Is Austin downtown dangerous? (West: crimes, live in, safest)

[AustinGuy]

78753 is at least 20 mins north of downtown. As AustinSpartan says above, that probably means you are working off Parmer at the Samsung plant or somewhere in nearby TechRidge which is a mostly benign area made up of a few strip malls and office parks. 78753 is a big zip and gets ranked high on the crime list due to the area near Rundberg/Lamar/I-35. That is a ways off from the TechRidge/Samsung area although in the same zip.

[CptnRn]

2009 Crime Statistics now available

Austin Police have just released some startling new numbers regarding downtown violent crime

[sxrckr]

Depends on who you ask and what you're comparing it to.

Ask any cop. My friend is a cop and will tell you there are gangs in central Austin even though a lot of people don't believe it, and crime a lot of residents don't know about unless it happens to them or someone they know. Many people here say they "feel" safe, but that can't tell you much. In general I don't think it's too bad, but it's there. I've got two friends who were assaulted and robbed on separate occasions, and a family member who was attacked when leaving his car to go bar hopping, he even ended up in the hospital (all random crimes by the way.)

[milytaylor]

I'm a single female and I moved here from 2 years ago. I live on the East Side. The East side of town is considered by many long time residents to be the bad part of town. To me, there were worst parts in KC.

I have never felt like my life has been in danger. Although, growing up in the suburbs of KC will not produce street smarts, so I may have been in danger but just not known it.

That being said, the neighborhood that I live in has had several home invasions. The good news is that if the owner was home, the intruders would just leave. Three of my co-workers have also had their homes invaded. Two were not home and they were robbed of guns, TVs, and computers. The daughter of one co-worker was home and the intruders left.

I'm oddly comforted by the fact that the intruders don't mess with home owners. Maybe it's a Southern thing.

Just practice common sense - take everything out of your car and lock it up. Better yet, pull it into the garage. (That's a big thing here - many people don't park in their garages...) Lock your house when you're gone, even for just a minute. Get an alarm system and use it faithfully. Don't buy a house with decorative windows next to the door. Make sure that the alarm security system isn't viewable from a window/door. I think that getting a storm door and keeping it locked will help a little. (For me, storm doors are a godsend in the spring and fall - most homes don't have them here...)

[Bubchub68]

If it's ok, could you please let me know the actual city name?

[Pontificator]

During Texas Relays.

[ImOnFiya]

Originally Posted by Pontificator

During Texas Relays.

Hmm..very curious you would say that, since you live in West Texas where there are relatively few people who would most likely attend the Texas Relays.

Or maybe you were talking about yourself being at the Texas Relays...(you, really)...HAHAHA !!

[austinnerd]

Originally Posted by Pontificator

During Texas Relays.

Wasn't that myth dispelled by APD a couple of years ago where they stated that the crime rate did not increase during the relays any more than any other large weekend event in Austin?

[thesonofgray]

The closest thing I've seen to a crime in Austin is people driving 45 on Mopac during free-flow traffic conditions. Oh, and sometimes the homeless around the university can be a little "pushy".

Some people attract criminals. Others don't. The point is that Austin is as safe as nearly any other metro. Since downtown Austin is actually very livable, unlike many downtown areas, there are plenty of non-criminals around at all times, which I think tends to make everyone look like less of a victim for violent crimes.

[cBach]

Austin is like Disneyland compared to Detroit. Simply no comparison.

Now if you were comparing New Orleans to Detroit then you might have something to compare.

I've never felt unsafe in Austin. I can't say that about New Orleans, I've never been to Detroit but it's not high on the list.