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I noticed that Washington, DC has higher income levels than the U.S. average. In addition, the crime rate here on City-Data is quite high for such a high income city. Howcome? Are the crime stats not that reliable or something? 95% of the time, when a place has high income levels, it is a safe place.
DC east of the Anacostia has an unemployment rate around 30 percent and is one of the least educated populations. Most of the crime is concentrated there. Much of DC is highly educated and make good money in relatively safe areas. Just a large and unfortunate class divide.
D.C. is a very divided city, but crime happens everywhere. west of Rock Creek Park you'll find mostly whites and a very high income stat whereas East of the Anacostia River you'll find the poorest parts of D.C., where I'm from thats 97% black and high unemployments rates and lots of housing projects. Now between those two areas, you have central DC which is the area between rock creek and the Anacostia river. here is where all of the races mix up and its very diverse. Many of there areas like Logan Circle, Columbia Heights, Petworth, Capitol Hill, Bloomingdale, etcc are now very diverse but used to be black neighborhoods back in the day. I was young but my mother used to tell me all of the horrible stories on that happened on Capitol Hill in the late 80's and early 90's. I swear for a 21 year old I have so much wisdom and knowledge about this city it puts people who are twice my age to shame. I love D.C. but im tired of this big racial divide. Why in the hell is Ward 3 still like 96% white and Ward 7 and 8 are 97% black. I'm black a you can tell and have walked through parts of Mclean, Great Falls, Spring Valley Georgetown, Bethesda, etcc and I did experience some racism but not that much, it mostly came from weirdos. I hope to see Southeast hve ore white residents and Spring Valley have more black residents in the future. But seriously, you'll rarely see white kids and black kids playing with each other in D.C. as a whole. Maybe in Montgomery County, Fairfax County, but hardly in D.C.
I hope to see Southeast hve ore white residents and Spring Valley have more black residents in the future. But seriously, you'll rarely see white kids and black kids playing with each other in D.C. as a whole. Maybe in Montgomery County, Fairfax County, but hardly in D.C.
It takes two to tango, for what it's worth, in regards to racism/classism. I'm a middle-class white male who'd definitely consider living in a place like Ward 8 due to the affordable historic housing (the only place in DC where a middle-class professional could afford a place on their own) if I knew I wouldn't have to potentially endure anti-white backlash from some (not most) of the African-American residents who'd see "whitey" moving in as a big-time threat to having their own neighborhoods gentrified (and made more expensive in the process) as they were inhabited by larger numbers of middle-class and upper-middle-class whites. I have numerous black friends, and we get along just fine; however, let's not pretend that there wouldn't be tensions for whites who would move into Ward 8. I wouldn't want to face harassment, a "cold shoulder" from neighbors, petty crime (or perhaps more violent crime), etc. against me just because of my race (adding my sexual orientation into the mix would be a double-whammy). Yes, the year is 2010, but I don't foresee blacks flooding into Georgetown or whites flooding into Anacostia anytime soon.
It's a shame that DC is such a horribly divided city when it comes to race and class, but I don't foresee how this will change. I'm not racist, but if middle-class whites could afford to live elsewhere, then why would they consciously choose to move to Southeast, where the vast majority of the city's homicides occur, just to participate in some sort of social experiment? Reston, VA, where I live, is a better example of people of different races and income levels being more successfully integrated. Crime here is very low, and there are low-income housing projects interspersed throughout the community, some within walking distance of higher-end neighborhoods. I live in a neighborhood right now where I'm the minority as a white male, and it doesn't bother me in the least bit. Nobody gives me any trouble for it, and I appreciate that. Would I likewise expect to be "left alone" while walking the streets of Ward 8 on a daily basis? Doubtful. I'm sorry, but I don't want to be a part of people who turn the other cheek to "protect the 'hood" when they witness a crowd of people fall to the ground in a hail of gunfire spawned by some moron who thought one of them had stolen his bracelet. I know that was an extreme case for sure, but nearly all of the homicides in SE are due to idiotic things like this, and more often than not people REFUSE to come forward to try to bring about positive change in their neighborhoods. Something like this would NEVER be tolerated in Fairfax County. We have nearly twice the population of the District in our county, and yet we've had a fraction of the homicides? Why? We don't think it's a "badge of honor" or "street cred" to protect those who do harm to others. We rat out the rats, as it SHOULD be.
