Is Boston Crime Infested? How Many Houses Have Jail Bars On Windows? (Worcester: motel)

[MIAMIMANEFOSHO]

I just wanna find out from locals of Boston on how bad the cities crime problem really is. I would like to have some facts to back it all up because i might plan a trip there also. Please give input as well but back it up with stats because i here alot of northerners say something different than what i see in the statistics....I am from Miami if that factors in at all. Thanx.

[skytrekker]

As any large city- Boston has some crime- but for a city its size, the crime rate compared to other sized cities is below average.

Miami's crime rate is much higher, in comparison, being among the worse in the nation (in the top 5)

[DaveV]

Originally Posted by MIAMIMANEFOSHO

I just wanna find out from locals of Boston on how bad the cities crime problem really is. I would like to have some facts to back it all up because i might plan a trip there also. Please give input as well but back it up with stats because i here alot of northerners say something different than what i see in the statistics....I am from Miami if that factors in at all. Thanx.

We dont need no bars on windows. I live 10 miles from downtown and leave my car home with the doors unlocked, even the house unlocked sometimes. It's NOTHING like Miami, believe me..

[FinkieMcGee]

Some sections of Boston are bad, but there's nothing to see there anyway. I've lived here for 22 years I've never been mugged or had my car stolen or anything.

The only real mugging incidents I personally know of are a couple friends getting mugged in the Fenway late at night. And that's just because all of these people are dumb, that's one of the "places you don't go after 11 PM".

[ChunkyMonkey]

Boston is actually one of the safest big cities in the U.S.

According to the FBI stats:
http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/05cius/data/table_06.html#b

Murders per 100,000 in 2005
Boston/Quincy: 5.1
Boston/Cambridge/Quincy, MA-NH MSA: 2.7

Miami/Miami Beach/Kendall: 7.1
Miami/Ft. Lauderdale/Miami Beach: 5.5

[BlackMoses]

It highly depends on where you go... but honestly, Boston has been so planned, that tourists, college kids and "new residents" barely even see the ghettos and places of poverty within Massachusetts, and unlike places like Miami or Philadelphia or New York, you will you ever have to go through the poor areas... EVER, which is why Boston is considered an organized city.

I've had friends who attended college here and who had enough money to move into the "city" area. They never had any need to go to the poor areas in Boston for SO long that they really didn't think there were any crime or poverty in Boston. So when I brought them to my neighborhoods (Boston, born and raised, by the way), they were stunned because the way the city is planned, you would never believe there were any "bad" areas because they're distant from the tourist/college/yuppie areas. Long time residents feel that there are two Boston's: One that people know from TV (both long time "higher class" residents" and tourists/college kids), and the one that you don't see on TV, in which it's like every other poor area in major US cities.

Don't let people fool you into thinking it's "ok" here compared to other cities. It's the same thing, but rather, Boston is a more organized city onto where you don't have to see the poor and/or crime-ridden areas, and you will never have to go through them.

If you want to move into Boston, i'd suggest going closer to DownTown, you'll always be in a good area, since it's so expensive, if not, move towards Western of Southern Boston suburbs and won't find bars in front of the windows... you'll be ok depending on what area you live in, but just because you live in the city doesn't mean it's automatically going to be bad.

[ChunkyMonkey]

I'm curious to know what is considered the worst Boston neighborhood or the bad areas? I often thought Dorchester and Mattapan, but having driven through those, it didn't seem so dangerous or bad. I didn't see the expected boarded up houses and rundown neighborhoods. Of course, it may be a block or two away from where I was.

[howsitgoingdude3]

Originally Posted by BlackMoses

It highly depends on where you go... but honestly, Boston has been so planned, that tourists, college kids and "new residents" barely even see the ghettos and places of poverty within Massachusetts, and unlike places like Miami or Philadelphia or New York, you will you ever have to go through the poor areas... EVER, which is why Boston is considered an organized city.

I've had friends who attended college here and who had enough money to move into the "city" area. They never had any need to go to the poor areas in Boston for SO long that they really didn't think there were any crime or poverty in Boston. So when I brought them to my neighborhoods (Boston, born and raised, by the way), they were stunned because the way the city is planned, you would never believe there were any "bad" areas because they're distant from the tourist/college/yuppie areas. Long time residents feel that there are two Boston's: One that people know from TV (both long time "higher class" residents" and tourists/college kids), and the one that you don't see on TV, in which it's like every other poor area in major US cities.

