Lehigh acres !!! (Orlando, Cape Coral, Fort Myers: sales, 2009, crime rate)

[JBMallory]

you'd be surprised at what houses are growing/selling drugs

i did foreclosure maintenance for a while

go into a neighborhood with million dollar homes, and the nicest one has no interior walls, lights hanging from the ceilings, a safe in the garage floor... grow house... it happens everywhere... having a grow house is just as, if not more dangerous than a drug selling house

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by JBMallory

you'd be surprised at what houses are growing/selling drugs

Oh, I agree. Especially in Florida. Living in a gated community is no guarantee.

[tommy-105]

Originally Posted by JBMallory

crime is not rampant in lehigh

it is however, increasing due to the downturn in the economy, the veritable wealth of cheap rentals and the fact that hoodrats move in groups.. they overtook east fort myers and now are working their way into east lee county.. if citizens were more proactive and less "why me, why here" we would be better off

JB, in your first post you stated that you "Moved to Lehigh at 19 and been here since"

Do you think that maybe you have become calloused to what you see around you every day?

Maybe it is getting worse a little bit at a time, but you don’t really see it?

I live up in Punta Gorda with my wife and daughter. Half the time our front door is unlocked. I'm more concerned with closing windows in our cars to keep the rain out, then I am with people breaking into them. I know it's foolish, but that's how secure we feel here. (We do have two loud dogs, I guess that helps.)

I read your posts and it seems like your living in a bunker with thugs for neighbors. Are you just in a bad area?

[JBMallory]

not in the best,but it's what i can afford..

i leave my car unlocked and windows down, because if they're going to get in, they're going to get in either way..

these are not times in which ANYONE can afford to be slack on protecting themselves from intruders/robbers

[tommy-105]

Originally Posted by JBMallory

not in the best,but it's what i can afford..

i leave my car unlocked and windows down, because if they're going to get in, they're going to get in either way..

these are not times in which ANYONE can afford to be slack on protecting themselves from intruders/robbers

I know. (I'm not the one leaving the door unlocked)

Do you think things are getting better in your area, or is it headed down hill. If people are buying up empty houses, I would think that would be a good thing. Unless they're just turning them into cheap rentals.

[MrsTommy]

Originally Posted by tommy-105

I know. (I'm not the one leaving the door unlocked)

Do you think things are getting better in your area, or is it headed down hill. If people are buying up empty houses, I would think that would be a good thing. Unless they're just turning them into cheap rentals.

"I'm not the one leaving the door unlocked." sheesh Despite the fact that we have the two "Pit Bull Wannabes" in the house, Tommy still locks the place up like he's back in that cesspool of New York. There's nothing here in our neighborhood but a bunch of old blue-haired grannys. Last time I checked, they weren't roaming the neighborhood on their three-wheelers with their crowbars looking to break into cars.

[JBMallory]

they aren't, but criminals know which neighborhoods are slack, and they will hit...

[MrsTommy]

This is true. I DO lock and arm the cars. My bigmouth dogs DO give me a strong sense of security in the house though. I'm not claiming we're in any 'high rent' neighborhood by any means. It's just a quiet neighborhood, landlocked with no through streets and kind of tough to find your way into. We're surrounded by older folks and snowbird's houses. We all know who is and is not supposed to be in the neighborhood and we keep an eye out. To be honest, I can't recall in the almost four years that we've lived here, ever hearing of anything going on. Remember: we're in Charlotte county-"the county with the highest percentage of people over 65 in America".

[cpslaughter]

I have many friends at work that live in Lehigh. They all seem to be very happy there. I was looking for a low priced home < 100,000 and at that time I didn't like what was being offered. I moved to Cape Coral and have no regrets.

[justNancy]

I drove around Lehigh and didn't like it at all. However, I was planning to work for an agency in Lehigh about 5 months ago (changed my mind) and when I was there to fill out some paperwork, the people who lived there said it was very quiet and they felt safe raising a family there. I was very surprised to hear that from a young couple. Then another agent told me he moved to Lehigh to be closer to the office and also thought it was very nice. The best thing to do is walk up and down the street and talk to people. Go into local businesses and get a feel for the area. Then go into the supermarkets at night to checkout the general atmosphere.