How do the bad parts of Phoenix compare to other rough parts of the country? (Mesa: rentals, crime)

[BillyJackAz]

As I've mentioned in other threads, I have an interest in crime (and justice) and what the culture is like in the less-desirable places in America (and other countries, as well), so that's honestly and literally the only reason I'm asking about this. I just like to read and hear about people's experiences in rougher, more-dangerous/violent/scary areas. So, with having just read a thread on here about someone who had lived over in the West Valley (around 91st Ave. and Indian School) and had some awful experiences (including someone being murdered at their problem-neighbor's house, and also having a dead body pushed out of a car in front of their house), I wanted to start a thread to specifically ask for people's thoughts about how bad the worst parts of the Phoenix are and how people think it compares to the worst parts of other cities around the country.

So, what do some of you guys and gals think about the roughest/most-dangerous parts of the Phoenix Metro area? Are these areas really as bad as some people claim/describe? Or are they often exaggerated and Phoenix does not really have any truly terrible areas that are comparable to the extremely dangerous major cities in the U.S.?

It seems pretty universal that South Phoenix and the West Valley (Maryvalle, in particular) are the most crime-ridden and dangerous parts of the Valle, with Mesa and Tempe also having some pretty bad parts, but are the worst places in/around Phoenix anything close to the really bad/dangerous parts of places like Detroit? Flint? Chicago? East St. Louis? Gary? Camden? St. Louis? Kansas City? Cleveland? Cincinnati? Youngstown? Baltimore? Philadelphia? Pittsburgh? Memphis? New Orleans? Birmingham? Houston? Dallas? Albuquerque? Los Angeles? Oakland? Stockton? Richmond? San Diego?

Sorry for listing so many cities, but I wanted to give some ideas about cities to compare Phoenix to. Especially, if it might help to remind people about stories they've heard of or experiences they've personally had in some of these places.

I hope this thread does not violate any rules; and if it does, I apologize. And I will be glad to edit it, if that will help to keep it open and in compliance with the rules on here.

[adriver]

I certainly don't get down there much, but I don't feel like there really are very dangerous area in the metro area. Sure there are some, but definitely not anywhere near other major cities when you factor in how large and how many people are here. Murders and death happen in all parts of the city here, from the really poor to the million dollar neighborhoods. As for most of the other non life-threatening crime (theft, drugs) has a lot to do with the transients and not just the poor. We have neighborhoods that are very low-value, but in general there doesn't seem to ever be any real "problem areas".

[Ponderosa]

Most Phoenix bad areas are poor, but not devoid of hope and opportunity. Phoenix has absorbed maybe a half million illegals and a couple million more citizens from other areas and things are still going strong with ample jobs particularly in the low end of the wage scale. The growth economy here offers people the chance to move up and move out. We may have sorry schools, but our black graduation rate is near the top in the country and our community colleges are excellent. The make up of the less affluent communities is in constant flux as people move up the ladder. So, no this is nothing like eastern cities in that regard and the poorer areas are by and large safe, even for people who can't leave when the sun goes down.

[TempeAZnative]

If you want the worst of the worst 43rd Ave / McDowell is one of the worst areas in the entire valley. You can Sprinkle in 16th ST / Roeser, 7th St / Broadway, 19th Ave / Southern. OP please educate me on the "bad" areas of Tempe it should be interesting.

[locolife]

Rough parts of Phoenix tend to be sunnier and warmer than other bad parts of the nation.

[TBCasino]

It's all relative, I grew up in the South Bronx, so when I see what many people here see as "bad" areas, I think to myself, "this actually isn't all that bad compared to where I grew up". With that said, if I were to stay in AZ full time, would I buy a house in those areas? heck no, because I've seen what other parts of the valley have to offer.

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

Most Phoenix bad areas are poor, but not devoid of hope and opportunity.

True for the most part, except I would put Maryvale in the category of lacking hope & opportunity, mostly because nothing around there is worth revitalizing. It was already a bad area in the '70s & '80s because of the cheaper class of people it attracted, and just became worse over time. Some poorer areas like Sunnyslope and some of the areas south of downtown have neighborhoods that could be restored with a fair amount of investment & community interest. Overall however, not a lot of bad areas here compared to places like Detroit, Baltimore, etc.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by Valley Native

True for the most part, except I would put Maryvale in the category of lacking hope & opportunity, mostly because nothing around there is worth revitalizing. It was already a bad area in the '70s & '80s because of the cheaper class of people it attracted, and just became worse over time. Some poorer areas like Sunnyslope and some of the areas south of downtown have neighborhoods that could be restored with a fair amount of investment & community interest. Overall however, not a lot of bad areas here compared to places like Detroit, Baltimore, etc.

