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State murder rates mean nothing. Not according to these facts about Louisiana.
1. Louisiana has led every U.S. state in per capita murder rate for 21 consecutive years from 1989 through 2009 while no other state has led more than 3 consecutive years over the last 50 years.
2. Louisiana's avg.per capita murder rate during the last 2 decades of 14.5 murders per 100,000 and the U.S. average during the last 2 decades of 6.9 murders per 100,000 makes Louisiana the only state ever with an average per capita murder rate average more than 2x higher than the U.S. average over 2 decades.
3. Louisiana's averge per capita murder rate over the last 2 decades is higher than Boston's average of 11.9 murders per 100,000 for the same period and some other cities.
And yet, I've spent several weeks at a time all over Louisiana, north and south, urban and rural, and the only time I have ever felt uncomfortable would be in the deserted/rundown parts of New Orleans at like 3 or 4 in the morning.
This just goes to show that the U.S. is a pretty mellow/benign nation when you really think about it, as much as some like to portray the U.S. as a violent cesspool in comparison to the European nations. I've been to 43 of the states and most of America's largest cities. In most places, you either have to set out looking for trouble or you have to be the extremely unlucky SOB of the month.
I remember looking at a 1977 list of state murder rates and I believe Louisiana was #1 back then as well or close to it. The thing that struck me is that basically the same group of top murder states then are the same as now. The states with low murder rates then are the same as now as well. The only thing surprising is that overall murder rates are lower now, even if it seems more unsafe.
I remember looking at a 1977 list of state murder rates and I believe Louisiana was #1 back then as well or close to it. The thing that struck me is that basically the same group of top murder states then are the same as now. The states with low murder rates then are the same as now as well. The only thing surprising is that overall murder rates are lower now, even if it seems more unsafe.
It would only seem more unsafe due to a lot more media no as were then.
One stat that might be a better indicator is what is the murder rate in the 50th percentile area in a state. Meaning where half of the state has a higher rate and half a lower rate. It is likely that 90% of a high rate state is as safe or safer as most other states.
New Jersey's largest cities - Newark, Camden, Trenton, and Paterson, are barren cesspools with little to offer beyond crime and despair. Of course cities such as Nashville, New Orleans, Miami, Houston, and Atlanta still have crime in certain areas, just as most cities around the U.S. do. The difference? People travel from around the United States to visit the grand cities of the South. Europeans come thousands of miles to revel in the beauty of cities such as New Orleans and Miami. No one's hopping on a plane from California to tour Newark and Camden. No one.
You don't seem very bright. Can you name me the major cities in such southern states as Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, Kentucky, Virgina....etc, etc? And where are the Europeans that come thousands of miles to visit those cities?
NJ is the suburbs of NYC and Philadelphia, and as part of that region, benefits from much of the tourism to those cities. There is simply no need for NJ to have any sort of major global city when it's sandwiched between 2 of America's largest. most visited, and most important cities.
And, keeping this relevant with the thread, NJ is a VERY safe state, safer than just about every single southern state.
It would only seem more unsafe due to a lot more media no as were then.
One stat that might be a better indicator is what is the murder rate in the 50th percentile area in a state. Meaning where half of the state has a higher rate and half a lower rate. It is likely that 90% of a high rate state is as safe or safer as most other states.
In a state like New Mexico, you have several crime prone cities and towns in all areas of the state, so one part of the state may be safer than the other, but probably not by much.
States in the SE tend to have higher rates of rural crime than the rest of the country, that's why they lead among states with the highest crime rates over all. Two anomalies are NM and SD (also have high rates of rural crime tho not in the SE).
And yet, I've spent several weeks at a time all over Louisiana, north and south, urban and rural, and the only time I have ever felt uncomfortable would be in the deserted/rundown parts of New Orleans at like 3 or 4 in the morning.
This just goes to show that the U.S. is a pretty mellow/benign nation when you really think about it, as much as some like to portray the U.S. as a violent cesspool in comparison to the European nations. I've been to 43 of the states and most of America's largest cities. In most places, you either have to set out looking for trouble or you have to be the extremely unlucky SOB of the month.
You're right, Louisiana is not a real dangerous place for law abiding citizens/tourists etc...and it's not a place where someone is murdered based on race, religion or sexual preferance. 75% of murders over the period were black on black and the most common motives tend to be of a vengeful, drug related and domestic nature.
I remember looking at a 1977 list of state murder rates and I believe Louisiana was #1 back then as well or close to it. The thing that struck me is that basically the same group of top murder states then are the same as now. The states with low murder rates then are the same as now as well. The only thing surprising is that overall murder rates are lower now, even if it seems more unsafe.
1977 is one thing but did you look at the 1987 list of state murder rates?
The reason why I ask this is because back in 1987 Crack Cocaine hit the streets and I don't recall it spreading throughout the south(except for South Florida, parts of Atlanta, DC, and Baltimore) as rapidly as it did in the Northeast, Mid-West, and Southern California.........
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Why? 
