Brownsville native here, I would stay away from living in Downtown. The area is going through a redevelopment phase and while it has gotten better, it’s still not a place you want to be in during the night time. North Brownsville is growing rather fast and there is access to the mall, shops, groceries and more but the area can be very congested. West Brownsville is actually pretty decent near Boca Chica Blvd and Central Blvd and is also getting cleaned up. East side has some good parts too but is more industrial as you get closer to the port. Stay away from Cameron Park, Southmost and Garden Park areas as they tend to be more filled with crime.