Is Atlanta's crime overrated? (Forest Park, Decatur: violent crime, houses, neighborhoods)

[demonta4]

Honestly, do you think Atlanta's crime is overrated. Me and my friends have hardly came across any crime in Atlanta (and we live in Forest Park one of the so called worst neighborhoods).

[boo radley]

Its not "overrated" as you say, but perhaps more concentrated. I had a good friend murdered last year in the Riverside area. I talked to a policeman who patrols that area and he said the area as a whole is pretty "quiet", so this awful crime is not common at all. SW Atlanta still has some rough areas and the Bankhead area is still bad. Its like any other major city with bad areas and good areas.

But more to your point, I've been in worse neighborhoods in smaller cities that I felt were more dangerous. They just don't get the media play Atlanta does.

[Pemgin]

Eh, I've only ever had someone steal something from my mailbox. The robberies and murders in East Atlanta last year put me a little on edge, but I regularly walk around late at night and have never had anything happen. Crime in this town seems random and weird. I think it's often blown out of proportion, but there seems to be a wave of really heinous stuff every couple of years (i.e. Jack Boys in 2009-10, East Atlanta last summer).

[bornjacksonian]

Crime is not overrated in the city or the surrounding areas, it's actually happening! No other way around it.

[mattee01]

Originally Posted by boo radley

But more to your point, I've been in worse neighborhoods in smaller cities that I felt were more dangerous. They just don't get the media play Atlanta does.

I think that was the only part of your post that was really necessary and points to the fact that Atlanta really doesn't have it bad at all. In fact a lot of smaller cities in GA, SC, and AL have it way worse.

[erick295]

Atlanta had a very bad crime problem in the 80s and 90s. That reputation has probably stuck a bit more than it should have and caused people to avoid areas that have become safe.

On the other hand you can't go by the fact that you haven't been a victim; odds are in your favor because if only 1 in 10 people were victims in a given year that would be a horrifically high rate. Stats and maps will give you a more accurate picture than anecdotal evidence ever can.

Many areas of Atlanta are still unsafe, but they're generally out of the way and easy to avoid.

[bu2]

Well in the last couple of years we've had the car broken into two times while parked, once for only 5 minutes. In midtown and Virginia Highlands. 4 houses I can see from my front door have been broken into in the last two months and at least a dozen in our neighborhood. At least 4 women have been attacked within a half mile from my house in the last 3 months. And I live in a pretty "good" area ITP. And of course there were the half dozen shootings in East Atlanta in a few months last year of people walking around late at night and the numerous robberies of Georgia Tech students walking around late at night. There was the rash of attacks on the beltline in daytime. There were the multiple robberies in downtown Decatur after a HS football game this fall.

Its not overrated and its not really easy to avoid. But you clearly shouldn't go walking around alone at 2 am.

[erick295]

No area with people is crime free and anyone can list incidents and make a place sound bad. Statistics are the real truth tellers.

I do think it's funny when OTP people talk about the "crime in town." It's not that simple and I think they definitely oversell it. When I lived in Cobb I heard a lot of gunshots and there were several armed robberies and break-ins in my complex. My car was broken into right outside my window. I went into the gym one night and came face-to-face with a crazy looking dude with a gun. I still can't explain that; I feel like he wanted to rob me but chickened out.

That was a long time ago. I live in Midtown now and hardly ever see anything shady going on. I've never felt safer. Even when I lived in Perimeter I saw more suspicious people loitering around and was panhandled more often.

It just depends on where you are, sometimes down to the street.

[0nyxStation]

Originally Posted by demonta4

Honestly, do you think Atlanta's crime is overrated. Me and my friends have hardly came across any crime in Atlanta (and we live in Forest Park one of the so called worst neighborhoods).

No its not overrated. Its very pretty though.

[cqholt]

Crime happens everywhere. Violent crime is more random, like the shootings in East Atlanta, but petty crime is common. There are ways to protect yourself and home from crime.