per OP
city data is not a city its just a blog forum. i dont get it?
i understand about DC yes its strange, but can you see that like other cities that got lots of muggers and rich people, that high crime is the result??? the rich people cant leave DC they gota be there. not so for new orleans, memphis deroit so forth.
per OP
city data is not a city its just a blog forum. i dont get it?
Right now we're on City-Data's forum. City-Data.com, the original site, has a ton of interesting and helpful information about cities, as its name implies. If you go to that site (NOT this forum), and search for a city, then voila---crime stats (and much more) is presented.
D.C. is a very divided city, but crime happens everywhere. west of Rock Creek Park you'll find mostly whites and a very high income stat whereas East of the Anacostia River you'll find the poorest parts of D.C., where I'm from thats 97% black and high unemployments rates and lots of housing projects. Now between those two areas, you have central DC which is the area between rock creek and the Anacostia river. here is where all of the races mix up and its very diverse. Many of there areas like Logan Circle, Columbia Heights, Petworth, Capitol Hill, Bloomingdale, etcc are now very diverse but used to be black neighborhoods back in the day. I was young but my mother used to tell me all of the horrible stories on that happened on Capitol Hill in the late 80's and early 90's. I swear for a 21 year old I have so much wisdom and knowledge about this city it puts people who are twice my age to shame. I love D.C. but im tired of this big racial divide. Why in the hell is Ward 3 still like 96% white and Ward 7 and 8 are 97% black. I'm black a you can tell and have walked through parts of Mclean, Great Falls, Spring Valley Georgetown, Bethesda, etcc and I did experience some racism but not that much, it mostly came from weirdos. I hope to see Southeast hve ore white residents and Spring Valley have more black residents in the future. But seriously, you'll rarely see white kids and black kids playing with each other in D.C. as a whole. Maybe in Montgomery County, Fairfax County, but hardly in D.C.
DC itself is very divided by race and income that it's sickening. The reason for it is because the city only has (or rather I should say caters to) the lower and upper classes. One may think places in between Rock Creek Park and the Anacostia River are "middle class" but honestly, it's mostly just a mix of the lower and upper classes. Those who would be making a "middle income" salary are most likely found in the middle part of DC because the prices aren't as high as Georgetown and isn't as violent as Anacostia. And to be honest, I've seen a lot of racing division and faced a lot of racial (inter and intra) prejudice in those "middle parts" like U Street and Columbia Heights, way worse than in the richest and whitest parts of Fairfax County. The most pathetic part is that the main culprits are those who pat themselves on the back about their "liberalness" and those who were born after the Civil Rights Movement.
I agree with RestonRunner that "diversity" is not very welcome east of the river. I had an older black woman walk right up to a friend and say, "This neighborhood was so much better when it was all black". Whites have long been called bigots for those same statements and hopefully we are far enough along to end the double standard and start doing the same to women like her.
@fairfaxian - I'm confused. You say the middle of the city isn't for middle class, but then say that's where people live who are middle class because that's what they can afford.
From east of Rock Creek across Northeast to the Anacostia, there's a whole lot of stable, middle class neighborhoods that are not wealthy. Impoverished, or trendy.
95% of the time, when a place has high income levels, it is a safe place.
that's true here too, 0 homicides west of rock creek park this year - nearly 20% of the city's pop. lives there
25 homicides (official count is 31 including people shot in previous years) west of the Anacostia this year, 450k people, or 75% of the city's population lives here, on course for a rate of 9.0 per 100,000 for this large portion of the city, which is fairly low for a large urban area
50 homicides east of the Anacostia, 25% of the city's pop. lives there, or 150k people, as its own city the area east of the Anacostia would have a rate of 50 per 100k, worse than anyplace in the US, although still lower than all of DC in the early 90s
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