Does Portland and Seattle have the dangerous areas as seen in most American cities? (violent crime, houses)
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Of course they do. Those that say they don't obviously didn't grow up in the city or ever went to those areas. Neighborhoods such as Rainier Beach, Skyway, Cherry Street in the Central District, Rainier Avenue, Southpark, ect.
^That store he was hanging out at is in a sketchy neighborhood of Rainier Beach where crime is high.
OMG Seattle ain't nothing compared to Los Angeles!
Seattle's bad areas are nothing like the bad areas in St. Louis, Chicago, or pretty much any other midwestern or eastern city. NOTHING like them. I've driven relatives from New Jersey past the "housing projects" and what has been statistically the most dangerous corner in the city, and they were in shock because they just look like normal, working-class areas. There is no place I wouldn't walk in Seattle during the day as a white woman. I walk through the Central District sometimes, and the closest I've come to an issue was a homeless guy offering me a sandwich--in other words, no problem. There are definitely parts of Chicago or LA where I would not walk, ever. Seattle doesn't have those.
I've found that the people who think Seattle has really scary areas are people who have only lived in the Northwest. Anyone who's moved from California or the East knows the difference.
Seattle's Rainier Beach, Central District, White Center, and Renton Highlands can all get pretty dangerous however it's just no comparison to a city like LA.
Compared to Philly or LA, no. Not at all. But there are other U.S. cities like San Diego, El Paso, and San Jose which are safer than Seattle and whose ghetto areas are almost non-existent.
Last edited by Exlamatir; 08-20-2015 at 01:53 AM..
I've found that the people who think Seattle has really scary areas are people who have only lived in the Northwest. Anyone who's moved from California or the East knows the difference.
I grew up in North Carolina and the Bay Area (and my sister currently lives in Oakland) and I disagree. However, I'd say the only part of the Seattle Metro that I wouldn't feel safe walking around in day or night at all is portions of South Tacoma and Tukwila.
However, there are definitely parts of Seattle proper and South King County that are not verysafe, or where I would definitely watch my back closely. The areas where this video (linked below) was filmed, for example - I've driven through there and it did feel pretty sketchy.
For whatever reason it doesn't seem like San Diego gets enough credit for having the lowest murder rate and being the safest big city in the country (aside from El Paso). If you look at the overall crime stats it's actually much safer than places like Denver, Seattle, or San Jose.
Also worth noting that these types of things happen fairly frequently in the busy, popular nightlife areas of Seattle (About 1:50 is when things start to get crazy):
Oklahoma City averages more murders than Seattle and Portland combined.
Seattle has a higher robbery rate (considered a violent crime) than Oklahoma City and overall the crime rates are not that different (OKC in the mid-500's and Seattle in the mid-400's). Meanwhile, San Diego's crime rate is in the 200's. (My source is City Data Crime Stats)
Seattle's Rainier Beach, Central District, White Center, and Renton Highlands can all get pretty dangerous however it's just no comparison to a city like LA.
These neighborhoods are not even "dangerous", they just have more sketch than other hoods. These neighborhoods are also within a mile from the most expensive houses in Seattle (overlooking Lake Washington).
Seattle has a higher robbery rate (considered a violent crime) than Oklahoma City and overall the crime rates are not that different (OKC in the mid-500's and Seattle in the mid-400's). Meanwhile, San Diego's crime rate is in the 200's. (My source is City Data Crime Stats)
Well I'm more concerned with the murder rate, and it's crazy how OKC can average more murders a year than Seattle and Portland combined. I bet lil ol Little Rock and Jackson,MS have more murders than each of those big cities. That's crazy.
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