<p>I've been bombarded by warnings that the "townies" are a bunch of trouble making lowlifes. Any truth here?</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>I have family that lives there, and when I visited one summer it didn’t seem that way. In fact, walking around town, there was barely anyone even there. It’s a quiet, somewhat quaint little place.</p>
<p>We call them “Troylets” for a reason. ;)</p>
<p>On campus is definitely okay. I’ve never had a problem, and if you did happen to have one pubsafe would probably respond pretty quickly.</p>
<p>Of campus it depends where you are. When it is warm, I’d say someone gets mugged in the vicinity of campus once a week or every other week. They post signs when it happens.</p>
<p>No college campus can be assumed safe. I have two kids at RPI and don’t worry about them any more than normal, just use common sense, especially at night. There’s nice areas to downtown Troy and then not so nice areas. When going for off campus housing, just choose wisely. There’s a difference between not-rich and dangerous. Troy strikes me as more not-rich.</p>
<p>I got mugged at knife-point once in Albany when heading back from the bus station, but nothing physical in Troy (though I did hear a less-than-nice and unprovoked comment about my oft-hated ancestry from a Troy local one day as I walked by his house…). </p>
<p>On a separate occasion, a woman (presumably from Troy) told me (as I walked by the '86 field) that she doesn’t think the Indian students playing cricket on the field should be engaging in a British game (I responded with something like “let them do what they want” and kept walking… I wasn’t in the right state-of-mind to come up with a more elaborate response).</p>
<p>Downtown Troy is fairly nice, really, and it’s plenty safe during the day. There are some sketchy streets though, and I’ve been confronted and asked for money before (in an intimidating fashion but not an openly threatening one) on some of those streets around sundown. Basically, if you don’t see anyone on a certain street, you probably shouldn’t walk down it.</p>
<p>Troy was a real pit 10/20 years ago according to my relatives who live there, but it’s come a long way since then. But like you have to in any city, pay attention to your surroundings.</p>
<p>I have worked and lived in 7 different cities in NYS. I can tell you from personal experience that Troy is filled with the absolute worst human beings who have ever walked the face of the earth. Albany was voted the meanest city in America, but its mainly because Troy is largely seen by outsiders as, “basically part of Albany.”</p>
<p>In troy and in troy only do I see, on a consistent basis, people fighting or getting ready to fight, motorists consistently and deliberately putting other peoples lives in danger, and people just blatantly being disrespectful to other people for no reason at all.</p>
<p>I have worked out a theory that I have had a lifetime resident of Troy agree with. We feel very strongly that it is largely from people having to leave NYC to go to Albany and the people who cant make it in Albany, moving to Troy. </p>
<p>So basically, proud but disgraced ex New Yorkers who feel they have, “been reduced,” to living in a city many people in NY State have never even heard of. </p>
<p>I dont want to believe its all because of the townies because I know a few townies here who have become my best friends. </p>
<p>My advice is that if you go to school here, do not insult or piss off any of the townies. Like I was describing, many of them for the reasons ascribed above are very insecure and will stab you or beat you to a pulp for absolutely no reason other than you’re a college kid. No joke. Be careful out there.</p>
<p>Troy is fine, and far from “terrible.” For most students Troy is more boring than dangerous. Fortunately there’s plenty to do on campus, and downtown is nice. The so-called “townies” are mostly hardworking or non-working folks trying to get through their days. Just don’t be naive, no matter were you go to school because there’s always somebody looking to take advantage of college kids.</p>
<p>My son says Troy has really improved in the couple of years he’s been there. We really like walking around in the town, by the water, to a good coffee shop or the market. They have some good restaurants too. </p>