Don't let people fool you into thinking it's "ok" here compared to other cities. It's the same thing, but rather, Boston is a more organized city onto where you don't have to see the poor and/or crime-ridden areas, and you will never have to go through them.

If you want to move into Boston, i'd suggest going closer to DownTown, you'll always be in a good area, since it's so expensive, if not, move towards Western of Southern Boston suburbs and won't find bars in front of the windows... you'll be ok depending on what area you live in, but just because you live in the city doesn't mean it's automatically going to be bad.

No offense, but you're full of it!! Northeastern University is located in a project and Boston is not remotely bad not even in the "bad" areas when you compare it to cities, that are the same size. I agree with everyting else everyone else has to say, but this whiner. First of all when the city was planned Roxbury, Dorchester, and Mattapan where all white areas and not predominately jamcan, carribean, and irish, so what are you talking about the way the city is planned? Hell, backbay wasn't even thought of that long ago. This guy is just some liberal complainer, that obviously has never been outside of boston. There are towns in new england i'd rate as more dangerous than boston! Um, like Springfield, Worcester, New Bedford, Brockton, Fall River, and i'm sure there are others. If you're comparing Boston to Miami in terms of crime there is not real comparision whatsoever!!

[BlackMoses]

Originally Posted by howsitgoingdude3

No offense, but you're full of it!! Northeastern University is located in a project and Boston is not remotely bad not even in the "bad" areas when you compare it to cities, that are the same size. I agree with everyting else everyone else has to say, but this whiner. First of all when the city was planned Roxbury, Dorchester, and Mattapan where all white areas and not predominately jamcan, carribean, and irish, so what are you talking about the way the city is planned? Hell, backbay wasn't even thought of that long ago. This guy is just some liberal complainer, that obviously has never been outside of boston. There are towns in new england i'd rate as more dangerous than boston! Um, like Springfield, Worcester, New Bedford, Brockton, Fall River, and i'm sure there are others. If you're comparing Boston to Miami in terms of crime there is not real comparision whatsoever!!

You took it too far back. First off, when people are planning a city, no matter what the premier ethnicity of a neighborhood is, if they push people to a certain area, the ethnicity and/or class of a neighborhood will change... you obviously misunderstood. Planning a city is pretty much the displacement (or placement) of people in certain areas and what the "traffic" and out-of-towners of tourists will experience and witness being in a city, not what you tried to put in my mouth. Thus, they tore down the "El Trains", gentrified South End and other places, and college kids, yuppies and out of towners never have to see or go through these poor crime ridden communities.

You mean to tell me since they tore down Mission Hill projects that you can fairly say that "the medical center is right by a bad area and it's not that bad"? Are you serious? The Northeastern area (near Ruggles) has been gentrified and you can not even compare it to what it used to be when the city IGNORED that area, before they found out what "they" can do something with that area. That's a poor comparison and that area is nothing like areas near Four Corners and Codman Square, which the city finds no use in fixing up like the "Mission Hill" and "Northeastern" area, thus crime is rampant. And for your info, not all "Projects" are bad, that's just a stereotypical stigma.

And I don't disagree with you that there are areas outside of Boston that are worse (i've lived in Lawrence, Brockton, Chelsea and and Springfield), but we're talking about Boston, correct? I also lived in Miami, and I can fairly tell you that when it comes to crime, it's almost the "same sh*t, different toilet" because it's poor people with lack of opportunities kill eachother, especially kids (which is definitely a US problem as well). Proves your "i've never been out of Boston" theory incorrect, no?... But when it comes to tourists and out-of-towners coming to Boston, yes, it's much safer for them touring here than going to a place like Miami where the crime ridden areas are close by the tourist attractions... most people come to Boston and dont even think there's bad/poor areas, even ethnic neighborhoods! That, my friend, is city planning 101.

And please don't call me a "liberal"... not knowing me yet trying to label me is second grade.

[ChunkyMonkey]

Every city in the world has poor areas and rich areas, it is not unique to Boston. I think that it is unfair to say that Boston is not doing anything. Have you heard of the Boston Main Streets program. It is targeted to areas such as Codman Square and Four Corners.
http://www.bmsfoundation.org/

It is disingenious to blame a city that doesn't have the money to throw at the poor neighborhoods. It is up to the people in those neighborhoods to rise up to the challenge and have pride in their community. Pick up the trash, report crimes and encourage kids to finish their education.