Which kentucky city is declining the quickest (Paducah: house, school)

[jcm1986]

Originally Posted by Sundance

Paducah isn't anything - hate to say it though; I give the poor things credit for trying to do something. The Lowertown/Artist Relocaton business is a joke.

I wouldn't call Paducah a city, by any stretch of the imagination! Town, yes; but I'd much rather be where I'm at (teensy little town), than there.

Blech......

It never has been and probably never will be a city. But, the thing to understand is sometimes the term "city" is relative. Case in point: most of the residents of the Jackson Purchase are two hours or more from St. Louis, Nashville, Memphis, or even Evansville, so Paducah is their regional commercial and healthcare hub. Their "city" of sorts. But, Paducah proper has only 26,000; the urban area has 45,000, and McCracken Co. has 64,000 residents and slightly losing population to Graves and Marshall Counties.

[BLS2753]

Originally Posted by Sundance

Paducah isn't anything - hate to say it though; I give the poor things credit for trying to do something. The Lowertown/Artist Relocaton business is a joke.

I wouldn't call Paducah a city, by any stretch of the imagination! Town, yes; but I'd much rather be where I'm at (teensy little town), than there.

Blech......

The only artists that relocate, are ones who can't make it elsewhere. Besides, the local demographic isn't exactly geared towards making art purchases.

Paducah benefits from geography, by not being within 2 hours of anyplace with equivalent shopping or medical facilities.

[kentuckydad95]

Whomever stated that the crime rate in Paducah is not that high, must be high themselves.


Sunday, April 20, 2008
Paducah Police Investigate Shooting Near Brickhouse Disco (WKYX) Paducah Police are investigating a shooting that happened early Sunday on Boyd Street near the parking lot of the Brickhouse Disco. Investigators are releasing little information about the incident. A man was shot in the leg about 3:30 Sunday morning on Boyd Street between 9th and 10th Streets; his injuries are not life-threatening. Police are not releasing the victim's name for his safety. Investigators are asking that anyone who may have information about the shooting call Paducah Police or Crimestoppers at 443-TELL.(Posted 5:17 pm)

Here are the facts:

Paducah's murder rate is 2.54 times higher then the national average.
Rape in Paducah is 2.35 times higher then the national average.
Aggravated assault is 1.77 times higher then the national average.
Burglary is 1.27 times higher then national avg.
Larceny is 1.74 times higher then national avg.

But hey...at least keeping the quilt show and renovating the Executive Inn are tops on the list of things to do for Paducah.

[BLS2753]

Originally Posted by kentuckydad95

Whomever stated that the crime rate in Paducah is not that high, must be high themselves.


Sunday, April 20, 2008
Paducah Police Investigate Shooting Near Brickhouse Disco (WKYX) Paducah Police are investigating a shooting that happened early Sunday on Boyd Street near the parking lot of the Brickhouse Disco. Investigators are releasing little information about the incident. A man was shot in the leg about 3:30 Sunday morning on Boyd Street between 9th and 10th Streets; his injuries are not life-threatening. Police are not releasing the victim's name for his safety. Investigators are asking that anyone who may have information about the shooting call Paducah Police or Crimestoppers at 443-TELL.(Posted 5:17 pm)

Here are the facts:

Paducah's murder rate is 2.54 times higher then the national average.
Rape in Paducah is 2.35 times higher then the national average.
Aggravated assault is 1.77 times higher then the national average.
Burglary is 1.27 times higher then national avg.
Larceny is 1.74 times higher then national avg.

But hey...at least keeping the quilt show and renovating the Executive Inn are tops on the list of things to do for Paducah.

Statistics must be taken in perspective. This is not random crime in the typical urban sense. The chances of a reasonable thinking, middle class individual, becoming a crime victim in Paducah is small.

The vast majority of these crimes involve individuals who know one another, and are resolving a dispute with violence.

Are there neighborhoods where your home is more likely to be broken into? Of course, but I doubt many people reading this forum are going to be living in them.

The statistics are skewed because they're based on the city population. Most people doing business in Paducah, don't live in the city. A more meaningful statistic would include about a 5 county area in KY and IL.

This South side of Chicago, S. Central LA, The Bronx, type image attempting to be portrayed here, is way off the mark.

I've been around a little, and know unsafe areas as it relates to crime. Paducah doesn't come close.

