Is the crime in Delray Beach Really that bad? (Miami: condo, crime rate)

[boston904]

I was reading that the crime in Delray Beach is 1/3 above the national average. Is that true? It was recommend by Topretirements as a good place to retire. Thanks Tom

[City Guy997S]

YES in certain parts. East Delray (east of US1) is a lovely area. Between Old Dixie/Swinton and I95 is ghetto. It was historically a black area but now is mixed with a sizable Haitian population. West of I95 tends to be decent especially around the retirement communities.

Delray has a nice tennis center that hosts televised tournaments and the beach is nice. East Atlantic Ave. is the crown jewel of the city (very similar to Las Olas in Ft Lauderdale).

However it has made the highlight reel for crime, a guy recently killed his girlfriend, then 7 months later put 2 of his kids in suitcases and threw them in the C15 canal....all to avoid a drug case (girlfriend was a witness). The Haitian gangs made the reels Christmas eve of 09 by having a shootout inside the Boynton Beach mall. Boynton is the next town north of Delray so you can see how local crime spills over into surrounding communities.

It wouldn't prevent me from buying in Delray, but just be aware that crime is in the area.

[TriMT7]

The crime in Delray is bad in the bad parts of Delray. It's the same throughout the county. The bad parts of town have crime. As with anywhere, VIOLENT crimes tend to be visited more often than not against people involved in shadiness.

Delray is a good area. The eastern part, Del Ida historic district, Atlantic Avenue, etc. is my favorite part of Delray, despite its proximity to the bad part that is just east of I-95.

[dreamingofsunshine123]

oh please, the media always sensationalizes crime rates, it's not bad there at all. I lived in Delray for 5 years from 2006 to 2011 and crime was NEVER an issue.

Downtown Delray is a family friendly area with no crime, west delray is nice too, more suburban and kind of boring. The only questionable area may be just east of 95, but it only lasts for like a 1/2 mile. Otherwise, Delray is awesome. I would not let the report sway uir decision to retire in delray

[DelrayNative]

When compared to other cities of our size, YES, the crime rate is much higher. I have lived here more than 50 years, being born and raised here, and I have seen many of the changes that have caused this. I attribute it to two primary factors - 1, is that our two main population demographics are poverty level households of Haitian Immigrants and Upper Middle Class to somewhat modestly wealthy Northeastern retirees that the average age is 79. These two demographics account for over 76% of our year round population and cause a much higher level of burglary, theft, forgery and other general blue collar type crimes. The elderly can become easy victims in this type of environment if they aren't very careful. Even if the elderly ARE very aware and cautious, most crooks have honed their skills over a period of time and even the most knowledgeable and cautious person can easily become a victim here. The other main factor is that Delray Beach (per The NY Times in 2007, currently on Wikipedia and MANY other publications and articles) consider Delray Beach to be the "Rehab Capital of the Country". We have more detox centers, Halfway Houses, Sober Houses and Rehab centers than 99.9% than the rest of the country. In 2007, Delray Beach tried to make it illegal to have sober living, Rehab, or Detox Centers here, but only PART of the law passed and it only restricted the occupancy size of the centers. So instead of having 1 center or site it actually encouraged some places to open multiple centers or homes in order to handle the same occupancy count. We are still considered to have the highest number of Rehab Centers, Halfway Houses etc than almost any place else in the country. Many of the occupants of these programs work in our many restaurants, Coffee houses, grocery and other retail stores. Although, the majority of these people are here to better their lives, they are not all successful and it causes us to have a higher level of drug culture than is usual for a city of our size. Keep in mind, I am not comparing our crime to that of a city of the size of Atlanta, Miami or Detroit. We are a relatively small town, with our population being between 60 - 80K depending upon the resource. But comparatively speaking, for a city of our size, our crime is much higher. Although they are not violent crimes for the most part, our crime is generally speaking much higher.

[DelrayNative]

Originally Posted by dreamingofsunshine123

oh please, the media always sensationalizes crime rates, it's not bad there at all. I lived in Delray for 5 years from 2006 to 2011 and crime was NEVER an issue.

