Couldn't take it anymore - I had to leave! (Miami: crime rates, home)

[PBCboy]

Originally Posted by philly76er

I was just saying that crime is everywhere...If you use common sense you can usually avoid trouble

Crime, such as the serious stuff you find in many sections of South Florida, is certainly not "everywhere". Large cities like Portland and Seattle are much safer than Miami.

[PBCboy]

Originally Posted by fort lauderdale

Yeah,even when I had gang encounters in the Boynton Beach bathroom, I did not really feel I was in danger. I didn't look at the guys, do anything to provoke them. I just went to the bathroom, took a leak, minded my own business, and nothing happened. They aren't looking for trouble with ME if I don't start it, but regardless, like you said, you can avoid trouble.

My friend was riding his bike in Boynton Beach and a gang approached him, threw him off his bike, and two members got on it. They rode it away through a foresty area and stole his watch, cell phne, and a few bucks. Yep, they took a few mesely bucks off him as well, and to top it off hit him pretty hard. Also, I was also riding mine (I like to get exercise when biking, it's fun and good for you) through Lake Worth and four men on a golf cart starting following me. I have no idea why they did that, but I go out of there while I could...

The sad thing about Boynton Beach is that it was mostly a decent community just a few years ago. Sure, it always had some iffy sections in Easy Boynton, but the city keeps getting worse and worse every year...

[compelled to reply]

Gheez, its really safe around here where I am...people keep their guards up regardless though, because you always should. When I walk around at night, people are usually walking their dogs and say "hi" to you. We recently got neighborhood security though, and I am surprised at how serious they are. Pre-security, we still had no problems. They mainly got the guard to keep property values up and add an extra layer of safety, because yes, crime is starting to spike in communities not far from me, even if it isint here yet. We won't put up with that BS out here. This community is safe(as well as most anything 5 miles east,south, and several miles north of me), and with how the local residents are acting, it looks like it will remain that way.

[philly76er]

Originally Posted by PBCboy

Crime, such as the serious stuff you find in many sections of South Florida, is certainly not "everywhere". Large cities like Portland and Seattle are much safer than Miami.

I wouldn't consider Portland or Seattle a large city.

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by philly76er

I wouldn't consider Portland or Seattle a large city.

Seattle is huge. It has 582 thousand people. Also, minus the homicide rate being low, its crime stats could be considered comparable to any other large city; High. It has low violent crime though.

Crime in Seattle by Year
Type 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
Murders 45 36 25 26 34 24 25
per 100,000 8.3 6.5 4.4 4.5 5.9 4.2 4.3
Rapes 188 181 164 152 174 145 138
per 100,000 34.6 32.9 28.7 26.2 30.2 25.2 23.8
Robberies 1,642 1,653 1,594 1,576 1,509 1,588 1,607
per 100,000 302.4 300.5 278.5 271.7 261.8 275.8 277.4
Assaults 2,291 2,463 2,367 2,338 2,229 2,041 2,339
per 100,000 422.0 447.8 413.6 403.0 386.8 354.5 403.8
Burglaries 6,469 6,157 6,684 7,290 8,536 7,734 6,761
per 100,000 1191.4 1119.4 1167.8 1256.7 1481.2 1343.1 1167.3
Thefts 30,485 26,424 26,502 26,742 28,718 25,810 27,147
per 100,000 5614.7 4804.3 4630.4 4610.0 4983.2 4482.3 4686.9
Auto thefts 8,640 8,386 8,755 8,308 9,052 9,253 9,563
per 100,000 1591.3 1524.7 1529.7 1432.2 1570.7 1606.9 1651.0
Arson 163 172 216 211 205 243 217
per 100,000 30.0 31.3 37.7 36.4 35.6 42.2 37.5
City-data.com crime index (higher means more crime, U.S. average = 325.2) 654.7 611.7 587.3 579.0 620.5 584.0 593.0

Miami and West Palm has double the crime, though. Fort Lauderdale has comparable crime overall, but still much higher violent crime. The homicide rate is double.

