<p>I have been told that Rice resides in a very poor and unsafe neighborhood. Is this true?</p>
<p>Who gave you this information?</p>
<p>A little bit of searching shows that Rice is right next to the Village, West U and in-general a fairly affluent part of town. The other side of Rice is the medical center.</p>
<p>Yes, there are incidents every now and then, as with anywhere. But Rice is a far cry from unsafe.</p>
<p><em>Note: I am not a Rice student, but this is what I have experienced.</em></p>
<p>When I went on an overnight visit, my host and her roommate said they felt very safe on Rice’s campus. My host (a petite female) walked across campus alone at midnight because she had forgotten her ID in another building–and she seemed to feel perfectly comfortable doing so. I’ve heard multiple times how students can call Rice security for an escort back to their dorm if they feel unsafe or uncomfortable.</p>
<p>Rice is surrounded by beautiful homes (“West U”) and shops (“Rice Village”), and the campus feels safe even at night. Houston, like any big city, has its share of crime, though. So Rice students, like everyone else in Houston, need to be smart about safety. If you are thinking about Rice, a campus visit should ease your concerns about safety.</p>
<p>I live 10 minutes from Rice and Rice is definitely not located in a poor and unsafe area. It’s actually surrounded on 3 sides with expensive, upscale homes, with the 4th side being the Texas Medical Center (with 14 hospitals and 2 medical schools). Take a look at the virtual tour to get a sense of the “neighborhood.” [Rice</a> University - Virtual Tours](<a href=“http://www.rice.edu/virtualtours/]Rice”>Visit Rice | Rice University)</p>
<p>Here is a 360 view of one of the residential areas next to campus: <a href=“http://www.rice.edu/virtualtours/cityofhouston/tourfiles/flash/index_fs.html?utm_source=Tour&utm_medium=Virtual&utm_campaign=HoustonFull[/url]”>http://www.rice.edu/virtualtours/cityofhouston/tourfiles/flash/index_fs.html?utm_source=Tour&utm_medium=Virtual&utm_campaign=HoustonFull</a> – look at the 2nd photo that’s labeled “South Boulevard”</p>
<p>newjersey17 – absolutely untrue --it’s in a beautiful neighborhood!
And that’s one of the reasons that Princeton Review has named it the number one school in the country for quality of living – among other categories. </p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/rice-university/973226-rice-1-quality-life-princeton-review-2011-a.html?highlight=Princeton+Review[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/rice-university/973226-rice-1-quality-life-princeton-review-2011-a.html?highlight=Princeton+Review</a></p>
<p>brown rice is supposed to be healthier than white rice.</p>
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<p>We are humbled that you took time to share this wisdom with us.</p>
<p>Thank you for all your feedback. My husband told me that it was unsafe so I thought I’d reach out and see if that is true. He used to live in Texas and has family in Houston. Thanks again.</p>
<p>I’d suggest you and your DH go for a visit!!</p>
<p>Agreed. It will give you a chance to experience the school, the neighborhood and the city. You can then decide if you like it or not.</p>
<p>Also at night the RPD (Rice Police Dept.) barricades or blocks off most of the entrances into the campus. Not the main entrance of course, but the ones near the colleges that are open during the day. </p>
<p>I do not know the exact times but I think weekdays around midnight. Then they are opened back up around 5:30 - 6:00 am to allow the early morning services like garbage collection and food service deliveries, etc. </p>
<p>I had to call RPD last semester to make sure a cab could get into one of the college entrances area to pick up a student for a early morning airline departure. Fortunately in this case it worked out that the cab arrived shortly after the barricades were removed but I was a bit worried that if the cab went early he would find that he could not get into the arranged pick up location near the college.</p>
<p>Even the main entrance gets closed. The only entrance open is the entrance near the RUPD building.</p>
<p>Rice’s campus is the safest place to publicly be in Houston I can think of. The only things that happen are petty thefts</p>
<p>I was somewhat hesitant to comment on this thread as I will be attending Rice in the fall as a freshman in the Class of 2015 and I have only once had the opportunity to visit campus prior to applying/attending. </p>
<p>When I visited Rice I wasn’t sure what to expect, as I knew very little about the city, the location of the campus, and Texas in general (It’s somewhat surprising that my Mom and I were even able to navigate ourselves there…haha). However, after touring the campus and scoping out Rice Village, I observed the campus as being a wonderful enclave in one of the most beautiful neighborhoods I’d ever visited. I haven’t yet been on the campus at night, but I did quite a bit of walking around that day, both with a tour guide and without, and I can honestly say that I forgot I was in one of the most populus cities in the nation and felt incredibly safe the entire time. I can’t wait for O-Week, so that I can go back to that amazing place!
GO RICE! :D</p>
<p>To the OP…It’s very easy to use streetview in Google maps and look at the area surrounding Rice (Main at Sunset, Main at University). The West U/Med Center area surrounding Rice has some of the most expensive real estate in Texas. Houston is huge and sprawling, but the Rice area is lovely and not at all overwhelming. I’d move from the 'burbs and live there in a minute…if I could afford it.</p>
<p>(Actually…as a native Texan and 25 year resident of Houston, I kinda find it astounding someone who has lived in Texas would have their information so wrong. Not criticizing…just surprised.)</p>
<p>Rice is in a rich area of Houston. Being a student here, the idea of me feeling “unsafe” at Rice at any time is almost laughable.</p>
<p>Although my impression of Rice is that it is very safe for students, there seems to be a fair amount of property crime. My son’s (locked) bike was stolen from campus last week, and his roommate’s car was stolen from a campus parking lot last month. Neither has been recovered.</p>
<p>This is very true. Last year, 50-75 bikes were stolen over Christmas break. Unfortunately, Rice is the place for crimes of opportunity. A lot of people leave unsecured bikes/laptops and they are stolen. Once we became an established location for petty theft, thieves have gotten bolder and have started cutting locks etc. (and now cars. Have not seen that happen 
)</p>
<p>While Rice is safe and feels very safe, we must remember that we are in the middle of the city. I definitely recommend U-Bolts at the minimum for bicycles. Also, park the bike indoors during breaks.</p>
<p>It’s a college campus. Petty theft happens (although I leave my door unlocked and my laptop sitting out in commons all the time), but I have NEVER felt unsafe on campus. Not even walking back from West Lot at 2am…</p>