Living in Norwood: rent, commute and grades

The Bronx · Updated October 2026

Fieldstone farmhouse with a white porch and black shutters behind iron fence.

A stone Gothic Revival house with a porch in morning light.

Stone gate posts and broad stairs lead up to the recreation centre.

A playground fenced behind trees with apartment buildings.

Brick apartment building and cars on a residential street.

Photo credits

Photo: Dmadeo, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Hugo L. González, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Hugo L. González, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Tdorante10, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Tdorante10, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Rent in Norwood

$1,050 a month

Type of homeA room in a 2-bedroom, shared by two

Norwood is cheaper with roommates

Find people looking in Norwood

COverall

Norwood graded

Grades compare NYC neighborhoods with each other. How the grades work.

Everyday life

B+Walkability
The average home has 5 of 5 everyday needs within a 10-minute walk (grocery store, restaurant, cafe, subway station, park) and about 203 places to eat or shop.
C+Food and shopping
Within a 10-minute walk of the average home: about 41 places to eat, 16 kinds of cuisine, 4.4 large grocery stores and 121 open storefronts.
Residents: The Woodlawn and Norwood area can feel like a food desert. Resident, Feb 2026
City data alone would give B-; what residents say in 5 Reddit threads moves it to C+.
A+Parks and green space
100% of residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park of an acre or more, with about 1,403 acres of parkland within 1 km and about 780 street trees within 300 m of the average home.
Residents: Living a block from the Oval means having a great park nearby. Parent, May 2026
City data and 8 resident threads on Reddit agree on this grade.

People

B-Community
22% of households moved in since 2018, 5% are roommates sharing a home, 19% of residents are 22 to 34, and there are about 9 cafes and bars within a 10-minute walk of the average home.
Residents: Living a block from the D train and the Oval feels safe, and neighbors know each other well. Parent, May 2026
C-Nightlife
About 6 bars, clubs and restaurants licensed to serve alcohol on site within a 10-minute walk of the average home.
Residents: Norwood is family oriented with little nightlife; residents go to Kingsbridge for a nicer bar or restaurant. Resident, Feb 2024

Home and safety

FSafety
11 murders, robberies, felony assaults and burglaries were reported per 1,000 residents in 2025 (433 in all).
Residents: The neighborhood leans toward families and feels safe and friendly. New resident, Feb 2024
City data alone would give D; what residents say in 8 Reddit threads moves it to F.
DQuiet
60 noise complaints to 311 per 1,000 residents in 2025, not counting helicopter complaints, and counting each address at most 12 days a year. That measures how often people complain, not how loud it is.
Residents: Ongoing construction is a frequent nuisance in the area. Resident, Mar 2025
City data and 4 resident threads on Reddit agree on this grade.
FBuilding upkeep
55.1 serious housing code violations (class B or C) were issued in 2025 per 100 rented homes, and there were 23.3 heat or hot water complaints per 100 rented homes.
Residents: Apartments in the area tend to be big and well maintained. Resident, Feb 2024

Who lives there

Young families

What residents say

Residents like

CommunityLiving a block from the D train and the Oval feels safe, and neighbors know each other well. Parent, May 2026
Parks and green spaceNorwood is a pretty area with lots of parks and green space. Resident, Aug 2025
Food and shoppingThere are lots of stores and fast food places. Lifelong resident, Apr 2025
SafetyThe neighborhood leans toward families and feels safe and friendly. New resident, Feb 2024
CommunityWilliamsbridge Oval is great for activities, including free opera screenings, and the area is very dog friendly. Resident of 10 years, Jun 2025
Parks and green spaceLiving on Mosholu Parkway, the Oval is a big plus. Resident, Apr 2025

Residents don’t like

Food and shoppingThe Woodlawn and Norwood area can feel like a food desert. Resident, Feb 2026
QuietOngoing construction is a frequent nuisance in the area. Resident, Mar 2025
NightlifeNorwood is family oriented with little nightlife; residents go to Kingsbridge for a nicer bar or restaurant. Resident, Feb 2024