I am in Maryvale (or what people call Maryvale) fairly frequently for family events. It is a mixed bag. Some blocks are really rundown while others are seeing signs of remodeling, face-lifting and so on. You can see both even within the same block. One thing to be said for the imported labor is that they are skilled at doing things themselves and can DIY their home improvements at considerably less cost than people who lack those skills. You see more of it than one might expect and certainly more than one would see in eastern ghettos. If we could achieve greater home ownership relative to rentals, some of these bad areas of Phoenix would see a rebirth.

[BillyJackAz]

Thanks for taking the time to reply, y'all! I was glad to see that the thread had gotten some responses. I tend to agree that even the worst parts of Phoenix likely aren't nearly as bad as the awful parts of cities like Detroit, Chicago, Los Angeles, St. Louis, etc., but I do recall a recent period earlier this year where there seemed to be a lot of horrible violence happening in the Phoenix area (in Jan.-Feb., I think, and it included multiple shootings/murders over 2-3-day periods on more than one occasion) and that made me re-think how dangerous parts of Phoenix really are.

As someone alluded to, with Phoenix having as many people living in the area now, it does seem to have a relatively low amount of violence, which is a great thing. However, it certainly seems to have its fair share of serious crimes and scary violence in the bad areas; enough that it gives people legitimate reason to worry and be concerned about it. I realize that Phoenix likely does not have any areas that are as notoriously dangerous and violent as the gang-infested neighborhoods in Los Angeles and Chicago or the incredibly poor and desperate areas of Detroit, Milwaukee, Camden, Baltimore, Philly, etc., so I'd have to agree that it's not comparable to those places, even in the worst parts of town.

Originally Posted by TempeAZnative

If you want the worst of the worst 43rd Ave / McDowell is one of the worst areas in the entire valley. You can Sprinkle in 16th ST / Roeser, 7th St / Broadway, 19th Ave / Southern. OP please educate me on the "bad" areas of Tempe it should be interesting.

As for Tempe having some bad parts, the reason I mentioned it is from having read a post on some other site where a guy lived and worked close to ASU and described his experience from earlier in the day. From what I recall, he first described how he got on either the bus or the light rail (I don't recall which) and there was a loud argument that turned in to an actual fist fight between two guys (one guy looking like a skinhead racist, and the other like a Mexican cholo, who had his kids with him) and that no one even tried to break it up. He then gets off to walk a short ways to work, only to be hit up by homeless guys asking for money. Then, on the way home after work, he gets off at his stop, to see multiple cop cars parked and officers warning people and informing them they part of the street/area was not accessible, and this was because there had been a robbery at either the gas station or payday loan place. He also alluded to how this was not that surprising to him, as that part of town had become pretty bad and has issues on a regular basis.

Besides that, there was the guy who drove his car with his family in it in to Tempe Town Lake and killed all of them; the woman who decided that she wanted to murder someone and got in to car crash and then shot and killed a female ASU student; and there have been multiple ASU students who died due to some sort of accident/irresponsible behavior. So, unfortunately, there seems to be plenty of crime and violence going on in Tempe these days.

Since you are evidently familiar with Tempe, what are your thoughts on the city? Does it have any legitimately bad/dangerous parts? Are there any areas that you would be worried/uncomfortable/feel unsafe in? Do you think that Tempe has any areas that are comparable to Mesa's bad areas? Or to the rough parts of Phoenix? I'm genuinely curious, so if you feel like replying and sharing your thoughts on it, I'd be glad to read your response.

[sexxxcblac]

To the OP, you're talking about people who complain about to much sunshine....you have to consider the source. One poster even said a certain city has " no hope ..." I'm sure glad Major league Baseball didn't listen to these negative people or they wouldn't have built million dollar stadiums in these areas.
I've lived from the east coast to the west coast and believe me, there are no "dangerous " neighborhoods in the Valley.
We have a internationally recognized sheriff named Sheriff Joe, who would salivate at the mere thought of a city or neighborhood deemed to dangerous for normal interactions.
Unfortunately, there are still people who fall for outdated stereotypes.