High rape statistics--do women feel safe in Fairbanks? (Anchorage: crime, living)

[MacGuffin]

Originally Posted by Chungirelli

Hey, I'm military myself. 6 years as a weapons specialist in the AF.
There's a correlation is all I'm saying. I've seen it. Witnessed the "culture". Not all good guys are good all of the time.
Wasn't trying to insult anyone. Apologies.

First off, thank you for your service. Secondly, as a former marine, and with two daughters currently serving in the Air Force, I keep a keen eye on military matters. Is there sexual abuse in the military? Certainly. Is it an epidemic? No. And, PLEASE don't believe everything you hear in the media or everything that is generated out of Washington, D.C.

A fairly common denominator in most (not all, but most) sexual assaults is alcohol. Extract that, and consider the statistics.

I'm from south central Alaska, but was just in Fairbanks a few weeks ago. It's like just about any other city in America in this day and age. Be smart about when and where you go to certain areas/places and you'll be just fine.

[Chungirelli]

I definitely came across differently than I'd wanted to.

I admittedly know nothing about Alaska except what I've read. BUT I'm excited to be moving there, so I've read quite a bit. From now on I'll leave local opinion to locals.

[MacGuffin]

Originally Posted by Chungirelli

I definitely came across differently than I'd wanted to.

I admittedly know nothing about Alaska except what I've read. BUT I'm excited to be moving there, so I've read quite a bit. From now on I'll leave local opinion to locals.

No worries at all!

Best of luck to you in your endeavors!

[glowdoll]

Sorry to resurrect this thread, but I feel like I can bring some insight. I'm a 27 year old female who lives in Fairbanks. I've lived alone in lower-income buildings, where homeless people sometimes slept in the hallways (at -40, where else are they going to go?). I've never been a victim of violent crime. Sure, I bought a taser when I knew I'd be living alone, but in 10 years of being in Fairbanks (as a mostly single woman), I've never needed it. It just depends on the places you frequent. If you never go alone downtown or on South Cushman after dark, I think your chances are pretty high that you'll never be bothered.

A friend of mine is a bit younger than me, and she is outdoors and walking constantly. And she's friendly; she'll talk to anyone. I've never heard of a problem from her or any of my friends, unless an issue takes place late at a bar one night. And even then, it's just a minor altercation that gets broken up or resolved quickly (having your bum grabbed at the Rockin' Rodeo is not unheard of, but no one has ever followed me, threatened me, etc.).

It really truly depends on where you frequent. Some of the bars I simply won't go to, because this behavior is alluded to (This may offend, but Kodiak Jack's is one of them).

I've never been to Chicago, but I have a feeling Fairbanks will feel nothing like the "big city crime" you're used to. Be safe out there.

[AKStafford]

Originally Posted by glowdoll

Sorry to resurrect this thread, but I feel like I can bring some insight.

Thanks for the input!

[suzy75]

I am a local, but just came back up to Fairbanks in January from the states. I lived here though for about five years, beginning in 99.

One of my old female friends caught her landlord watching her through her bedroom window, and she lived in a somewhat decent apartment, that was a duplex, so landlord did not even live on the premises. She was relatively attractive.

I had a similar incident occur in the town of Delta Jct., just 90 miles of Fairbanks. A man had been watching me periodically off and on through my windows. I don't know how long he had been doing this for, but I did see tracks to some of my windows during the winter months. I caught him in the summer, and he ran off.

If you are going to walk in this town by yourself, I suggest finding one of the better neighborhoods to do so, such as on the outskirts of town somewhere. There are not a lot of safe choices unfortunately, because most of the nicer neighborhoods have very hilly terrain and narrow and windy roads. Not good to walk on for obvious reasons.

Definitely bring a self defense weapon, and just be prepared for the worst and do not go out to the bars here. There have been several fatal shootings in the bars here, some just occurred recently.

I think that the locals that have lived in Fairbanks for many years try to downplay the crime here. They think that ignoring it will make it go away or something, but that is like sticking one's head in the sand. It is a dangerous town, especially for attractive females with no family in the area. Statistically, this town is much too small to have as much crime in it that it actually does.

It is also a very dirty town, that really needs to be cleaned up. You will see street signs that lean on the offensive side, such as "Dead End Alley" and other names in that ballpark. Things like that tend to give the town a bit of an eerie feeling. There are some nicer sounding roads mixed into the lot, but it is very much a mix here. There are also several strip joints in town, which also makes the town feel dirty. They should at least put those types of places outside of town!

