Phoenix area crime nowhere near the top, says FBI.... (Glendale: high crime, motel)
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My family and I will be moving to the East Valley in January, ONLY because of an awesome career opportunity for hubby, and we refuse to turn it down out of fear. In fact, those are sometimes exactly the times when you MUST do it, ya know?
But I believe in researching thoroughly...and from the information of locals on this site, as well as TONS of research from less-biased sources, I believe there is BIG trouble sustaining so many people in the desert area. Violent crime, gang populace, pollution, traffic and poor drivers, meth amphetimine use, drunk driving, Valley Fever, history of government corruption, mismanagement of school funding, illegal immigration & taxing of already limited resources are all problems of significance in Phoenix metropolis.
That being said, my plan is to:
~ buy a home in a relatively safe neighborhood and hide in my home , being as friendly and outgoing as is natural for me when I MUST venture out for groceries, gas, entertainment, etc.
~ take up the hobby of activism & volunteerism, and put my energy towards doing my part to make it different, if not better (Definitely NOW, and League of Women Voters, so if anyone has any info, I'd be most grateful! )
~ perhaps build a dues-free neighborhood coalition separate from the home associations focused on making the neighborhood safer and a good place to live by connecting people (is there anything like this already taking place in all of the suburban sprawl? there's gotta be.)
~ plan to carpool whenever possible, and plan those trips when I MUST come out of my hiding so they are efficient and economic, taking the route where there is the least risk of drive-by shooting. (from the research, it sounds like areas of East Mesa should be avoided. and downtown Glendale deserves extra caution. anyone care to add?)
~ drink LOTS of water, and make for DANG sure I buy a home and vehicle with a SUPREMO air conditioning system!!
I can totally understand why those of you who are leaving must go, but it seems a shame that the people with higher standards are forced out. They are the ones who usually have good stuff to add to the mix.
Hi, I thought it would be helpful to post some real numbers about the crime rate in the Phoenix area. Making assertions without backing them up with verifiable stats is, in my opinion, a waste of time. Are all Phoenix metro areas the same and equally bad when it comes to crime as some would have us believe? Even without looking at the hard numbers, I would find that hard to believe, as inner cities almost ALWAYS have higher crime rates.
The stats I am using come from the Morgan Quitno Press website. You can see the stats from 1999 for free, or for $3 bucks you can view the latest stats from 2005 (the ones I am using below). Here is the link to the 1999 stats:
You can also find a link to the methodology on that page.
Ok, now from the latest 2005 stats, here is the breakdown for the Phoenix metro area by city. The first number is the overall rank on the safe city list, while the percent shows how much better (negative percent) or worse (positive percent) that city is when compared to the national average:
So, as we can see, Phoenix is like virtually every other city in America with the urban areas bad and the suburban areas better. Now I think you can see why the traffic is so bad, people want to live in the 'burbs to be more insulated from crime. Gilbert is almost 47% better than the national average when it comes to crime. Sounds pretty good to me! Obviously Phoenix, Glendale and Tempe are worse then average, that is one of the reasons why I choose not to live there. Perhaps more surprising of all is how much worse Tucson has gotten since 1999 when it was ranked 226th and +76.35. It has really gone downhill in the last 6 years.
Thanks for the numbers.
I think the one thing that is interesting is how many of the suburbs around Phoenix have above average crime as well. I suspect this is different when compared to other major metropolitan areas. Just as an example, in Washington, apart from Prince George’s County, I believe the other “suburban” counties have pretty low crime. This may example why the entire Phoenix metro area has such a poor rating.
Doublet-
The Phoenix area does have some serious problems and given the continuing non-stop sprawl, I doubt it will change in the near future. I just read an article about how ASU backed out of a downtown building they were going to use. Yet everyday you can see large swaths of the desert being bulldozed for cookie-cutter developments on the edge of the area.
I wish you luck here. I for one am glad I will be seeing the end of my time in Phoenix in May. After being here for about a year, I have had enough. This place is not for me; too spread out, too much driving, too hot. Not all of Arizona is bad. I think the area around the Grand Canyon is one of the most beautiful and awe-inspiring places on earth, but as for Phoenix, it is a dusty, trash-strewn dump. I admire your determination to change this place for the better (it needs it), but this place simply does not feel like home to me and I suspect it never would.
