Lancaster (City) Crime (York, Chester: 2014, crime rate, how much)

[Richie90]

Hello all,

Lancaster has made it to my short list of relocation possibilities, so that is where my questions in this post are coming from. I've never lived anywhere in Lancaster County before, so I would very much appreciate the insights of local people. My present location is Baltimore.

I've been reading a lot of posts on this forum about crime within the city limits of Lancaster. There is even an image someone made of a "ghetto grid" map, where areas to avoid are highlighted. Is it just me, or does the crime problem seem blown out of proportion? Looking at the data readily available on the web, I will concede the point that Lancaster definitely has a reasonably high crime rate for a city of it's size. That being said, the crime doesn't seem nearly as bad as what we have to deal with down here in Baltimore. Compared to Baltimore, it honestly seems like a dream. The "ghetto grid" map concept seems ridiculous to me, as I have driven through some REALLY bad neighborhoods in my present city which don't even compare to the worst Lancaster has to offer. So, can someone explain what it is I'm missing here? Why do so many people make Lancaster out to be a dangerous place? Is there something I am not aware of that isn't present in the data one can find on the web? I can understand the concerns people have about other nearby cities, such as York, but what's going on with Lancaster?

It could very well be that we just have it SO bad down here in Baltimore, people like me have forgotten what "bad" really is. The crime down here has made a terrible impact on both myself and my family. It has touched our lives directly. Thus, it could be that my perspective is skewed by that. Additionally, I'm presently single and also male. This may play into my perspective as well.

Thoughts?

[tone77]

Well, it depends if you are concerned with violent crime or property crime. Violent crime in Lancaster is not that bad, it does happen, but it's not an epidemic. I never have had any issues with walking around at night, and it's way, way less dangerous than Baltimore, or the city I grew up in (Chester, PA). Now as far as property crime goes, for a city it's size, there is plenty. If you take the usual precautions, you should be alright. If you leave a car door unlocked, a bike unchained or a window open when not at home, things may go missing. The vast majority of crime is sneaky, opportunistic theft, as opposed to confrontational theft and violence.

[kettlepot]

Originally Posted by Richie90

It could very well be that we just have it SO bad down here in Baltimore, people like me have forgotten what "bad" really is.

It's this ^. When Baltimore is your starting point, everywhere else looks like up.

For those reading this thread but not looking up the statistics, which I'm sure the OP has hence the question, Baltimore's murder rate per 100,000 used to be in the 30s, but since 2014 has moved into the 50s.

Lancaster's rate is more volatile, but ranges between 6 - 16 per 100,000. Night and day lower than Baltimore.

However, as a comparison between Baltimore and Lancaster to an actual safe large city, San Diego's murder rate over the past 10 years ranged between 2.2 - 4.7 per 100,000.

Baltimore is 10x to 20x more dangerous than San Diego.

If you move to Lancaster, please come back to the forum and continue this thread with details of your actual experience. I wonder how much of Lancaster's issues stem from a small group of people who live their lives looking for trouble until they finally succeed.

[Leona Valley]

"For those reading this thread but not looking up the statistics, which I'm sure the OP has hence the question, Baltimore's murder rate per 100,000 used to be in the 30s, but since 2014 has moved into the 50s."


That murder rate is incredible. There are war zones that don't match it. There are plenty of poor neighborhoods in the U.S. with nowhere near those rates. What is the reason for that rate? Why so many murderers in Baltimore and what needs to be done about it? Why haven't they been taken off the streets?