> From what I’ve read it looks like the area can be a target for armed robberies and attacks.

No more so (probably less so) than Hampden, FWIW.

We live on the last block of a cross street before the western border. It's a little grungier over here, but not in a way that's ever felt dangerous to me. I run by myself in the early morning all the time, used to walk by myself to the hardware store when we had one. However, I'm a father of a 3-year-old so I'm never out past 9PM, and can't really speak much to what it's like at night or for a woman.

I'll say the bike commute to Hampden is dead simple, especially if you want to invest in an e-bike to give you a little boost up hills.

The one thing I would ask is will you know people in the city? If you're up by the NW corner of Bolton Hill you are far from the going-out spots in Mt Vernon / Midtown / Station North. Hampden is far enough away that you will have to uber home if you are drinking.

If you're living by yourself, Bolton Hill, especially up towards the NW, might not be the best neighborhood for your first year in the city. It's mostly MICA students (who keep to themselves for the most part), families, and retirees - not the best environment for building up a friend group.