TN claimed as 2nd worst in violent crime? (Memphis, Knoxville: low crime, homes)

[Pocketplayer]

Some in TN will rejoice because it will keep folks away...but are you kidding here!

This is a classic example of how stupid these articles are and severely limited. If it specifically named zip codes in Memphis or Nashville then you can at least make an argument, but to lump the entire state as second in violent crime.

Anyone want to comment one the basis of this?


10 worst states for retirement:

1. Nevada. It has the second lowest tax rate in the country, but scored poorly on just about every other criterion. The state is third in the nation for violent crime. The cost of living is 105% of the national average and unemployment is at 14.3%.
2. Michigan. High violent crime and unemployment.
3. Alaska. High cost of living and harsh environment.
4. South Carolina. High crime and one of the lowest life expectancies (74.8 years) in the country.
5. Maryland. Average state and local tax burden of 10.8%.
6. Tennessee. Second in the nation in violent crime.
7. Ohio. Another state with a high tax burden, at 10.4%.
8. North Carolina. High crime and unemployment.
9. Missouri. High crime and low life expectancy.
10. Arkansas. High crime and a tax burden of 10%.

Source: Best, worst states to retire

[nashvols]

Originally Posted by Pocketplayer

This is a classic example of how stupid these articles are and severely limited. If it specifically named zip codes in Memphis or Nashville then you can at least make an argument, but to lump the entire state as second in violent crime.

That's an excellent point. Memphis and Nashville (or even Knoxville and Chattanooga) aren't exactly the state's retirement "destinations"...Cookeville/Crossville and the Tri-Cities aren't what I would call "violent" places at all.

[hiknapster]

This isn't our first rodeo with this article but yes, these lists are crazy. And the ultimate argument can be made that your paradise might be my nightmare, let alone that Memphis is about as far - physically and everything else - from say, Washington County, as you can get. It's crazy.

1 of the Worst Places to Retire?

The worst are the "Best" lists regarding where to live. One year you are on, the next year you are history. And in the past ten years things have changed too quickly for the lists to be relevant. Unemployment, housing prices have all moved too rapidly up and down to give anyone any decent information. The best thing you can do is research up-to-the-minute information and then visit to get a feel for the area.

[Jim37680]

I always shake my head when reading these WalletPop "articles" on AOL. I think they must get their data from notes scribbled on the restroom walls of truck stops. Notice they never seem to reference the how and why of their conclusions. Such claims are meaningless with no provenance behind the conclusions.

There was a discussion on here some time back that suggested that having a larger number of convictions in the court systems of a given locale was the chief measure of having "high crime". Perhaps retiring in a "low crime" state would better suit retiring criminals since those states may be less inclined to arrest and prosecute.

[Pocketplayer]

I lived in both Williamson Country (Fairview) and Cannon County (Auburntown). Hardly violent cities!

I realize the absurdity of this article, but bring a larger point in any of those so called 'Best Places/ Worst Places'...can any of them be taken seriously?

If you have toured these sites, some from Forbes and Money...pretty notable sites, the pictures are always stock shots of the most scenic areas. Some have videos which is more realistic.

For those living outside of these particular states, these sites seem to carry a lot of leverage in making decisions. Imagine couple A sitting in their living room in Sacramento or Dallas trying to figure where they will retire. They have a dream, maybe from a scene in a movie (I loved the scenes in The Straight Story ...The Straight Story (1999) - IMDb) and this starts the ball rolling.

Then over to Realtor dot com to look for property prices. Maybe lurk in a city-data forum like this to explore reactions from those who live in that area.

Then the visit on vacation to get a feel for the place. I even know people from TN who bought homes sight unseen from FL! No joke.

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by Pocketplayer

I lived in both Williamson Country (Fairview) and Cannon County (Auburntown). Hardly violent cities!

I realize the absurdity of this article, but bring a larger point in any of those so called 'Best Places/ Worst Places'...can any of them be taken seriously?

If you have toured these sites, some from Forbes and Money...pretty notable sites, the pictures are always stock shots of the most scenic areas. Some have videos which is more realistic.

For those living outside of these particular states, these sites seem to carry a lot of leverage in making decisions. Imagine couple A sitting in their living room in Sacramento or Dallas trying to figure where they will retire. They have a dream, maybe from a scene in a movie (I loved the scenes in The Straight Story ...The Straight Story (1999) - IMDb) and this starts the ball rolling.

Then over to Realtor dot com to look for property prices. Maybe lurk in a city-data forum like this to explore reactions from those who live in that area.

Then the visit on vacation to get a feel for the place. I even know people from TN who bought homes sight unseen from FL! No joke.

I do, too.

One thing I've found is there are very big differences in regions of the country and it gets even more different depending on the size of the town, location, etc. Rural in one part of the country can be very different than rural in another part. But I've also seen rural areas that are lovely in, say, Tennessee and another rural area in the state that is incredibly crime ridden. If you're from another part of the country that can really blindside you.

