Anchorage Safety (Fairbanks: violent crime, neighborhoods, moving to)

[BudinAk]

Originally Posted by Rance

Hike with a friend? As long as you don't go hiking in the late evening or in the dark you should be fine. I'd be more concerned with running into bears than rapists. So get you some pepper spray which can be used on either subject.

I'd say Rance's advice is top notch: don't go hiking alone!
And...I like the bear spray idea...

Bud

[Dr. JBZ]

Do people use security systems up there...?

[Alaskapat528]

Originally Posted by Dr. JBZ

Do people use security systems up there...?

Yes, ones such as Glocks, 357, etc, etc.....seriously, I'd say it depends on the person.

[JGS-AK]

Regarding the city of Anchorage, sad as it may seem, I have to agree 100 percent with Travelmate38. EVERYTHING that travelmate38 posted is 100 percent accurate and true! And I have seen and continue to see all this in the three short years I have been here. I would recommend that if anyone were thinking of relocating to Anchorage.........Change you're way of thinking and DON'T!!!

[Glitch]

Originally Posted by JGS-AK

Regarding the city of Anchorage, sad as it may seem, I have to agree 100 percent with Travelmate38. EVERYTHING that travelmate38 posted is 100 percent accurate and true! And I have seen and continue to see all this in the three short years I have been here. I would recommend that if anyone were thinking of relocating to Anchorage.........Change you're way of thinking and DON'T!!!

It is indeed sad that you agree with Travelmate38, because none of it is true. Not one word. Just another disgruntled lesser-48er who can't stand living in Alaska because it isn't like his precious lesser-48.

[NoMoss]

I lived in Alaska from 1995 through 1998 and wanted to believe it was going to be like "Northern Exposure." Not even close. While I was there I was a park ranger, a receptionist, a college student and a cab driver, and the posters who are talking about nightly shootings, drugs, and prostitution are absolutely correct. I am not "disgruntled" or some scuzz bag or naive.
I regularly saw people passing out drunk on the main street, puking, pissing, and any and everything else.
Maybe the people who think it is a utopia never go out at night. I have been in the brothels, personally, and been propositioned by pimps.
I bought a gun to protect myself, and it wasn't from bears, although that certainly should be a concern for hikers, and making noise and making your presence known should be enough.
I lived near the Air Force base, and between Spenard and downtown. I didn't own a car while I lived there, and rode the bus, walked, or rode my bike everywhere I went and I was fine, but that doesn't mean I didn't watch out for myself. I am a woman, by the way, who was in her early 30s when I lived there.
Definitely visit, but just be aware.

[JustTheTemp]

Anchorage was a mixed bag. So many things were nice about it -- I loved the size, for example. And it's very driveable. Lots of mom & pop businesses. I liked seeing the same faces in the bookstore that I saw at the cinema the night before, even if I didn't know their names. There are a lot of things about it that are really good!

But that said, Anchorage was the only place I have ever been mugged, had someone walk into my home and take things, and my car broken into, all in a period of two months. Theft seemed to be a big problem. I've lived in very big cities, but I have never seen so many homeless people, or drunks, heroin addicts, etc., wandering the streets. Lots of prostitutes -- whoa! There were stretches where it looked like the Sunset Strip. Prepare yourself.

I don't think of these people as posing physical harm to me, but it was depressing. I didn't feel unsafe (as a woman), but I know better than to go someplace by myself where I might be in danger. That's unwise in any city.

I suspect that people pick up on the cool medium-sized vibe of Anchorage and think, "Oh, feels like a safe place to live!" and so they take chances that they would not take in a city like New York or L.A. I made the mistake of not locking my car door, not locking my front door, and walking around oblivious because it felt as safe as the city I moved from, and that was my mistake. Quick learning curve!

[phates]

I've lived in Alaska for 15 years. I lived in Anchorage for five. The gangs, murders, rapes, especially along the bike path, the nightly shootings in mountianview and Fairview and the prostitution and drugs on the strip, in Spenard, and downtown got to be too much. I left fot greener pastures and a true Alaskan life. I live in the bush and it is great. If I need to go to a city I go to Valdez, great place, low crime, a lot to see, hiking, Thompsons Pass, 6 diferent waterfalls, great food, okay night life, and some shopping, more than enough for me. If you have to go to Anchorage take precautions and don't go out alone after dark. If you can avoid it and see the real Alaska I think you would find it much more enjoyable. If you look at the statistics onlin and figure in per capita you will realize that Anchorage has the second highest murder rate in the U.S. The Highest being New Orleans, which means our violent crime rates are higher than they are in places like L.A., New York, Detroit, and Miami; that gives you something to think about. I'm not down on the city because I had anything bad happen to me there. I volunteered at the shelter, held groups at a church to help get prostitutes off the streets, ran a few groups a week at drug treatment centers and helped at Catholic Social Services. I just got depressed and discouraged because so many people ended up hurt and dead for no good reason. It isn't something a person would want to see on their vacation.

[NomadicBear]

"If you look at the statistics onlin and figure in per capita you will realize that Anchorage has the second highest murder rate in the U.S. The Highest being New Orleans, which means our violent crime rates are higher than they are in places like L.A., New York, Detroit, and Miami; that gives you something to think about."

I'm not sure where you're getting your statistics, but this statement is grossly inaccurate. I've been doing quite a bit of research on Alaska as I'm considering a move there, and the murder rate in Anchorage doesn't even approach the bad cities in the lower 48. Per city data, Anchorage has a murder rate of 7.7 people per 100,000. New Orleans' rate is 37.6 per 100,000. That's almost 5x the rate. There is a laundry list of cities from Baltimore, MD, Hartford CT, DC, Philadelphia, PA, Gary, IN, Detroit, MI, St. Louis MO and Chicago, IL, to Phoenix, AZ, Los Angeles, CA, Oakland, CA, Miami, FL, Memphis, TN, Houston, TX, Atlanta, GA, and Las Vegas, NV who have a MUCH higher murder rate. While the overall crime rate in Anchorage is a bit higher than the national average, the murder rate is not something that should raise eyebrows.

[BudinAk]

Originally Posted by Daniel_T

Safety shouldn't be a concern while in Anchorage. Take precautions as you would anywhere else, but Anchorage is a safe city and I doubt you will incure and trouble. I lived there for 14 years and never had a problem at all.

I would have to respectfully disagree about Anchorage being "safe". After 17 years living there, I was completely fed up and moved away.

For example: there's the crazy traffic. I was broad-sided once, and rear-ended once. In the first instance the other driver ignored a red light, and my vehicle was totaled. In the 2nd they just plain plowed into me as I waited to make a left turn. (driving too fast). My vehicle incurred significant damage, of which the insurance company only paid about half.
Drivers in a hurry and speeding seems to be a MAJOR problem in Anchorage. What is the big hurry?

And anything not nailed or bolted down gets stolen...no security...not even in your own back yard.

Then there's the bears, the gangs, the rapists, the punks in the car behind you with 130-decibel high-bass stereo systems...I could go on and on...

Anchorage?

Just IMO, of course...


Bud