I drive through the public housing area on N. 8th St., after dark, at least a couple times a month. Never been harrassed at a stoplight. Never seen or heard gunfire. Even buy gas in the neighborhood sometimes. Never felt threatened.

Bottom line: Paducah's a hick town. If you feel intimidated in Paducah, your chances of surviving in a true urban environment would not be good. If you think Paducah is some urban jungle of crime, you must live a very provincial existence.

[kentuckydad95]

I was just giving crime statistics. Every crime stat is (usually) based on per 100,000 people. That rule applies to Paducah as well as NYC or LA. What about all the robberies at the mall area? What about the kid who got shot to death at the movie theatre because he accidently hit the other guy's car? They didn't know each other. How about the Quizno's in Lone Oak that has been robbed more than a few times in the past 6 months? How about all the morning drug raids at apartments and houses in LONE OAK? That is nowhere near "The Set" area and Elmwood Courts, where crime is rampant. Why is it manditory that the police ride two per car in the Fountain Ave area that the city is TRYING (and failing) to revamp? Why does such a small hick-town have a SWAT team and bomb squad? Why does such a small hick-town have 79 patrol officers for 26,000 people and Murray has only 37 (includes Murray State police)??? 16,000 Murray residents and 10,000 university students adds up, but we don't HAVE to have the same number of cops here. Gee...I wonder why? Why was (the man passed away) there a Paducah police officer who would volunteer his time taking INNER-CITY kids to the lake to fish to help keep them out of gang violence? Yeah, I feel safer in Paducah then I do when I go to Boston, but don't pretend that Paducah is some sort of sheltered nothing with no problems. They are one of the worst crime-ridden area's in the entire state of Kentucky. Take the blinders off son.

[BLS2753]

It's all in one's perspective I suppose. I'm more afraid of the locals who never learned how to merge on to I-24, than I am of getting mugged around here.

[censusdata]

I was looking on CD's city profiles and was really surprised how quickly a lot of little towns in SouthEastern Kentucky are declining, especially in Harlan County.

Here are the declines according to census estimates 2000 to 2006

Cumberland (Harlan Co) -10.5%
Harlan (Harlan Co) -7.9%
Benham (Harlan Co) -7.7%
Lynch (Harlan Co) -6.0%
Whitesburg (Letcher Co) -5.2%
Pineville (Bell Co) -4.0%
Middlesboro (Bell Co)-2.6%

Paducah (for comparison) -2.5%

Many of those small towns could be extinct within my lifetime!

[InLondon]

Originally Posted by censusdata

I was looking on CD's city profiles and was really surprised how quickly a lot of little towns in SouthEastern Kentucky are declining, especially in Harlan County.

Here are the declines according to census estimates 2000 to 2006

Cumberland (Harlan Co) -10.5%
Harlan (Harlan Co) -7.9%
Benham (Harlan Co) -7.7%
Lynch (Harlan Co) -6.0%
Whitesburg (Letcher Co) -5.2%
Pineville (Bell Co) -4.0%
Middlesboro (Bell Co)-2.6%

Paducah (for comparison) -2.5%

Many of those small towns could be extinct within my lifetime!

Middlesboro has so much potential. I hope it turns around and things improve there. It's a really nice town. Just needs more employment opportunities and more major highways.

[BLS2753]

Originally Posted by censusdata

I was looking on CD's city profiles and was really surprised how quickly a lot of little towns in SouthEastern Kentucky are declining, especially in Harlan County.

Here are the declines according to census estimates 2000 to 2006

Cumberland (Harlan Co) -10.5%
Harlan (Harlan Co) -7.9%
Benham (Harlan Co) -7.7%
Lynch (Harlan Co) -6.0%
Whitesburg (Letcher Co) -5.2%
Pineville (Bell Co) -4.0%
Middlesboro (Bell Co)-2.6%

Paducah (for comparison) -2.5%

Many of those small towns could be extinct within my lifetime!

It's also interesting how many towns show a decline in household income from 2000-2006. If you're a retiree with a CPI based pension/SS, you're always ahead of the local economy.

[InLondon]

These towns will not be extinct. The population goes up and down in some of the eastern Ky counties, so it may increase in the future. Right now there's a small coal boom going on in some areas of eastern KY near Hazard. This of course means more jobs and more people.