Amarillo Crime Rate (Canyon, West, Panhandle: house, high school, college)
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I have an oppertunity for a job offer in Amarillo TX. I first went to City-Data to check crime rates. I was a little suprised to find the crime rate as high as it is. Compared to cities in SoCal of the same size it is anywhre from 30 to 50% higher in Amarillo. I need your help. Is it isolated to certain areas? Is it better to live outide Amaillo? Please do not be offend by the questions. I need advice from locals who know. Thanks in advanced for any advice.
Almost all the crime in Amarillo is on the north, north/east part of town and is within the ethnic community there. The Amarillo Blvd area is somewhere you don't want to be, especially after dark.
Our business was on the East loop and we were broken into a few times altho we had nothing anybody would ordinarily look for (no cigs, drinks, food, money,etc....just offices). When the police would come, they would dust for prints, take a report and say "Well, give us a call if you figure out who did it." Okay.
We chose to live outside of Amarillo in the little town of Panhandle.....it is a safe, wonderful little town. We lived there 5 years (left 3 years ago) and never locked our house or took the keys out of the car. The whole world should feel as safe and happy as Panhandle.
You also have to look at what TYPE of crime i.e. larceny, theft, assault, rape, forgery/fraud etc. It may have relatively avg. crime rates for certain areas but are above avg. on others which raises its crime rate. That doesn't necessarily mean its "dangerous". I would worry more about it if it had a high murder/assault rate. Anything close to the 20/100,000 for murder you should be cautious. I don't believe Amarillo has been anywhere near that.
I agree with the previous posters that state that it depends WHERE you are and WHAT types of crime are being committed.
If this sets your mind at ease, I moved here from Port Hueneme (Ventura County- So California) and was suprised every morning that my car wasn't broken into while I was there.
We have lived in Amarillo for almost 6 years and our house has never been broken into, nor our cars. (I park on the driveway). Sure, I have had teenager type stuff with firecrackers in my mailbox around July 4th and random drive through cups in my mailbox, but that is it.
There are areas that I would avoid as much as possible after dark, but overall it is a safe place.
(There are a lot of stolen cars in the area, but I don't really count them because the owner leaves the car running and runs inside a store.. well, whadda expect if the car is running and no one is watching the car?)
I live in West Amarillo near the mall and I think that the crime rate is mostly coming out of the Amarillo Boulevard and NE side of the city. Amarillo Boulevard is on the north side of the city and has junkies and prostitutes walking up and down it in broad daylight. There are tons of arrests that come from this area (I work in the criminal justice system). Besides the Blvd. and NE, the rest of the town is relatively safe.
Amarillo is divided down the center by a county line, with the north half in Potter County (where Amarillo Blvd and the NE is) and the southern half in Randall County. I can safely say that Potter County has twice as many criminal cases as Randall County. Furthermore, the south side of the city, particularly the SW is the more well-to-do side of the city.
Now you might want to consider Canyon, a little town of about 15k residents 18 miles south of Amarillo. I've heard colleagues of mine rave about how it has the best high school in the area, has that small town feel and is safe. It is also a college town with West Texas A&M. I wanted to get a house there but my wife didn't want to commute! LOL!
I wonder why there hasn't been many responses to this thread? If you live in Amarillo I would think you all would have more info to help a possible newcomer.
I found this thread on google because I was searching for any research that has been done on the Amarillo area that might explain what seems to be a general emotional detachment/high frustration level of the residents that I have experienced while living there. While the majority are not outright cruel, it has been my experience that a great deal of the people living there are continually stuck in a rut and very frustrated. EX: I enjoy walking outdoors and it didn't seem to matter what part of town I walk in, it is very common to have people scream angrily at you, honk or even throw things at you for no apparent reason. I lived in one of the nicest, newest parts of town (south end) and this even happened many times when I was standing outside of my own house. Many people I've met call it the "black hole" because once you've lived there, you might become apathetic and complacent but can't seem to work up the energy or will to leave. And also because once you have left you might be drawn back continually by the friends you made who remain trapped there, haha. After moving to OK I noticed that I see a lot more couples who are mismatched as far as levels of what is generally considered physical attractiveness go. This seemed to indicate that they had chosen their mate based on a deeper, more balanced set of criteria, more along the lines of true love and understanding, without concern for what the general public may think of their physical appearance together. But in Amarillo it seems that so many couples I observed were matched evenly by level of attractiveness, which seems to indicate a more superficial, socially conscious or even socially obsessed mindset. But I have had some great nights there, and many of my closest friends reside there, so it really may all be about your outlook. God is God of Amarillo just as much as the rest of the world so I guess I can't complain. It's really all about what you make of it. But if you pray I would ask Him, because my personal advice is that if you have another option, go to the other option instead unless He tells you otherwise. Go somewhere warm and full of life, with hills and rain and pleasant breezes on the beach and happy friendly people. It is easy for some people to be made bitter on those windy flat yellow plains. But if you do move there, don't forget about Palo Duro Canyon, second largest in the country and only 30 minutes away. Great spot to take a break, spend some time and explore yourself and see some evidence of the true nature of the earth. I know this sounds like I am almost totally bashing the place, that's not the case. I must admit I am somewhat biased because I suffered from major depression while I lived there, but then again, I can only think of a few friends there who don't have some kind of depression... huh. I'm not a churchgoer, but a few years ago I had some deep life-changing experiences and now feel that God has shown me that we can learn from everything that happens to us if we do it through Christ, seeking the ultimate Truth and forgetting ourselves, so I guess it really doesn't matter where we end up as long as we have Him to guide us. If you want to go, go. I’m just letting you know some of the possible negative aspects you may encounter, but I have no clue what amazing new life changes or discoveries you may make there, either! They can certainly happen anywhere. After all, mine did
Last edited by skylight5555; 12-22-2009 at 12:35 AM..
