I just heard Crime is bad!!! (Charlotte, Gastonia: income, job, sick)

[kmway]

Don't be surprised. Charlotte is twice the population of Raleigh and nearly three times that of the others. Apples and oranges.

[alice_61]

The index rates that I quoted were per 100,000 residents so they do take into account the population of the cities, making it apples to apples.

[kmway]

No, not really, considering that the influx of immigrants, diversity of the community, size, employment rates, educational and socioeconomic data are NOT included in the results...and frankly the comparison of cities to towns is not apples to apples whatsoever.

Again, these are some of the "stats" that we would use when I was in media to hype a story and scare the you-know-what out of people...it makes for good ratings and y'all buy in.

Comparing a major financial center and large city (Charlotte) to a small city/town (like Winston) is counterproductive.

[lisaf]

I have to laugh. I watch the news every night here in Charlotte, and the "bad" stories end in about 2 minutes. Considering how big this city is, I'm amazed at how little "news" there is about bad things happening here. But then again, I grew up in NYC--where I can assure you, the great majority of the news was about real crime.

So, I think, it all depends on what you're accustomed to and where you come from. If you came from a tiny town, this will seem like the big, bad city to you. If you come from a typical city already, things will feel more or less the same. Bottom line, if you can help it you shouldn't be walking through rough neighborhoods no matter where you go. Also, I read that most of the murders that occur in Charlotte are instances where the victim knew the attacker. So, we're not talking about a bunch of random killings here or the wild, wild west.

I feel perfectly safe in Charlotte.

:-)

Originally Posted by BrianH1970

All I needed was a few nights of watching the local news here to realize that you couldn't pay me to live in Charlotte.

[alice_61]

I don't think that Durham with a population of 200K is that much different demographically from Charlotte with 550K. There are rich and poor, educated and not, and certainly plenty of immigrants and ethnic groups in both. Being more familiar with the Triangle and hearing about how "bad the crime was" there, I was suprised to find that the crime stats were similar in many ways to Raleigh and much, much better than Charlottes. Do you think a city's population can reach a point where crime becomes that much worse for the same demographic mix?

[kmway]

220k pop = town
600k pop = city

Enough said.
Cities attract different demos, gangs, club violence in bad areas, etc.
I've given y'all the media perspective, and really feel that this subject is overhyped by people who apparently are not used to being in cities. I'm done with the thread, but it was fun y'all!

[ssdei38]

I'm happy to copy and paste the marketing-speak off of specific Charlotte town websites, or new development websites, if that's helpful to you. I was a marketing product manager for two of the largest companies in the States, happy to write some taglines for towns if that's what is needed here.

Maybe Brian and I could collaborate on a brief summary highlighting the 'absolute gem' of Matthews? Shouldn't take more than ten minutes max.

It's good to know a high school educated housewife can do your marketing manager job. I actually live here and clean crap filled diapers, tend to boo boos, squeeze pudgy little cheeks, clean snotty noses, and teach ABC's.....and I live in a "gem" of a town outside of Charlotte. And my home is an absolute "dollhouse"...sitting on a 1 acre gorgeous landscaped lot. Surrounded by the elegant charm of the farmlands of yesteryear. Fishing?? You got it here!!! Trophy bass are within a stones throw.....Did we mention the property has a natural freshwater spring....?

[niknaxx]

Originally Posted by lisaf

I have to laugh. I watch the news every night here in Charlotte, and the "bad" stories end in about 2 minutes. Considering how big this city is, I'm amazed at how little "news" there is about bad things happening here. But then again, I grew up in NYC--where I can assure you, the great majority of the news was about real crime.

So, I think, it all depends on what you're accustomed to and where you come from. If you came from a tiny town, this will seem like the big, bad city to you. If you come from a typical city already, things will feel more or less the same. Bottom line, if you can help it you shouldn't be walking through rough neighborhoods no matter where you go. Also, I read that most of the murders that occur in Charlotte are instances where the victim knew the attacker. So, we're not talking about a bunch of random killings here or the wild, wild west.

I feel perfectly safe in Charlotte.

:-)

I've lived outside of Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, they are some of the worse areas for crime! I don't think Charlotte is that bad but I also live in a suburb. Love Huntersville!

[lisaf]

Hey, there's people that clearly want to live in an utterly crime-free utopia and those people shouldn't be at the Charlotte boards, they should be looking to relocate to some tiny town where everybody knows your name. Nothing wrong with that if you can find it. I'm a realist, and I recognize that in the world there are bad people and good people--and that those people are going to do bad or good things. Its your job as a citizen to be aware, and keep out of areas with bad people and not get mixed up in negative situations. Of course, there's random things in life, and some perfectly lovely people can be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Those freak things in life!

Those of us who love Charlotte dearly know that there are many, many wonderful areas in our area with great people who just want to enjoy life and the company of their neighbors in a safe community. Of course, us quiet, law-abiding citizens don't make for exciting or dramatic evening news. So, the media chooses to report on the horrors in the world or in a neighborhood.

I live here, and I know the reality of Charlotte. For a city of this size, it's safe enough for my family.

:-)

[lovesMountains]

Originally Posted by lisaf

Hey, there's people that clearly want to live in an utterly crime-free utopia and those people shouldn't be at the Charlotte boards, they should be looking to relocate to some tiny town where everybody knows your name. Nothing wrong with that if you can find it. I'm a realist, and I recognize that in the world there are bad people and good people--and that those people are going to do bad or good things. Its your job as a citizen to be aware, and keep out of areas with bad people and not get mixed up in negative situations. Of course, there's random things in life, and some perfectly lovely people can be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Those freak things in life!

Those of us who love Charlotte dearly know that there are many, many wonderful areas in our area with great people who just want to enjoy life and the company of their neighbors in a safe community. Of course, us quiet, law-abiding citizens don't make for exciting or dramatic evening news. So, the media chooses to report on the horrors in the world or in a neighborhood.

I live here, and I know the reality of Charlotte. For a city of this size, it's safe enough for my family.

:-)

Lisa, thank you