Is crime really bad in Roanoke or whats the deal?! (Norfolk: crime rate, unemployment)

[LovesBlackLabs]

I have been researching the area of Roanoke, however according to most statistics it seems like the crime is exceptionally high. For example, such as the Morgan Quitno crime rate rankings (not sure if I am allowed to post the link but I'll try):
Moderator cut: link removed, please read our terms of service
But you can't always go by that, so if I could get some personal opinions as to what you guys think that'd be great!

[roanoker 4]

On statistics for Virginia areas, please note Virginias' cities are independent of the counties they reside in. It is a crazy set up for this state like no other.
Generally, the cities will always have higher crime rates than their counties, due to educational attainment, unemployment, minority populations, etc.
So, when someone wants to know how bad is crime in ROANOKE the statistics are usually referring to just Roanoke, not the county. It makes no sense to me but hey, this is Virginia! From what I have seen, Roanoke, Richmond & Norfolk have higher crime rates than most areas in Virginia(the city parts that is). I live in Roanoke City and I believe as long as drugs stay
illegal then crime will stay pretty even. There is a lot of money to be made selling drugs and the underground economy supports many people this way.
I don't know how this economy can support those who are really struggling
anyway. There was some discussion recently if Roanoke had Gangs, I think our police dept has done an excellent job of preventing them from getting a foothold here, like many nearby cities. The most typical crimes I hear about around here are bank robberies or more violent crimes mostly in the African American community. In the outlying rural areas the crimes get local media attention like husband kills family, etc. I think some people who have nothing to do are watching too much television and confusing fantasy with reality.

[Teebyrd86]

Like any other city Roanoke has crime. I lived there for 2 years and never felt unsafe. I lived in a really nice neighborhood in the city limits but I also hung out downtown often and again never felt unsafe. I think you just need to keep your gaurd up like you always do anywhere else and be aware of your surroundings. Most murders both inside and outside the city happen due to domestic disputes. With that said there are areas of the city you want to avoid includeing N.W. around Melrose and most of S.E.