My family and I will be moving to the East Valley in January, ONLY because of an awesome career opportunity for hubby, and we refuse to turn it down out of fear. In fact, those are sometimes exactly the times when you MUST do it, ya know?
But I believe in researching thoroughly...and from the information of locals on this site, as well as TONS of research from less-biased sources, I believe there is BIG trouble sustaining so many people in the desert area. Violent crime, gang populace, pollution, traffic and poor drivers, meth amphetimine use, drunk driving, Valley Fever, history of government corruption, mismanagement of school funding, illegal immigration & taxing of already limited resources are all problems of significance in Phoenix metropolis.
That being said, my plan is to:
~ buy a home in a relatively safe neighborhood and hide in my home , being as friendly and outgoing as is natural for me when I MUST venture out for groceries, gas, entertainment, etc.
~ take up the hobby of activism & volunteerism, and put my energy towards doing my part to make it different, if not better (Definitely NOW, and League of Women Voters, so if anyone has any info, I'd be most grateful! )
~ perhaps build a dues-free neighborhood coalition separate from the home associations focused on making the neighborhood safer and a good place to live by connecting people (is there anything like this already taking place in all of the suburban sprawl? there's gotta be.)
~ plan to carpool whenever possible, and plan those trips when I MUST come out of my hiding so they are efficient and economic, taking the route where there is the least risk of drive-by shooting. (from the research, it sounds like areas of East Mesa should be avoided. and downtown Glendale deserves extra caution. anyone care to add?)
~ drink LOTS of water, and make for DANG sure I buy a home and vehicle with a SUPREMO air conditioning system!!
I can totally understand why those of you who are leaving must go, but it seems a shame that the people with higher standards are forced out. They are the ones who usually have good stuff to add to the mix.
That was a good observation except SE Mesa is the better area of Mesa.
I will tell you Gilbert is very conservative we have lots of Mormons and Christians in this area, it is not at all progressive. Chandler would be slightly more progressive and I find the Awhatukee area to be more progressive for the South parts of the valley, you may feel like your banging your head against the wall here.
That was a good observation except SE Mesa is the better area of Mesa.
I will tell you Gilbert is very conservative we have lots of Mormons and Christians in this area, it is not at all progressive. Chandler would be slightly more progressive and I find the Awhatukee area to be more progressive for the South parts of the valley, you may feel like your banging your head against the wall here.
Thanks for the info, a1m1700, but you won't keep us liberals out of your neighborhood that easily! I'm up for the challenge.
Here’s an article I found showing that out of the ten largest cities in the U.S., Phoenix has the second highest crime rate per capita.
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/printstory.mpl/metropolitan/4197441 (broken link)
The rate in Phoenix is more than twice as high as the rate in New York, despite the fact that Phoenix is more spread out and less dense than New York. New York’s rate is 1 per 37.38, while Phoenix’s rate is 1 per 14.10.
So, boarding yourself in gated developments miles from civilization will not save you from crime.
I can totally understand why those of you who are leaving must go, but it seems a shame that the people with higher standards are forced out. They are the ones who usually have good stuff to add to the mix.
Quality people with high standards of living cannot possibly last anymore than about 6 months in Phoenix. Each year these people flee, yet the population of the metro area keeps expanding. This means that with each passing year, the quality of life in Phoenix gets lower and lower and lower. The crime rate is increasing in the Phoenix metro area, and it will continue to do so.
Quality people with high standards of living cannot possibly last anymore than about 6 months in Phoenix. Each year these people flee, yet the population of the metro area keeps expanding. This means that with each passing year, the quality of life in Phoenix gets lower and lower and lower. The crime rate is increasing in the Phoenix metro area, and it will continue to do so.
I wouldn't go that far, I think that's pretty drastic
I did get a good laugh though.
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informed and coming your way
, being as friendly and outgoing as is natural for me when I MUST venture out for groceries, gas, entertainment, etc.
)
there's gotta be.)
They are the ones who usually have good stuff to add to the mix.
I'm up for the challenge.