Amarillo, and the panhandle region as a whole, has some of the most pleasant and down-to-earth people in the entire nation.
I'd be curious to know where else you've lived in this country that you would have such an impression. Though, perhaps the depression you fought while living in Amarillo is clouding your impressions, as you suggested.
And, it's a good thing that Amarillo has terrific people. Because, it's sure as hell not going to win any prizes when it comes to lush landscapes and olfactory stimulation.
I found this thread on google because I was searching for any research that has been done on the Amarillo area that might explain what seems to be a general emotional detachment/high frustration level of the residents that I have experienced while living there. While the majority are not outright cruel, it has been my experience that a great deal of the people living there are continually stuck in a rut and very frustrated. EX: I enjoy walking outdoors and it didn't seem to matter what part of town I walk in, it is very common to have people scream angrily at you, honk or even throw things at you for no apparent reason. I lived in one of the nicest, newest parts of town (south end) and this even happened many times when I was standing outside of my own house. Many people I've met call it the "black hole" because once you've lived there, you might become apathetic and complacent but can't seem to work up the energy or will to leave. And also because once you have left you might be drawn back continually by the friends you made who remain trapped there, haha. After moving to OK I noticed that I see a lot more couples who are mismatched as far as levels of what is generally considered physical attractiveness go. This seemed to indicate that they had chosen their mate based on a deeper, more balanced set of criteria, more along the lines of true love and understanding, without concern for what the general public may think of their physical appearance together. But in Amarillo it seems that so many couples I observed were matched evenly by level of attractiveness, which seems to indicate a more superficial, socially conscious or even socially obsessed mindset. But I have had some great nights there, and many of my closest friends reside there, so it really may all be about your outlook. God is God of Amarillo just as much as the rest of the world so I guess I can't complain. It's really all about what you make of it. But if you pray I would ask Him, because my personal advice is that if you have another option, go to the other option instead unless He tells you otherwise. Go somewhere warm and full of life, with hills and rain and pleasant breezes on the beach and happy friendly people. It is easy for some people to be made bitter on those windy flat yellow plains. But if you do move there, don't forget about Palo Duro Canyon, second largest in the country and only 30 minutes away. Great spot to take a break, spend some time and explore yourself and see some evidence of the true nature of the earth. I know this sounds like I am almost totally bashing the place, that's not the case. I must admit I am somewhat biased because I suffered from major depression while I lived there, but then again, I can only think of a few friends there who don't have some kind of depression... huh. I'm not a churchgoer, but a few years ago I had some deep life-changing experiences and now feel that God has shown me that we can learn from everything that happens to us if we do it through Christ, seeking the ultimate Truth and forgetting ourselves, so I guess it really doesn't matter where we end up as long as we have Him to guide us. If you want to go, go. I’m just letting you know some of the possible negative aspects you may encounter, but I have no clue what amazing new life changes or discoveries you may make there, either! They can certainly happen anywhere. After all, mine did
The fact you've even made such an observation makes me question YOUR depth as a person.
I lived in Amarillo for 13 years and never experienced what you say. BTW, I am originally from Chicago, so it's not like you can put this "oh you don't know any better becasue you've always lived here" line on me. I walked ALL the time and had people honk and wave at me who I didn't even know, and several pulled over to ask if I needed a ride. Some of the most kind and welcoming people I"ve met are in the Tx Panhandle, specifically Amarillo. And the crime is limited to the N, NE sides.
Please move somewhere else or if you are already there, stay there. We don't need your kind.
And take the God talk elsewhere. You sound pretty close-minded to me.
Is the Amarillo College area fairly safe? If we decide to take courses I'd want to know, if it is ok to live closer to the school or if further south or west of the college would be better? I see the N & NE sides of town are worse from reading here. But the college is southeast, I think. Thanks.
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