Decent suburbs close to Hamilton Central

[Elliana]

Going house-hunting in Hamilton soon...

I've browsed these forums and it seems like the only decent suburbs relatively close to Hamilton Central would be Hillcrest, Glenview, and St Andrews?

How about the Hamilton Lake area? I loved the houses there the first time I drove around it (I can't stand the huge wooden fencing that surrounds many of the houses in other areas - staring out my window at a wooden wall is not my idea of relaxation ). Is it a reasonably good area to rent in, in terms of crime safety?

[Auburn]

Hamilton Lake is better than the other areas you've mentioned, IMO. Depending on what side you're on, you could be in the zone for Ham West School, and it's a really good school. I lived there, and loved it. We never had any issues, but there are good/bad parts of every area, do have a good look around first. I'm a street away from the Lake and in Hamilton West, so that's another option for you.

[Elliana]

Thanks, Auburn. We are a young couple with no kids, so proximity to schools isn't important to us. But, glad to hear the Lake is generally a good place to live.

Isn't most of the West part of Hamilton pretty rough though? I get that it isn't all the same, I mean the majority of it.

Also, how do you determine whether a place is good/bad by looking around? I do look at general stuff like how the houses look and how they're maintained, if there's anything rowdy or unsavoury going on, but is there anything else I should look for?

[Elliana]

Also, how is Hamilton Central itself? I wouldn't get the rooms that are upstairs from the bars on the main streets, of course... but there seem to be some decent dwellings on the fringe of the CBD.