Would you live in a higher crime area?

V

Victor

Senior Member
Location
midwest USA
I researched thoroughly the counties where I want to live
and found that the most affordable and cheapest condos to buy are in towns
with a higher crime rate (mostly thefts) than the rest of
the state. Because of a large drug problem. Otherwise, the
towns look pleasant enough and near the ocean, a longish drive
to the city. Safety is important but...it isn't top priority.
If I eliminate these towns, the pickens are slim.

In a small town like this, bad areas are still close.
 

I think thieves would much rather target more affluent areas.

I don't choose to live in a high crime area, but if I had to financially, it wouldn't feel like the end of the world. I'd make do.
 

Years ago when I was single, I inadvertently moved to a higher crime area when my company transferred me to Baton Rouge, LA. I didn't know the city but fell in love with an apartment that was the top floor of an old rambling Craftsman house in the downtown area, not far from the capitol building. It had been updated but the vintage flare was left... creaky wood floors, 12" baseboards, crown molding, fireplaces in the bedroom and living room, huge double-hung windows...just beautiful. I lived there for 2 years; hearing gunshots and sirens at night was commonplace. I was young so I actually enjoyed it very much. The Spanish Town Mardi Gras parade went right past my front porch. :D Fun times!
 
C'est Moi said:
Years ago when I was single, I inadvertently moved to a higher crime area when my company transferred me to Baton Rouge, LA. I didn't know the city but fell in love with an apartment that was the top floor of an old rambling Craftsman house in the downtown area, not far from the capitol building. It had been updated but the vintage flare was left... creaky wood floors, 12" baseboards, crown molding, fireplaces in the bedroom and living room, huge double-hung windows...just beautiful. I lived there for 2 years; hearing gunshots and sirens at night was commonplace. I was young so I actually enjoyed it very much. The Spanish Town Mardi Gras parade went right past my front porch. :D Fun times!
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Oh, CM the place sounds wonderful! I would love it too. But only if I had some A/C. The crime sounds scary and you were way too young to just stay at home, trying to avoid it.
 
Bad things can happen anywhere.

Maybe you should rent in an area/complex with affordable condos for a year before you take the plunge and purchase one.

Good luck!
 
RadishRose said:
Oh, CM the place sounds wonderful! I would love it too. But only if I had some A/C. The crime sounds scary and you were way too young to just stay at home, trying to avoid it.
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Definitely agree on the A/C, RR!! It would have been impossible to live in Baton Rouge without it. That was a really fun time in my life; I had many adventures and now so many great memories of that time.
 
High crime areas often have other annoyances:
Loud arguing/fighting
Loud music
Groups of young people congregating on street corners & under street lights
 
applecruncher said:
High crime areas often have other annoyances:
Loud arguing/fighting
Loud music
Groups of young people congregating on street corners & under street lights
Click to expand...

Exactly, that why I wouldn't want to live in one of those areas. Not that I'd need to live in an affluent area, either. Just a nice family neighborhood type thing.
 
If you live in a high crime area the thieves could very easily be your next door neighbors who will know when you leave your house. Also if you have a car it might not be safe parked near your place. Now days most of your high crime areas have a lot of people on drugs, gangs, and people who are violent. Unless you want to hole up in your house and do all your shopping online and have the grocery store bring your food to you, I wouldn't live there. You might not be safe going out for a walk either. High crime areas are cheaper for a reason.
 
Would you live in a higher crime area?

I have
Back in the sixties
It’s different
You actually do get to know yer neighbor
Neighbors are the only one’s watching out for each other
Not some neighborhood watch crud, but folks that will actually have yer back

Now?
I can't go any type of neighborhood

Even the critters, here in the sticks, are starting to bug me
 
Virtually any city, or larger town, has an area which is loaded with scumbags. Anyone moving to a new city/town, should take some time to research the crime statistics in that area, and buy/rent their housing accordingly.
 
I would never live in a high crime area if I could help it; that is to say that if I had a choice between a higher crime area with lower rent or a nicer apartment and a lower crime are with a higher rent and maybe a not as nice apartment, I would choose the lower crime area, especially at my age. There are areas in the town I live in that I wouldn't live in if somebody paid me to do so. Even if a complex or subdivision had bulletproof security, you still have to go out into the streets to get where you need to go for shopping, services, etc., and my experience suggests that once higher crime, and especially gangs, starts to creep into an area, it gets a lot worse before it gets better(assuming that it ever DOES get better).

It doesn't do you any good to live in a wonderful apartment or house if you have to risk your safety every time you go out.
 
Ordinarily I agree to stay out of such areas.

The violent crime numbers are down but thefts are high
because of a drug problem. the home rents and sales are much lower
than other areas and the comments from residents on the internet are
mixed, positive and negative. I am frustrated from much searching for homes
for a long time, and visited in July with a real estate agent to no avail.

The really good areas are too expensive for me! In my local area in Illinois
it is even higher. I want to move but the money and effort it takes (alone)
elicits some fear.
Thank you.
 
Good luck, Victor. It is a lot of work and expense to move, so I understand why you don't want to make a costly mistake. Your safety should be your first concern.
 
I currently live in a higher crime area. Wasn’t like this when we first moved here. Seattle has welcomed any and all homeless people to the area. Want to go on a walk? Homeless laying and living under the tree branches. Yard decorations? They are taken and sold. Garbage out on the street on garbage day? Plan on your garbage being picked through by the folks who are hungry or looking for ‘valuable’ items in your recycle bin. Leave your car in the driveway day or night, it’s free picking for them. Package left on your doorstep? Not for long. Don’t have a locking mailbox? Good luck with that one. No, the area I live isn’t a dumpy area, it’s what we have to tolerate nowadays. This summer, I went out to get the mail, only to find a gal laying in my front yard smoking. When I asked if she was ok, she said yes, just resting. After I gathered my wits about me, asked her to go rest elsewhere, not my yard. She moved on down the block under a big bush.
 
When we lived in the city, we initially moved into a new suburban subdivision, and most of the people were in their 30's, working and raising children, and it was a close knit neighborhood. As time passed, and many of the original neighbors moved on, things began to go downhill. Some of the 2nd owners were not nearly as friendly or responsible as the original people. We stuck it out until I retired, then we moved to the country. Now, it's not unusual to read or hear about increased crime in that once nice area. Watching or reading the news about most of the larger cities in the area, it is rare for a day to pass without a shooting or killing, and robberies, etc., are so common that they are not even reported on the news, unless someone is injured or killed.

Here, in the countryside, we have little crime....the local police reports usually consist of a DUI, or nuisance barking dog. There are a lot of hunters here, and virtually every household has firearms. A lot of people don't even lock their doors when they leave for the store...if anyone were dumb enough to try something in this area, there is a pretty good chance they might not make it back to the highway.
 
I already do, and it doesn't bother me in the least. I'm a big-city gal and was born in the ghetto, so as long as I stay away from the worst areas at night, it's no biggie to me.

DH and I love the cultural and gastronomic diversity, and appreciate the variety of services that are available to us. Makes live easier, for sure.
 
Crime does happen, and it is traumatic. But I think most people go on with their lives no matter where in the city they live. Cities are pretty much a sliding scale of wealth. Upscale today is passe and dated tomorrow. All areas are in a state of flux. So, over time, what is a seedy and run down can become the next posh address.
BTW, I lived on the same street for 17 years. During that time, a Cop lived next door, as well as a guy, who lived a few doors down, and made bombs in his basement.
 
Not willingly. I'd live much more simply if I had to to feel safer.
 

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