North County Safety Concerns (Ferguson, Northwoods: crime, neighborhoods, living in)

[stl.123]

Hello,
I recently received a job prospect in North County. I don't want to share the specific job or address but it's in Pine Lawn/Velda/Uplands area. I plan on living in South City; Forest Park Southeast, Dogtown, Shaw, Tower Grove area. My job would require occasional evenings and travel to different parts of this immediate north county area. I know many suffer from a false perception of crime, but this is an area that I am unfamiliar with. Would you drive there in and out everyday, sometimes in the evenings? Have you ever had an experience with crime in this area. How worried should I be? Is it worth turning down a job?

[RisingAurvandil]

Originally Posted by stl.123

Hello,
I recently received a job prospect in North County. I don't want to share the specific job or address but it's in Pine Lawn/Velda/Uplands area. I plan on living in South City; Forest Park Southeast, Dogtown, Shaw, Tower Grove area. My job would require occasional evenings and travel to different parts of this immediate north county area. I know many suffer from a false perception of crime, but this is an area that I am unfamiliar with. Would you drive there in and out everyday, sometimes in the evenings? Have you ever had an experience with crime in this area. How worried should I be? Is it worth turning down a job?

It's a sketchy area for sure. If you're just driving through the area, you'll probably be fine. I wouldn't want to be walking around or doing too much street interaction, however.

[bigproblems]

Originally Posted by RisingAurvandil

It's a sketchy area for sure. If you're just driving through the area, you'll probably be fine. I wouldn't want to be walking around or doing too much street interaction, however.

This. If you are only going their occasionally you should be fine.

[FrankMiller]

North county is a big area, most of it is fine but some parts are sketchy.

[flynavyj]

That area around Velda and Pine Lawn isn't exactly great by any stretch of the imagination. I had a grandmother who lived in Northwoods for years, and seemed relatively happy but she did experience one break in (those seem to happen everywhere though).

Keep your wits about you, and know your surroundings and you should be fine. It'd be the same as living in the city (which you said your planning on doing anyway)

[Squeamish]

From everything I've read, I would be much more concerned about getting wrongfully ticketed or arrested by the police in those postage stamp suburbs than I would becoming a victim of common crime. Corruption and discrimination are rampant there. This all may be changing because of Ferguson, but change happens slowly.

That said, a passenger in my car claims she observed a mugging on the west side of Kienlen at Dardanella, a mere three blocks from two of the suburbs you mention. I was driving and looking the wrong direction to see it. Aside from that, my perception is the epicenter of crime is Wellston and Wells-Goodfellow in the city to the east. Not as far north as you will be, although those areas are still relatively bad and getting worse. Personally I'd be content working there, but the typical uppity suburbanite would be beyond scared. My primary rule in bad neighborhoods is look out for groups of young males. It's not the women and it's not the old people and it's not single people. Calmly move away from groups of young males if practical and you will probably be fine.