Is Milwaukee A Dangerous City (Washington, Stockholm: foreclosures, crime, safe area)

[Milwaukee City]

Overall do you think Milwaukee is a dangerous city? Milwaukee in the early 90's was a very bad city but now I don't think it is. With a new police chief and all the new development in the city Milwaukee once again is a great place to live. We had 71 murders last year the lowest number in 26 years and last time I check we were the 39th Most Dangerous City. I don't think Milwaukee is a dangerous city, crime in Milwaukee is narrowed to the bad areas and majority of Milwaukee is very safe. By now you all know I live in Walker's Point and I love it here. If you think Milwaukee is a dangerous city then I hope you don't plan on moving to Miami, LA, Chicago, NYC, Philly, Bmore, Houston, Phoenix. Let's keep things in perspective With 2,000,000 people in a metro area there will always be crime, you can't be a big city without crime and without poverty areas and extreme wealthy areas. Once a city starts getting above 300,000 more problems will start to creep up as madison is finding out for it self.

http://www.jsonline.com/news/crime/43078197.html

[green_mariner]

Milwaukee has been a dangerous city in the past. Last year 71 murders were recorded. For a city of 602,000 people, that is actually not bad, especially when you considered Milwaukee has recorder 110+ murders per year when the population was smaller. Atlanta had more murders last year(85) and has a smaller population inside the city(519,00) and this is the lowest I have seen for Atlanta. Atlanta has been known to recorded between 120-150 murders per year when the population was barely 400,000. I think Milwaukee has far as statistics go, has become less violent. It could become a violent year this year, it might not be.

[Ron Burgundy]

I don't think this is a simple yes/no answer.

The city by and large (and yes, that includes neighborhoods on the north, south, east, and west sides) is a safe, livable place. As an inner-ring suburbanite, it neither threatens nor scares me and for me and many others on the outside, Milwaukee is by no means a dangerous city. However, I'd probably have a tough time convincing some of the people living at ground zero who see and experience otherwise (and I'm not about to entrench myself and my family in some near north or south side crime hotspot just to prove a point). But again, for those of us on the outside looking in, I think Milwaukee is a dangerous city only for those who are actively seeking to engage in illicit activity.

[Milwaukee City]

To further illustrate a point, I feel safe but more cautious driving down north avenue at 3pm than let's say 2am I wouldn't take that street. It's really dangerous in the bad areas but it's very safe in the safe areas like far south side and southwest sides.

[Allan Trafton]

I agree with Ron Burgundy. A simple yes or no answer isn't enough. Variables such as who you associate with, the neighborhood you live in and your social/economic standing plays a major part in the answer to the question. For the majority of people it is safe. If you don't look for trouble, don't hang around thugs or hang out in terrible neighborhoods at 3am you will be o.k. Also, staying away from drugs helps a great deal. Where there is drug activity there is trouble. Most people outside of Milwaukee have an overblown fear of crime in the city. Little do they know, but their drive in on the freeway is many times more dangerous than standing foot almost anywhere in the city.

[karfar]

I'd say there are certain areas of Milwaukee that are & can be dangerous. I used to be a process server (it was a soul-sucking job) & mainly did Milwaukee & the inner city. I was definitely on my guard in certain areas, nothing happened but you never knew what could pop up. I was nervous in those areas but tried to keep a positive strong vibe. Most of the time the people were fine but every once in a while I'd get a weird feeling from someone & just knew it was time to leave.

[caieva]

I spent a lot of time growing up on 30th and Galena and it was very safe. Then it went really really bad.
I lived in The Heights with small children, but moved when they started wanting to ride bikes into Washington Park. What a shame a park designed by the guy who did Central Park can't be enjoyed.

So, anyway, yes, there are beautiful areas of the city that are dangerous and you have to be really careful in.
I have no qualms driving anywhere in the city during the day, but at night there are giant swaths to stay away from.
Other areas that were dangerous are really coming back. Serious crime is down,
but I think there is a lot of work to be done.
Gentrification takes care of some crime issues, but raises other social issues.
In the third ward that worked great because no-one lived there to begin with,
but in places like RiverWest it is a struggle.

Home ownership for less well off people was a great way to get some pride into that neighborhood,
but now there are many foreclosures coming in each block,
so who knows what happens then but it won't be good.
Sorry for rambling.
I agree with ROn : COMPLEX

[Drover]

Depends on your frame of reference. Compared to Tijuana or Caracas, Milwaukee is a resort town. Compared to Stockholm, Milwaukee is a hellhole. By American crime averages, Milwaukee is fairly dangerous. By American urban standards, it's pretty average.

[green_mariner]

Originally Posted by Drover

Depends on your frame of reference. Compared to Tijuana or Caracas, Milwaukee is a resort town. Compared to Stockholm, Milwaukee is a hellhole. By American crime averages, Milwaukee is fairly dangerous. By American urban standards, it's pretty average.

Milwaukee is what it is. By Mpls-StP standards, it is more dangerous. By Atlanta, St. Louis, or Detroit, standards, Milwaukee isn't that bad.

[Milwaukee City]

Police say crime down about 15% in Milwaukee in 2009 - JSOnline


Just more good news coming in about Chief Flynn and the work the dept. is doing.