So which city has the most crime?! Charlotte or Durham? (Raleigh: best city, 2009)

[Anders15]

Hello I was wondering which is the best city to move to. My friend was told charlotte nc. She was originally planning on moving to Durham but one of her friends at work told her it's not a good place for kids so now she wants to go to charlotte. I've done my research and is it just me or is it the opposite?

On the charlotte section here all i hear is crime. I know every city has crime but which has the most crime out of the two? She is in the medical field so Durham would be a even better choice but she was told charlotte was better. Does anyone here know which is the best location?

[lovesMountains]

Originally Posted by RonMaverick804

Hello I was wondering which is the best city to move to. My friend was told charlotte nc. She was originally planning on moving to Durham but one of her friends at work told her it's not a good place for kids so now she wants to go to charlotte. I've done my research and is it just me or is it the opposite?

On the charlotte section here all i hear is crime. I know every city has crime but which has the most crime out of the two? She is in the medical field so Durham would be a even better choice but she was told charlotte was better. Does anyone here know which is the best location?

Well, since Charlotte has a much larger population than Durham you will of course find much more crime in Charlotte. That doesn't mean it's any more dangerous however. The truth is, your friend should move to wherever she can get a job - they aren't just giving them away these days. There are some very nice parts of Charlotte, it can be a good place to raise a family. Durham has a rough reputation for the most part, though I understand you can find real nice pockets in certain places.

[NCN]

You asked about Raleigh and then you switched to Durham so I will give you the crime rates for the three towns. All this can be found under the information for the towns at City-Data.com. Just click on it and put in the city or town you are checking on.

United States average crime rate is 320.9
Latest information on the three towns you mentioned:
Charlotte 648
Raleigh 339
Durham 567.1

[Anders15]

Thank you very much. I am sorry I know this question has been asked before but it is hard to tell how updated this information usually is. Most of the graphs I've come across were from 2000. again thanks.

[mm34b]

See Table 5 - http://sbi2.jus.state.nc.us/crp/publ...Summary%20.pdf

The 2008 report will be released around June of 2009.

[.-.]

All of this is pretty much irrelevant. Ninety percent or so of those crimes are in certain spots in those cities. Unless you plan on moving into one of them you're very unlikely to be affected by it's higher crime rate. I suggest you make your decision of where you want to live based on some other criteria.

[mm34b]

Originally Posted by .-.

All of this is pretty much irrelevant. Ninety percent or so of those crimes are in certain spots in those cities. Unless you plan on moving into one of them you're very unlikely to be affected by it's higher crime rate. I suggest you make your decision of where you want to live based on some other criteria.

True, when one asks a general question, they get general answers.

[NCgirl]

Originally Posted by lovesMountains

Well, since Charlotte has a much larger population than Durham you will of course find much more crime in Charlotte. That doesn't mean it's any more dangerous however.

Yes, Charlotte is much larger than Durham.

Durham - Land area: 94.6 square miles. Population in July 2007: 217,847
Charlotte - Land area: 242.3 square miles. Population in July 2007: 671,588.

Originally Posted by RonMaverick804

Hello I was wondering which is the best city to move to. My friend was told charlotte nc. She was originally planning on moving to Durham but one of her friends at work told her it's not a good place for kids so now she wants to go to charlotte. I've done my research and is it just me or is it the opposite?

On the charlotte section here all i hear is crime. I know every city has crime but which has the most crime out of the two? She is in the medical field so Durham would be a even better choice but she was told charlotte was better. Does anyone here know which is the best location?

"Best" is subjective. Your friend will have to find out which NC is the best one for her. I know that Charlotte is very family friendly and there are many people happily raising their children here. However I wouldn't discount Durham based on what someone else said. I imagine that there are happy families in Durham as well.

I agree with the other posters. Of course crime stats are important but your friend shouldn't limit her search based on crime. The job market here is tight so IMO that should be her main focus. She should also research things like housing costs, schools and other amenities that may be important (parks, library systems, etc). That way if she gets offers in multiple cities she'll have more information to make an informed decision.

[DanielleNC]

Hi Ron,

I wouldn't be scared of Durham based on the rumors you hear. I grew up in Durham and it is a great place to raise a family. There are many families that are happy living in an urban, suburban, or country lifestyle here. Duke and UNC hospitals are some of the best in the world and very convenient. There are a few areas in Durham that has higher crime, but there really is no reason to be in those areas and is easily avoidable. I have lived here for 22 years and not once have had a problem or feared going out. Durham's downtown has been going through a great revitalization with much to offer and even more to come. My boyfriend (who grew up in Cary, one of the “safest towns”) and I were downtown in the American Tobacco Historic District just last night. There were security guards everywhere watching the grounds and not a single shady person. Just regular people like you and I out having a great time. There's also Hillsborough, a historic and quaint town close to Durham and Chapel Hill if you would like to be in a small town, but still close to everything. I suggest visiting both the Triangle and Charlotte, and definitely go where the job is. You really can't go wrong with either area.

[the 7 oh 4]

You really can't compare the 2 (Charlotte & Durham)...they are no where similar in size...Charlotte is the size of Raleigh, Durham & Chapel Hill put together (population).