How's Hartford?

<p>I'm applying to Trinity and I've been there once or twice, but I haven't really spent time in Hartford. I know it's a city, so there's crime, but how is it really? If I went to Trinity would I be able to walk around campus at midnight? ( I hope I don't offend people from Hartford, but I heard that there's quite a bit of crime)</p>

<p>I live in a suburb really close to Hartford and although I dont spend a lot of time there, I’ve heard that there is a lot of crime. My father works for an insurance company nearby Trinity College and he says that its not a safe area to walk around in at night. Like any other city its important to use your common sense, I’m sure if you do that u’ll be fine.</p>

<p>The campus is pretty secluded, and I hear they do a great job with security, but as with any college campus or any urban environment you’ll want to be aware of your surroundings at night.</p>

<p>Hartford itself isn’t the most glamorous of cities, but you’re nearby one of the few exciting places to be in town, ie the Webster with its relatively cheap, good concerts.</p>

<p>alright, sounds pretty chill then. thanks.</p>

<p>go see for yourself–the campus is green, gothic, safe, lovely, and small. The surrounding area seems to me dangerous and depressing (I lived there for years, though it was long ago–on a recent visit it didn’t look much better.) Don’t take anyone’s word for it, though-- go look, and not just at the campus. Drive–or walk–through the area around the campus, take the public transportation–</p>

<p>I wouldn’t go so far as to say the surrounding area is “depressing,” as I’m sure the residents teem with pride for their heritage and their tight-knit neighborhood and community.</p>

<p>I happen to be a student employee at Campus Safety, and they are a great, friendly bunch of individuals who love this college and value everyone’s well-being. I’ll never understand why anyone would walk around at midnight, but given the pervasiveness of the on-campus social scene, Campus Safety is highly active during late-night hours. Interestingly, most crimes against students are actually committed by other students (assaults, thefts, rapes, hate crimes, etc.). However, they are handled internally and only reflected by Campus Safety’s annual report.</p>

<p>To address safety concerns as the upper-middle class misnomer that I presume you’re inquiring about, clashing with “Hartford locals” become more of an issue when students choose to venture off-campus inebriated at 3 and 4AM to buy cigarettes/dutches from the nearby gas station. As someone said above, it is important to use your common sense. Campus safety can only do so much, considering that they are stationed on-campus, as suggested by their name.</p>

<p>Looking at statistics for all U.S. Cities, Hartford is one of the most dangerous. It ranks # 7 most dangerous. I’ve been to the area of Hartford near Trinity and it does not feel safe. The Trinity campus is beautiful, but staying on campus may become a bit confining after a while.</p>

<p>Well aren’t there towns that are pretty quaint around??</p>

<p>I stayed there overnight once, and my host was telling me about West Hartford (?) he said that if he wants to get off campus, he goes to the town near by, which is apparently like ritzy and kind a awesome. Trinity by itself is pretty awesome though!</p>

<p>I never felt “confined” at Trinity. There was always a ton to do on campus: parties, dances, theater, concerts, movies (at Cinestudio, a real movie theater with curtains!), low key student run stuff. Trinity is an oasis of green and calm surrounded by gorgeous architecture.</p>

<p>Now it is true I would not stroll off campus because the nearby neighborhoods have no attractions and are not very safe at night. One exception: the Learning Corridor across the street is a gem with great opporunities to do community service and tutoring in various specialized public schools. It is really convenient to get involved there.</p>

<p>West Hartford is ten minutes away and Blue Back Square has a ton of attractions (bookstores, theater, restaurants, Whole Foods, shopping). Students get a free bus pass and it is easy to take the bus to the WestFarms mall or downtown for internships. Plus lots of upperclassmen have cars. If you like quaint New England towns, Wethersfield is also ten minutes away on the Connecticut River. Totally charming atmosphere there.</p>

<p>Trinity is awesome, PWilcox!!</p>

<p>I grew up in West Hartford and Newington, only a couple of miles from Trinity. My great grandmother lived on Zion Street, which in near Summit Stree. I love the south end of Hartford. Very ethnic. Great restaurants, cafes, ethnic grocers and bakeries. I am of Italian heritage and Franklin Avenue is Hartford’s Little Italy, although it is now more ethnically diverse. In all honesty I do not think Hartford is any more dangerous than any other city. Sure it has its rough sections and there are certain areas I would not walk alone at night. But I think the city, and Trinity, have made huge strides in bridging town-gown. The Learning Corridor is one shining example. There is also a lot happening in downtown Hartford. I currently reside in Rochester, NY, a city, in terms off demographics, very similar to Hartford. The one big difference I see between Rochester and Hartford is that Hartford moves forward on urban initiatives while Rochester can’t seem to get past the discussion stage on anything. Everytime I return “home”, there is something new to see or experience.</p>

