They have thick, dark-green skin and a wide base which tapers to a point. Poblano peppers are mild to medium-hot. Poblano peppers register between 1,000 and 2,000 Scoville heat units on the Scoville Scale.
You can look at crime mapping (well, in 14-day chunks) by neighborhood at http://141.157.54.34/bpdmaps/police.htm. JHU's main (Homewood) campus is in the Northern district. Abell, Charles Village, Guilford, Hampdon, and JH Homewood are all neighborhoods near campus. Most of those seem relatively safe, but it might be a good idea to compare if you're looking for a place to live.
Houston has a reasonable cost of living for a major city. The Graduate Apartments, which opened in the summer of 1999, offers housing at moderate cost and is close to campus. Also available as housing options exclusively to Rice graduate students are the Morningside Square Apartments and the Rice Village Apartments.