Mt. Washington, KY vs. ‘Mayberry’
Posted 06-02-2011 at 06:24 PM by bbkennedy
Remember the idyllic town of white picket fences and friendly neighbors from the Andy Griffith Show? I tell my brothers and sisters that live in Oldham County that Mt. Washington is like a “little Mayberry”. We may not be all smiling faces and “howdy Andy” but it turns out I've been selling my community short.
I got the idea to compare places when I learned one of the actresses from the show had moved to "Mayberry" to feel safe. In an ironic incident last summer she had her wallet snatched from her hands outside a grocery store. I thought nothing like that could happen here but then I discovered we had a purse snatching a few months ago in a parking lot. O.K., now things are getting interesting.
I did a little research and found out times have changed quite a bit in ‘Mayberry’. For starters, one had better keep their homes and cars locked, and the sheriff needs to carry a gun.
The real-life town 'Mayberry' is based on is Mt. Airy, N.C. It's in the northern part of the state near Virginia. Mt. Airy is 33 miles north of a city (Winston-Salem) while we lie about 17 miles south of a city (Louisville). We're larger with about 12,000 people while they have about 8,500, we're better off with a median income of $45,000 vs. $27,000, and our houses are a little more expensive too.
Time to put your holster on and drop a few bullets in the chamber Barney because it's time to review crime statistics. The old Mayberry had a few crooks and shucksters pass through town but the residents were upstanding citizens... except for the town drunk and a shotgun toting kook. It's too bad that it appears the bad guys put down roots since sheriff Andy left town.
5 Year Crime Totals
- you can open up the chart in a separate window with this link- //www.city-data.com/forum/blog_...1&d=1305584454
The U.S. average crime index is 319.2; the lower the number the better. As you can see, we are considerably safer than the average U.S. town with a crime rating of just 97. Poor 'Mayberry' is above average with 567!
Unfortunately poor Mayberry has changed for the worse. Meanwhile, we live in a very safe town and a community we can be proud of. I’ll have to drop Thelma Lou a post card and let her know she’d be a lot safer up here with us folks in Mt. Washington. And, I'll have to start telling my siblings Mt. Washington is waaaay better than 'Mayberry'.
You can check out the inspiration for this story on-line by googling “mayberry mugging”.
I got the idea to compare places when I learned one of the actresses from the show had moved to "Mayberry" to feel safe. In an ironic incident last summer she had her wallet snatched from her hands outside a grocery store. I thought nothing like that could happen here but then I discovered we had a purse snatching a few months ago in a parking lot. O.K., now things are getting interesting.
I did a little research and found out times have changed quite a bit in ‘Mayberry’. For starters, one had better keep their homes and cars locked, and the sheriff needs to carry a gun.
The real-life town 'Mayberry' is based on is Mt. Airy, N.C. It's in the northern part of the state near Virginia. Mt. Airy is 33 miles north of a city (Winston-Salem) while we lie about 17 miles south of a city (Louisville). We're larger with about 12,000 people while they have about 8,500, we're better off with a median income of $45,000 vs. $27,000, and our houses are a little more expensive too.
Time to put your holster on and drop a few bullets in the chamber Barney because it's time to review crime statistics. The old Mayberry had a few crooks and shucksters pass through town but the residents were upstanding citizens... except for the town drunk and a shotgun toting kook. It's too bad that it appears the bad guys put down roots since sheriff Andy left town.
5 Year Crime Totals
- you can open up the chart in a separate window with this link- //www.city-data.com/forum/blog_...1&d=1305584454
The U.S. average crime index is 319.2; the lower the number the better. As you can see, we are considerably safer than the average U.S. town with a crime rating of just 97. Poor 'Mayberry' is above average with 567!
Unfortunately poor Mayberry has changed for the worse. Meanwhile, we live in a very safe town and a community we can be proud of. I’ll have to drop Thelma Lou a post card and let her know she’d be a lot safer up here with us folks in Mt. Washington. And, I'll have to start telling my siblings Mt. Washington is waaaay better than 'Mayberry'.
You can check out the inspiration for this story on-line by googling “mayberry mugging”.
Total Comments 0
