventually you will see a diamond in the rough. usually on each block of the more unsavory areas, there will be maybe ONE house where you can tell the owner has taken some pride in where he/she lives. unfortuantly, a lot of the jobless losers that sit and drink all day, smoke weed, ect... have to ruin it for the few that actually try to make their home nice. too bad all that work they put into it will be for nothing because when and if they do decide to get out of the "hood", they aren't going to get **** for their house because of the area. also, lots of homes are rentals... which means there are constantly new people moving in and out and they could care less how ****ty the house looks because they dont own it and dont plan on staying there for a very long period. seriously... i could go on and on about this. but.. you get my point.

and also.. if East Side is so nice, then howcome...LITERALLY, every other resident owns a pitbull or german shepard?

[bscavo34]

camden northstar. me going to a charity event is not going to make the crackhead on the corner want to clean up his/her act and get a job so i can stop PAYING for them to do nothing all day but this.