want to move out of CA

[AK123]

Whether or not the financial or crime stats are absolutely perfect, my point was made because someone claimed Houston was "blue-collar and full of crime" compared to Dallas and others, which is simply not true. I used what studies are available at the moment in my limited time to get on here and look for them. I'm well aware of how statistics work, I've taken two graduate-level stats courses.

So anyway... the point still stands that the crime and "blue-collar" idea of Houston is overemphasized, and there is plenty of wealth in the city.

[momof2dfw]

Part I:

Dallas crime ranking played down
Dallas No. 1 again; officials, experts wary of comparing statistics

11:43 AM CDT on Saturday, April 22, 2006
By JASON TRAHAN / The Dallas Morning News

For the eighth year in a row, Dallas had the highest crime rate among U.S. cities with more than a million people. But in the numbers game, comparing apples with oranges – or the Big Apple with Big D – may be a fruitless endeavor.
Moderator cut: Provide a link instead of copying everything here, please

[momof2dfw]

Part II

Numbers game
Statisticians and criminologists argue that comparing cities' crime rates is a bad idea because crimes are reported differently by different agencies.
Moderator cut: Provide a link instead of copying everything here, please

[momof2dfw]

Part III

The murder rate
Most experts say the one truly reliable crime statistic – the one most difficult to get wrong – is murder.
Moderator cut: Provide a link instead of copying everything here, please

[momof2dfw]

Part IV

Why is our crime so high?
• Mild winters and warm weather tend to increase crime.

• Dallas has pockets of blight across the city rather than huge hot zones where police can concentrate their resources.

• A vast highway system means many vehicles which can be broken into or stolen.

• Interstates 35 and 45 are major U.S.-Mexico drug trafficking corridors.

• The Park Cities are surrounded by Dallas, but not included in Dallas, sapping the city of middle- and upper-class families less likely to be crime victims. The suburbs may also be a factor.

• A high number of retail stores creates more burglary targets.

The State of Dallas and the Police Department
The news isn’t all bad. Despite remaining the leading major high-crime city in America, in 2005, for the first time in more than a decade, crime was down in all major categories in Dallas:

• Homicides fell 18.9 percent.

• Overall crime fell 5.3 percent.

• Business robberies fell 14.7 percent.

• Auto theft fell 10.1 percent.

PD boons:
• $15 million in private donations spread out over three years for equipment

• 50 new officers in the latest city budget

• A proposal to pay new recruits a $10,000 bonus to break a hiring slump

• A planned new South Central substation and training academy

Challenges:
• The 3,000-member police department is about 600 officers short of goals

• Dallas cops are among the lowest paid in the area

Big D vs. The Big Apple
Even accounting for an overly enthusiastic crime reporting populace and willingness to log the most minor of offenses, comparing Dallas to the nation’s largest city reveals how far behind Dallas is in controlling its crime. Based on preliminary 2005 figures:

• The average New Yorker was six times less likely to be burglarized compared to someone in Dallas.

• New York would have to have about 1,300 murders in a year, or about three times its current number, to equal Dallas' current per capita rate.

• Despite having nearly seven times the population of Dallas, New York only reported having 1,537 more burglaries than Dallas.

SOURCES: Interviews with criminologists, statisticians and research by The Dallas Morning News

[momof2dfw]

Part V

HOW MAJOR CITIES COMPARE

Here's a breakdown of crime per 100,000 residents in U.S. cities with a population of more than 1 million:
City Murder rate (rank) Rape rate (rank) Robbery rate (rank) Assault rate (rank) All violent crime rate (rank) Burglary rate (rank) Other theft rate (rank) Auto theft rate (rank) Rate for all crime (rank)
Dallas 16.4 (3) 46.4 (4) 568.6 (2) 643 (2) 1274.4 (2) 1847.6 (1) 4322.1 (2) 1179.5 (2) 8624 (1)
Phoenix 15.5 (5) 37.6 (6) 298.8 (7) 402 (7) 753.9 (6) 1146.3 (4) 3704.9 (3) 1730.3 (1) 7335 (2)
San Antonio 7 (7) 47.9 (3) 175.3 (8) 418.5 (5) 648.7 (7) 1162 (3) 4905.9 (1) 483.2 (8) 7200 (3)
Houston 16.7 (2) 43.3 (5) 553 (4) 579 (4) 1191.9 (4) 1368.4 (2) 3601.1 (4) 1014 (4) 7175 (4)
Chicago 15.6 (4) 56.5 (2)** 557.6 (3) 626.6 (3) 1256.4 (3) 883.9 (5) 2908 (5) 785.8 (5) 5834 (5)
Philadelphia 25.6 (1) 69.7 (1) 684.9 (1) 689.7 (1) 1469.8 (1) 745.5 (6) 2587.4 (6) 776.8 (6) 5580 (6)
San Diego 4 (9) 29.8 (7) 147.3 (9) 341.4 (8) 522.5 (9) 590.5 (7) 1947.6 (7) 1118.7 (3) 4179 (7)
Los Angeles 12.7 (6) 24.1 (8) 349.8 (5) 403.1 (6)* 789.7 (5)* 560.2 (8) 1615.2 (8) 691 (7) 3656 (8)*
New York 6.7 (8) 20.4 (9) 301 (6) 213.3 (9)** 541.3 (8)** 294.9 (9) 585.5 (9)** 220.6 (9) 1642 (9)**
*The Los Angeles figure is low because of a change in reporting methods. The Dallas ranking is not affected.
** New York's figures include only serious aggravated assaults and thefts. Lesser crimes will not be reported until later this year. The Dallas ranking is not affected.
** Chicago reports rape differently, counting male and female rape victims when FBI Uniform Crime Reports only count female victims.
NOTE: The population used to calculate ratios is the 2004 Census estimate.
SOURCE: The individual police departments, as researched by The Dallas Morning News



Sorry this table does not copy like it was made.

I just want people to know what the truth REALLY is. Dallas is a safe city.

[fish2026]

You will find Texas much cheaper. I like the coastal towns best. You wont find any colleges even close academically to Cal - Berkeley or Stanford, however many are decent. In the DFW area the Univ of North Texas is quit student friendly as is Sam Houston State north of Houston. In part it depends on what youre studying.