<p>Now my opening comments are based upon my having grown up in the area. I can also provide a little insight from a prospective student perspective. My daughter is a senior in HS and has applied to Trinity’s Class of 2014. She is a distance runner, biker and all-around outdoors type. Naturally she is drawn to Colby, Bates, Bowdoin, Connecticut College, Middlebury, Hobart and William Smith, and Susquehanna. My wife and I were certain that she would not like Trinity because of its urban location. We also had concerns about her running and biking in the area around Trinity. But to our pleasant surprise, she loved Trinity - the campus, students, programs, coaches, learning environment, and proximity to outdoor recreation. There is so much more to having a great college experience, and Trinity offers those things.</p>

<p>Just my personal thoughts.</p>

<p>Be very very careful.</p>

<p>My daughter just found out she got in and is really excited about going there. However, I am sending her to school with several vials of pepper spray and a personal alarm. She has a good friend there who said that hearing gunshots st night is not uncommon. The school was on lock down last fall because there was an armed person in the vicinity who ended up shooting himself on the steps of a convenience store!</p>

<p>^ Does your screen name have anything to do with your attitude? Just thought I’d ask …</p>

<p>Hartford has all the problems of an urban town. So does Berkeley, so does New Haven, so do Columbia and NYU, etc. etc. And even among the so-called safer places – who expected a massacre at a place like Virginia Tech? My son could die in a car accident tomorrow, for all I know. He has a better chance of being mowed down on a freeway in California than of being shot in Hartford.</p>

<p>I’m a current Trinity College student. Hartford is a complicated place. Yes, there is crime. Muggings, sexual or physical assault, robbery, car jackings, drugs, and gun violence are not uncommon on campus. Most of this can be avoided by simple common sense: don’t walk alone at night, don’t carry valuables with you, don’t let strangers into your dorm, lock your car, etc. But crime is a reality. I don’t know what the actual statistics are compared to other urban campuses. I would say that if you choose to attend college in any urban setting, you should be prepared for these possibilities. </p>

<p>However, we need to be careful not to demonize Hartford residents, or as many students pejoratively call them, ‘the locals’. Hartford people receive unfair discrimination by many students. We have an open campus, which allows any person to walk freely around the campus and public buildings day and night. The majority of the time, most of these visitors are just enjoying a walk. Keep in mind that often, campus crime is committed by students against students (rape, theft, assault). I wouldn’t say that this is a frequent problem. It’s the same at any college. But it’s helpful to remember that you’re just as likely to be robbed by a student. You have to be smart no matter what.</p>

<p>The typical college student will probably not be thrilled with Hartford. The immediate neighborhood is very poor, and many of the local shops cater to the community, not preppy, middle to upper class students. However, there are some really good local restaurants, and there’s a lot to be found if a person is interested in urban or global studies, especially the Hispanic neighborhoods. Besides that, downtown Hartford has some nice stores, restaurants, bars, and clubs, and within a 10 minute drive you have several suburban towns with all the usual offerings (mall, food, etc). Further than that, Hartford is pretty accessible to New York City, Boston, and other more ‘exciting’ places. </p>

<p>Honestly, the consensus at Trinity is that Hartford is not an ideal college town. The social life is very much centered on the campus, which is nice because students become close, and there’s a lot of activities and parties going on. I’m a senior now, so I have to say the campus life does become boring after a year or two, but by then you should find your niche and favorite off campus places to go. The real strength of Hartford is that it has some good opportunities for internships with various companies, political offices, ethnic or language studies, etc.</p>

<p>Just walked back from the library alone at midnight and yea, I wasn’t really worrying about being mugged along the way. The campus itself does feel pretty secure and is well lit; and for the most part, safety concern does not really affect everyday life. There are certain portions near the edge of the campus where I wouldn’t walk alone after midnight though. Common sense goes a long way, and this isn’t any different in any other big city.</p>

<p>Don’t forget the perks of being in a city like Hartford. It’s location between NYC and Boston is perfect if you are looking for internships/jobs and need to go down for an interview. Or if you just need a change of scene! Hartford itself has some big companies as well as political offices (since Hartford is the capital of CT) that Trinity students regularly intern at.</p>

<p>Just as a thought from California. A sexual predator now in jail on charges of kidnapping was free on parole and was seen on the UC Berkeley campus several years ago. No one bothered him at all. I don’t know the name of the fellow but he had held someone in his home.</p>

<p>For what it’s worth, a recent survey of the top 25 most dangerous campuses in the country featured a number of Boston area schools (MIT, Tufts and Emerson were all top 5 worst - Harvard was also in there) but nothing in the Hartford area:</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.the%5B/url%5D”>www.the</a> daily beast.com/tag/most+dangerous+colleges</p>