[BornAndRaised]

Portland and Seattle, are, in one word, BORING. Besides starbucks

[unixpilot]

Originally Posted by BornAndRaised

Portland and Seattle, are, in one word, BORING. Besides starbucks

Seattle FTW!

Emerald City crushes Miami in culture/technology/arts and general contributions to the betterment of the USA.

[THASPECIAL]

Originally Posted by tpitner

Hello everyone,

- Homeless people constantly asking for money

If you were homeless isnt that what you would be doing to?....really think about that one before you reply.....homeless people arent out there doing the killing or aggravated assaults.....they are just hungry......i am not "too high and pridefull" of a person to help a homeless person on the street when God gives me the conviction to give to them....i was homeless once to so i guess thats why i dont see them as a problem....and why i see them as a human like me ....no matter how much i have or what i look like......so some people say, "they just want money to drink".....well it doesnt matter what they want it for...you arent saving them from anything by not giving because you are trying to stop them from drinking....they dont own a car so they cant kill a bunch of people drunk driving.......and how do you really know what they need the money for until you spend time with them and see them use it?

[THASPECIAL]

Originally Posted by Chelito23

All I have to say is, a combined income of under 100K sounds close to 100K to me...so that is double what most couples earn here.


Miami's problems affect even the middle class areas, which is something that doesn't happen in most US cities, where the problems are usually relegated to a certain area.

..

You are right.....i am from Miami but live in Orlando now......well even living in Orlando my income is about 20k a year and i live wit my mother at this time and she makes 40k and is in her late 50's and its the highest pay she's ever had.......when we were in Miami we lived in Miami Lakes/Carol City/Hialeah (moved to different apartments in this area) for about 7 years.....i dont remember alot of my friends making it out of highschool like a normal person....most got GED like me.......and even out in the suburbs of Miami you see homeless people standing on the corners asking for money in some places and sleeping on benches or under overpasses.....there was always one or 2 of them at the entrance ramps on NW 67th AVE and the Palmetto Expressway....its funny cuz i went back to visit a couple times and there were still people at that same intersection with thier "will work for food" signs......this is a really nice area in Miami to......its a common thing in nice areas of Miami to see inner city problems.....and i have lived other places and didnt see the same thing in suburbs other cities on the scale that Miami sees it......just look at a map of Miami and look for Miami Lakes or Carol City in Miami and thats the area i grew up in and i had friends that stole cars for fun in these areas and friends that i saw get out of the car to rob people ......Miami is not a place to raise a "sheltered" child.....but i Love Miami.....it has culture and a pace that i like and beautifull buildings and good looking women but there are problems that only Miamians can only understand.......its hard to convince people that a suburb can actually see innercity kinds of problems.....you can put Carol City (a suburb) up with any inner city ghetto in america and it is about 20 miles from downtown Miami

[Musclehead]

Originally Posted by fort lauderdale

Dude, calm down. Good jobs exist here. If you get a good job, you can do well here. Nuff said. Yeah, there are few and far in between, but some people actually succeed here. Miami sucks, yeah, I know, but either A. let the guy see reality and leave or B. let the guy see reality, but still do really well with his job,and move to Broward.

Big cities have a lot of problems. Miami and Chicago both have them, and to say that Chicago is so much better would be blind. I mean, saying Miami is better is blind too, but come on...just move out to suburbia like everybody else did in the 60s.

Chelito 23 seems to have an agenda ... ok Miami sucks , we understand but what is the point in posting the same things over and over again ?

Obviously not everyone thinks it sucks or no one would live there ... I live in Boca Raton and rarely get down to Miami .... although I do enjoy some of the amenities in Miami Dade .. would I live there no .... do I spend all my time posting negatives ... no . What would be the point .... life is too short if you do not like it down here then MOVE !!!