Where are the bad neighborhoods in reading? (Philadelphia, Allentown: violent crime, house)

[Nineteen]

I will be in reading for business and I would just like a short list of what area's to stay away from in Reading. (i.e. downtown? north? south? maybe some major street names). I'm trying to avoid taking any wrong turns and ending up in the ghetto/drug infested parts that every city has. I enjoy driving around site seeing and getting a feel for the city that way, I just don't want to get in any trouble. Thanks.

[Icy Tea]

Penn Street and Court Street are good during the day, thats basically the center city downtown. There's a parking garage just off the courthouse and a few down near the Goggle works/ Imax theater down by the Penn Street bridge, not far from RACC. To the east on Penn Street is the Sovereign Center sports and entertainment center. That's safe. Go beyond that area and it gets dicey, not so much east but north and closer to the river. Franklin Street and areas south are so so. Stay on business 61 north to get to 222, or cross the Penn Street bridge to get onto 422 or West Reading/Wyomissing, or go east into Mount Penn and eventually onto 422 business and then 422.The Reading high school is on 13th street and is safe apart from idiot high school kids who wander out into traffic. If you get lost, just drive up the mountain towards the Pagoda, you can see 30 miles from up there.

[Marodi]

pretty much the whole city in general.

Though the other side of the river is fairly safe.

[nocturnal rooster]

Originally Posted by Nineteen

I will be in reading for business and I would just like a short list of what area's to stay away from in Reading. (i.e. downtown? north? south? maybe some major street names). I'm trying to avoid taking any wrong turns and ending up in the ghetto/drug infested parts that every city has. I enjoy driving around site seeing and getting a feel for the city that way, I just don't want to get in any trouble. Thanks.

The whole city

[loose cannon]

Do your work and get out as soon as you can. The city is a pit!

[Fatherof4]

Stay away from the city at night. West reading is decent.

[supersoulty]

Draw a dot in the city center. From there, draw a line about three miles out from there. Then draw a circle a around that three miles radius. What you have in the circle is that bad part, and there are still no guarantees for anything outside of there.

My Cousin lives in Reading. They have to keep moving out farther just to stay away from the crime, and I am not talking about what the "average white person" calls "crime", I mean stabbings, shootings, rape.

[xboxr]

my friend frm ny brought a house there 4 like 67,000, 4 br. he put a nice down payment so he's only payin 400. a month. so i ask him, why is the price so low. then he tells me, the kids hav 2 b in b4 9, i said, r u 4real. in the back of my mind i said, that dn't sound right. good thing i found this thread. comin frm the city, u luv 2 c the trees an dirt, and 2 find out it,s worst than were u r is terrrible.

[Icy Tea]

Reading crime is bad, but it drops off dramatically at the city limits. I've looked at the latest FBI crime ratings for neighboring townships. Exeter is rated a 2 in violent and property crime. A 3 is considered average. Mount Penn was a 1 in violent crime, and thats right next to the city. Berks County as a whole was rated a 2 for violent crime.
Reading was an 8/8. Terrible, but other cities in Pa are up there, Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton, Lancaster, Coastesville, Norristown, Pottstown and of course Philadelphia. And I've looked at other cities comparable in size in other states, they have crime ratings of 6, 7 and 8.
I live within 3 miles of Reading's center city and crime is not something I worry about.

[Nineteen]

Thank you for the replies guys, they were very specific and helpful. If anyone else has anything too add, it would be appreciated, thanks.