Regarding these lists, I realized they were bunk a long time ago.

Originally, I was fascinated with those "Best Places" books, back in the 80s. They really were the precursor to City-Data.

But in 2005 when I was getting ready to leave Lee County, Florida I came across one of those lists and was amazed. It was calling southwest Florida essentially a paradise. Yet, there I was planning my escape. The list said that job growth was through the roof yet I knew that the pay was really low and based on hospitality or construction. I could see the housing boom was going to bust at some point, and probably fairly soon. It was touting the population growth when I saw the place as a madhouse of people with traffic jams and aggressiveness.

It just goes to show you that anything can be spun.

[Lamplight]

I find it very hard to believe Tennessee would be second worst in the entire country. However, in my search for a new city to move to, I have found (at least according to City Data's information) that Murfreesboro has a surprisingly high number of assaults compared to other, similar sized (and some larger) cities around the country. Per 100,000 residents, we're still behind Nashville, Knoxville, Memphis, Clarksville, Jackson, Kingsport, and Chattanooga. But we're also higher (often considerably) than:

Seattle, WA
Portland, OR
Denver, CO
Madison, WI
New York City
Columbus, OH
Richmond, VA
Raleigh, NC
Louisville, KY
Charleston, SC
Austin, TX
Dallas, TX
Phoenix, AZ
Jackson, MS
Los Angeles, CA
San Diego, CA
Portland, ME
Montgomery, AL
Huntsville, AL

We were only slightly below Chicago, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Houston, and several others. Interestingly, the cities I checked in Florida were considerably higher. But I have to wonder why all of the larger cities (and even some medium sized towns!) in Tennessee rank so high in assaults. Murfreesboro's overall crime rate isn't that bad for our population, yet our assaults are quite high. Is the data just wrong? Or do we Tennesseans just love assaulting others? I know I've wanted to a few times, but I don't actually do it!

[nashvols]

Originally Posted by Lamplight

We were only slightly below Chicago, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Houston, and several others. Interestingly, the cities I checked in Florida were considerably higher. But I have to wonder why all of the larger cities (and even some medium sized towns!) in Tennessee rank so high in assaults. Murfreesboro's overall crime rate isn't that bad for our population, yet our assaults are quite high. Is the data just wrong? Or do we Tennesseans just love assaulting others? I know I've wanted to a few times, but I don't actually do it!

I've noticed that Tennessee seems to be particularly high in assaults for some reason. I'm not sure why that is...

Nashville has a somewhat average murder rate for a city its size...but a very high assault rate. Seems like one of the highest in the country.

I wonder if it has something to do with how its reported in this state...

[DubbleT]

Originally Posted by Lamplight

I find it very hard to believe Tennessee would be second worst in the entire country. However, in my search for a new city to move to, I have found (at least according to City Data's information) that Murfreesboro has a surprisingly high number of assaults compared to other, similar sized (and some larger) cities around the country. Per 100,000 residents, we're still behind Nashville, Knoxville, Memphis, Clarksville, Jackson, Kingsport, and Chattanooga. But we're also higher (often considerably) than:

Seattle, WA
Portland, OR
Denver, CO
Madison, WI
New York City
Columbus, OH
Richmond, VA
Raleigh, NC
Louisville, KY
Charleston, SC
Austin, TX
Dallas, TX
Phoenix, AZ
Jackson, MS
Los Angeles, CA
San Diego, CA
Portland, ME
Montgomery, AL
Huntsville, AL

We were only slightly below Chicago, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Houston, and several others. Interestingly, the cities I checked in Florida were considerably higher. But I have to wonder why all of the larger cities (and even some medium sized towns!) in Tennessee rank so high in assaults. Murfreesboro's overall crime rate isn't that bad for our population, yet our assaults are quite high. Is the data just wrong? Or do we Tennesseans just love assaulting others? I know I've wanted to a few times, but I don't actually do it!

http://www.city-data.com/forum/17195427-post18.html

I'm convinced it has to do with the way the crimes are reported.

From the article referenced in the post linked above~
"Other discrepancies surface in cases where several crimes are committed in one incident. While Memphis reports each individual crime, some cities report only the highest offenses -- such as murder."
The article is about Memphis, but hey, Memphis crime rates certainly help drive up the state average.
If other TN cities report crimes the way Memphis does it stands to reason that M'boro might be above the number of assaults reported for other, larger cities outside the state, yet still be smaller than most TN larger cities.

[Lamplight]

Originally Posted by nashvols

I wonder if it has something to do with how its reported in this state...

Originally Posted by DubbleT

I'm convinced it has to do with the way the crimes are reported.

It seems like it would almost have to be due to differences in reporting. Most places around here appear to be pretty average otherwise.