Should crime keep me from moving to Atlanta? (felony, home)

[IntownHomes247]

Don't wander the streets at 2 am and don't get involved with drugs or hang out with criminals and thugs, but do spend the time and effort to find a nice apartment in a good area. You should be fine.

[R1070]

If I were you. I would move to the Buckhead area if that is a concern. The closer you get to the intown neighborhoods the higher the risk of an apt break in and such. I moved from the suburbs to old fourth ward and will be moving back out. I simply dont feel comfortable with the amount of vagrants in this area. But that is my own personal comfort level, everyone has a different breaking point.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by peanut33

I'm considering a move to Atlanta, among several other cities, but am really scared of all the crime I've heard about. This fact alone has pretty much put Atlanta at the bottom of my list even though I really like almost everything else I've heard. Safety is definitely my #1 priority for where I move. Any thoughts?

I moved from a suburb the Twin Cities metro to a suburb in the Atlanta metro five years ago, and while I would say that the Atlanta area might have slightly higher crime in some respects, I don't think it's so different from other metros that it would make much difference in day-to-day life.

There are certainly areas to avoid, and you do need to use common sense and not do things like leave your doors unlocked or leave your GPS lying around in your car in plain sight. However, most of the areas that I've seen are just fine, the two suburbs I've lived in (Smyrna, Mableton) have generally been safe, and the City of Atlanta has a number of very nice neighborhoods within its city limits as well.

Just use common sense and spend some time learning about the area before committing to buying a house.

The only changes we've made from Eden Prairie MN are (1) installing an alarm system and (2) buying a house a little further from a main roadway (not sure the latter makes that much difference ... we mainly did that to remove traffic noise).

[erick295]

Most of the violent crime is concentrated in certain areas that you'll learn to stay out of, and most of those areas are within the city limits. Most suburbs (especially in the north) are pretty safe.

Of course property crime is common everywhere, especially around apartments. If that kind of crime is a big concern for you then you're probably not going to want to move to any big city.

By the way, Buckhead is large and has some sketchy parts so don't assume something is safe just because it's there

[DeaconJ]

Originally Posted by erick295

Most of the violent crime is concentrated in certain areas that you'll learn to stay out of, and most of those areas are within the city limits. Most suburbs (especially in the north) are pretty safe.

Of course property crime is common everywhere unless you're 20-30 miles out. If that kind of crime is a big concern for you then you're probably not going to want to move to any big city.

By the way, Buckhead is large and has some sketchy parts so don't assume something is safe just because it's there

Then of course...I've lived in the city for 19 years and never even experienced a property crime of any kind. And I've often roamed the streets after 2 a.m.! (especially back when some clubs stayed open 24 hours).

[electricmayhem]

It's just the area you live in, although that is important. Behavior matters, too. Someone mentioned not walking late a night in the city. Also, try to avoid walking alone in unknown places. Don't linger at your car fiddling with stuff. Even in the suburbs, that sort of behavior can make you a target.

Regardless, take precautions but don't let fear rule your life.

[AcidSnake]

If you don't mind my asking, what cities are at the top of your list?

Originally Posted by peanut33

I'm considering a move to Atlanta, among several other cities, but am really scared of all the crime I've heard about. This fact alone has pretty much put Atlanta at the bottom of my list even though I really like almost everything else I've heard. Safety is definitely my #1 priority for where I move. Any thoughts?

[peanut33]

Well my list has dwindled a bit since I first posted this. I'm also considering Indianapolis, Columbus OH, maybe Cincinnati, Nashville, and maybe Chicago. Comparisons with any of these are welcome--especially Chicago which is probably just as bad/worse as far as crime? I haven't been to Chicago (which I would obviously do before moving there), but my job situation may lead to me looking there.
I feel like I've gotten mixed messages about Atlanta. The posts on this thread seem to say that if you stay in a good neighborhood and are smart, it's fine. Other things I've read on this forum seem to suggest that crime is just rampant and that walking alone during the day is probably not very safe. I mean, is it worse than NYC or LA? I appreciate all the comments

[robertjohnson]

Originally Posted by DeaconJ

As opposed to violent crimes happening to people who deserve it?

You can easily check the FBI crime statistics for any city that you're interested in...Atlanta's violent crime rate has decreased for several years in a row. There has been a lot of media hype recently over some high profile crimes, which has created the false perception of rampant crime in the city. Atlanta is a big city and there is big-city crime, but your chances of being a victim are very, very slim.

Odd that you pretend to not know the difference between a 2 pm car-jacking of an old lady in a church parking lot and a 2am felony among criminally dedicated inner city thugs. Ascribing 'deserved' to the post is your editorial and not even suggested by the author. You may have meant it mockingly but you were correct.

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by rcsteiner

you do need to use common sense and not do things like leave your doors unlocked or leave your GPS lying around in your car in plain sight.

It never ceases to amaze me the number of people who leave purses, laptops, iPods, GPS, phones, etc. in plain view in their car and are shocked when someone breaks the window. They actually had a piece on the TV news showing a Dunwoody cop at Perimeter Mall putting flyers on people's windshields reminding them to lock their doors and not leave valuables in their vehicles. Do we need to tell people this stuff?