Show 15 moreShow less

Safety

People loiter outside apartment building doors trying to get in, and drug use happens openly beside residential buildings.
Resident, Mar 2025
People on drugs harassing passersby have made the Norwood and Mosholu Parkway area feel run down lately.
Grew up there, Mar 2025
Newcomers wanting a safer short stay in the north Bronx should avoid Norwood.
Not a resident, May 2026

Food and shopping

The area could use more restaurants and more grocery options, though it has some really good spots.
Resident, Mar 2025
Everyday needs are covered: a few restaurants and delis, salons, discount stores, a florist, groceries and a gym.
Resident, Feb 2024
Bainbridge Avenue and Gun Hill Road have lots of very cheap restaurants serving many cuisines, plus a main supermarket on Gun Hill.
Not a resident, Apr 2025

Nightlife

There are no gastropubs or trendy coffee shops; for those, residents head to Kingsbridge or around Fordham University.
New resident, Feb 2024
Norwood is a residential area with low key things to do rather than events or a scene.
Not a resident, Jun 2025

Quiet

Around Webster and Decatur Avenues there is a lot of music playing on the sidewalks.
Not a resident, Jun 2025
Around the Reservoir Oval it is a pretty quiet area, though it gets more active in summer.
Not a resident, Apr 2025
Norwood is quiet as long as you live away from Gun Hill Road.
Not a resident, Feb 2024

Parks and green space

Living a block from the Oval means having a great park nearby.
Parent, May 2026
Van Cortlandt Park is about a 15 minute walk from Norwood.
Not a resident, Feb 2026
Williamsbridge Oval is a gorgeous park.
Grew up there, Jul 2025

Building upkeep

Apartments in the area tend to be big and well maintained.
Resident, Feb 2024

Getting around from Norwood

By subway or bus, arriving by 9:00 on a weekday:Under 30 min30 to 45 min45 to 60 minOver an hourNorwood

Mosholu Pkwy 4
Norwood-205 St D
Woodlawn 4

Residents: Commuting from the Woodlawn and Norwood area to Lower Manhattan is hard, with 4 train work and stacked delays making early airport trips stressful. Resident, Feb 2026

Residents: Besides the D, residents can walk to the 2 and the 4 and use Metro North. Resident, Aug 2025

What to know about Norwood

Norwood was known as "Little Belfast" for a couple of decades in the late 20th century, after many immigrants from Northern Ireland settled there. It has also been called Bainbridge, after the shopping area at Bainbridge Avenue and East 204th Street. Source
Norwood's main street runs from the Williamsbridge Oval down Bainbridge Avenue and East 204th Street, then west on Webster Avenue toward Fordham Road: a 1.5 mile corridor of small businesses shared with Bedford Park. Traces of "Little Belfast" can still be found along Bainbridge Avenue. Source
Norwood's residential streets are mostly 6- and 8-story apartment buildings, with pockets of larger detached and attached houses from the early 20th century. Source
Norwood began as a dairy farm owned by the Varian family. Revolutionary War battles were fought in what was then dense woods, and several streets are named for foreign heroes of that war: DeKalb, Rochambeau and Steuben. Source
Montefiore Hospital moved to Norwood in 1913. In 1981 Montefiore founded the nonprofit Mosholu Preservation Corp. to tackle housing deterioration in the neighborhood; the group has published the Norwood News community newspaper. Source
Williamsbridge Oval park fills a former city reservoir, finished in 1889 and drained in 1925, that reopened as a playground in 1937 under parks commissioner Robert Moses. The reservoir's 1889-90 stone keeper's house beside it is a city landmark. Source
The Valentine-Varian House, built in 1758, is the last of the farmhouses that once lined the Boston Post Road. The Bronx County Historical Society restored it and runs it as the Museum of Bronx History. Source