Downtown Delray is a family friendly area with no crime, west delray is nice too, more suburban and kind of boring. The only questionable area may be just east of 95, but it only lasts for like a 1/2 mile. Otherwise, Delray is awesome. I would not let the report sway uir decision to retire in delray

I can only guess you have never worked for our Police Force (I dispatched for Delray PD from 89-2010) or reviewed our police blotters that are public record and online. I have only lived here 52 years and crime is a big problem here. Our primary population is lower income and/or poverty level households and elderly wealthy retirees. That mix is a combination for high crime

[DelrayNative]

Originally Posted by City Guy997S

YES in certain parts. East Delray (east of US1) is a lovely area. Between Old Dixie/Swinton and I95 is ghetto. It was historically a black area but now is mixed with a sizable Haitian population. West of I95 tends to be decent especially around the retirement communities.

Delray has a nice tennis center that hosts televised tournaments and the beach is nice. East Atlantic Ave. is the crown jewel of the city (very similar to Las Olas in Ft Lauderdale).

However it has made the highlight reel for crime, a guy recently killed his girlfriend, then 7 months later put 2 of his kids in suitcases and threw them in the C15 canal....all to avoid a drug case (girlfriend was a witness). The Haitian gangs made the reels Christmas eve of 09 by having a shootout inside the Boynton Beach mall. Boynton is the next town north of Delray so you can see how local crime spills over into surrounding communities.

It wouldn't prevent me from buying in Delray, but just be aware that crime is in the area.

Your response was one of the most responsible and honest on this site. The Haitian gangs and poverty level Haitian homes combined with the drug trade and the high level population of Upper middle class to moderately wealthy elderly retirees from the Northeast has put us in a situation to be aware of. It doesn't mean I will be moving, but I am a much more cautious person. There is a word for anyone who lives in Delray and denies that there is or is not aware of the crime problem.............VICTIM.

[Snowbird100]

Originally Posted by DelrayNative

When compared to other cities of our size, YES, the crime rate is much higher. I have lived here more than 50 years, being born and raised here, and I have seen many of the changes that have caused this. I attribute it to two primary factors - 1, is that our two main population demographics are poverty level households of Haitian Immigrants and Upper Middle Class to somewhat modestly wealthy Northeastern retirees that the average age is 79. These two demographics account for over 76% of our year round population and cause a much higher level of burglary, theft, forgery and other general blue collar type crimes. The elderly can become easy victims in this type of environment if they aren't very careful. Even if the elderly ARE very aware and cautious, most crooks have honed their skills over a period of time and even the most knowledgeable and cautious person can easily become a victim here. The other main factor is that Delray Beach (per The NY Times in 2007, currently on Wikipedia and MANY other publications and articles) consider Delray Beach to be the "Rehab Capital of the Country". We have more detox centers, Halfway Houses, Sober Houses and Rehab centers than 99.9% than the rest of the country. In 2007, Delray Beach tried to make it illegal to have sober living, Rehab, or Detox Centers here, but only PART of the law passed and it only restricted the occupancy size of the centers. So instead of having 1 center or site it actually encouraged some places to open multiple centers or homes in order to handle the same occupancy count. We are still considered to have the highest number of Rehab Centers, Halfway Houses etc than almost any place else in the country. Many of the occupants of these programs work in our many restaurants, Coffee houses, grocery and other retail stores. Although, the majority of these people are here to better their lives, they are not all successful and it causes us to have a higher level of drug culture than is usual for a city of our size. Keep in mind, I am not comparing our crime to that of a city of the size of Atlanta, Miami or Detroit. We are a relatively small town, with our population being between 60 - 80K depending upon the resource. But comparatively speaking, for a city of our size, our crime is much higher. Although they are not violent crimes for the most part, our crime is generally speaking much higher.

Very informative from a Delray native, this is the kind of detail I would like to know.
Please write more if you could, thank you !

Snowbird100

[veggienut]

I've always felt safe when I have traveled to the Delray Beach area. There is only one bar on Atlantic Ave that I didn't feel safe at and even the police had to come there one night. I don't go to that one anymore, despite the great musical entertainment they have.

When I was looking at condo's there last time, my GPS took me to a street and address that really looked like it was in bad shape and I wondered how they could ask so much for that place. I finally located the office girl after walking around the place and found out it was a "half-way house". I was in shock that such a place existed there since all I have seen were nice places around the beach, despite the areas going west on Atlantic Ave. Anyways, the office girl told me that there are 2 streets and addresses with the same name nearby.

Hats off to "Delray Native" for providing such important information

[Snowbird100]

I googled Atlantic Ave and noticed it is a long street (W Atlantic Ave) running East/West.

Is W Atlantic Ave you were talking about ? Which major intersection has that half way house ? Could you clarify the location ?

Could you also clarify the "there are 2 streets and addresses with the same name nearby" ?

Thank you !