On the positive, the grocery stores here have improved drastically since my return. There are also some nice churches here, but one must do their research on those, because it is very diverse population here. I think that each church has their own niche.

There are some good folks here, but it is a very mixed bag. If you attempt to buy anything off of CL, do not go by yourself, EVER, even if it is a woman. Some of the women here lean on the criminal side, and will possibly try to take advantage of you if they know that you are FRESH into town.

Also, many of the professors at the university in Fairbanks tend to be very arrogant and can be troublesome for students. I never had any problems with professors in my home state down in the lower 48, and I went for several years down there. This is my second time back at the u in Fairbanks, and not much has changed as far as attitude amongst faculty. Expect to hear a lot of cussing on campus, even amongst university employees.

The good people here really do STAND OUT though. There are definitely some good people here, but just be prepared for some bad too.

Just my two cents, and I'm speaking from experience and what I have personally observed.

[suzy75]

Mentioned that I got back up to Fairbanks in January.... But forgot this scary incident.

The first man that approached me and gave me his phone number while I was shopping at a store, I found out was a convicted sex offender. The prior charges against him were for drugging his own daughter, and molesting her, when she was about 10 years old. Apparently it had been aired on the local news here even, a few years back. He is retired military. AND I DRESS MODEST, as I believe in modesty and discretion, as not having a sense of discretion will always attract the wrong type of men. Here in Fairbanks, that does not seem to make much of a difference though at times!

There is a saying about Alaskan men and it goes like this: "The odds are good, but the goods are odd."

Women just really have to be very street smart here, and it is nothing like living in a smaller town down in the states. I know these sorts of things happen every where, but per capita, Fairbanks crime is very high. Nobody can say that it is not.

But, we did just get an ULTA store here, which I cannot believe. There is also a Pier 1 Imports and a Barnes & Noble. Now Fairbanks just needs an Olive Garden and a Marie Callenders.

[Elk Wallow]

I like the Alaska State Troopers show on the Justice Channel. My impression is- you are exactly right, Suzy. I'd like to live in Alaska but there is a high percentage of trash.

[Frostnip]

Originally Posted by suzy75

If you are going to walk in this town by yourself, I suggest finding one of the better neighborhoods to do so, such as on the outskirts of town somewhere. There are not a lot of safe choices unfortunately, because most of the nicer neighborhoods have very hilly terrain and narrow and windy roads. Not good to walk on for obvious reasons.

Yes, if you're nervous of rapists, walk out in the middle of nowhere alone. Good plan.

It is a dangerous town, especially for attractive females with no family in the area.

Given that the majority of sexual assault occurs within existing relationships - i.e. familial relationships, or current or former partners - statistically one might argue that having no family in the area makes one less likely to be assaulted. Family is not some magic rape shield. Nor is being unattractive, for that matter.

It is also a very dirty town, that really needs to be cleaned up. You will see street signs that lean on the offensive side, such as "Dead End Alley" and other names in that ballpark. Things like that tend to give the town a bit of an eerie feeling.

I was unaware of a correlation between cleanliness and absence of sexual assault.

Expect to hear a lot of cussing on campus, even amongst university employees.

Oh goodness, not cussing!

Originally Posted by suzy75

AND I DRESS MODEST, as I believe in modesty and discretion, as not having a sense of discretion will always attract the wrong type of men. Here in Fairbanks, that does not seem to make much of a difference though at times!

There have been a number of studies indicating that when it comes to ambush rapes, "immodest clothing" is not a factor, but accessible clothing is. i.e. a woman in a loose-fitting dress is, other things being equal, a more tempting target than a woman in skin-tight jeans.

But, we did just get an ULTA store here, which I cannot believe. There is also a Pier 1 Imports and a Barnes & Noble. Now Fairbanks just needs an Olive Garden and a Marie Callenders.

lol yeah, that's exactly what Fairbanks desperately needs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKZS4Jn6gRM

Originally Posted by Elk Wallow

I like the Alaska State Troopers show on the Justice Channel. My impression is- you are exactly right, Suzy. I'd like to live in Alaska but there is a high percentage of trash.

Wow, a high percentage of people on a cop show are criminals? You don't say.

[6.7traveler]

^Best response ever.

I'm not the biggest fan of fairbanks proper but it's not because I feel unsafe there. Sure, there are shady characters just like everywhere, but it isn't like there are rapists hiding behind every bush waiting to jump out and attack you. If you use common sense you should be just about as safe as any other metro area of approx 100k people. I'm actually in downtown fairbanks today and have seen numerous women walking around by themselves.

I'd feel more unsafe in Anchorage , Regardless of the statistics.