Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Both cities have relatively high crime rates. Albuquerque has a violent crime rate of 884 per 100,000 and 858 per 100,000. But I think Albuquerque overstate's the violent crime rate as it just doesn't feel like that rough of a city.
Albuquerque in general feels like a safer city to me. It has some some areas that a very rough but it also has many, many quiet and safe neighborhoods. Albuquerque has larger areas of nice areas then Las Vegas also. One can avoid the rough areas more-so in Albuquerque.
Las Vegas on the other hand has rampant crime all over the place. Its worst areas aren't as bad as most cities but the moderate levels are all over the map.
Las Vegas has rentals even the nicest areas. Albuquerque has far more owner occupied neighborhoods that aren't transient.
Henderson used to be one of the safest cities in the USA but they have had escalating crime in just last year or so.
If one wants a very safe area of Clark County it would be likely Boulder City or Mesquite which are seperated from the general safety issues in the Las Vegas area.
Albuquerque has a much lower robbery rate though 248 per 100,000 as opposed to 325 per 100,000.
Albuquerque is known for lower homicide rates though. In 2014, Albuquerque had 30 homicides. I could not find 2015 numbers.
Las Vegas had 136 homicides last year in it's jurisdiction. This is a very dangerous area. Already, Clark County as a whole is up to 77 homicides this year which includes LMVPD, Henderson and North Las Vegas.
I think Albuquerque looks more dangerous then it is on paper because it classifieds more assaults as aggrevated then single assaults.
Another thing about Albuquerque the drivers are far better then Vegas. They seem be in no rush in Albuqerque which is a good thing.
Last edited by lovecrowds; 05-06-2016 at 05:29 PM..
Both cities have relatively high crime rates. Albuquerque has a violent crime rate of 884 per 100,000 and 858 per 100,000. But I think Albuquerque overstate's the violent crime rate as it just doesn't feel like that rough of a city.
Albuquerque in general feels like a safer city to me. It has some some areas that a very rough but it also has many, many quiet and safe neighborhoods. Albuquerque has larger areas of nice areas then Las Vegas also. One can avoid the rough areas more-so in Albuquerque.
Las Vegas on the other hand has rampant crime all over the place. Its worst areas aren't as bad as most cities but the moderate levels are all over the map.
Las Vegas has rentals even the nicest areas. Albuquerque has far more owner occupied neighborhoods that aren't transient.
Henderson used to be one of the safest cities in the USA but they have had escalating crime in just last year or so.
If one wants a very safe area of Clark County it would be likely Boulder City or Mesquite which are seperated from the general safety issues in the Las Vegas area.
Albuquerque has a much lower robbery rate though 248 per 100,000 as opposed to 325 per 100,000.
Albuquerque is known for lower homicide rates though. In 2014, Albuquerque had 30 homicides. I could not find 2015 numbers.
Las Vegas had 136 homicides last year in it's jurisdiction. This is a very dangerous area. Already, Clark County as a whole is up to 77 homicides this year which includes LMVPD, Henderson and North Las Vegas.
I think Albuquerque looks more dangerous then it is on paper because it classifieds more assaults as aggrevated then single assaults.
Another thing about Albuquerque the drivers are far better then Vegas. They seem be in no rush in Albuqerque which is a good thing.
One cannot avoid the rough areas of crime in Albuquerque, just like Vegas it is spread throughout the city. Sure some parts are worse than others, but Albuquerque has done a fantastic job of zoning affordable housing in to almost every neighborhood. Mostly the issue with all the apartments is just the property crimes it brings. Albuquerque has plenty of transient areas. In fact, there's practically a transient asking for money at every interstate off ramp as well as most major intersections within the city (even in 'good' neighborhoods). As far as drivers....ask any New Mexican and they will tell you hands down the worst drivers in the country are in the state. I don't think I could go a single day without seeing someone run a red light, a stop sign (and I don't mean roll a stop sign, I mean run it), cut through an intersection and almost hit someone, drive aggressive, speed down a residential street, go 45mph on the interstate, etc. You do remember that a 4 year old kid was shot last year in a road rage incident. I think that speaks for itself. But truly the drivers are terrible in NM.
All that being said, it is a nice place to live. I think the most important things if living in NM are to protect your property (keep your windows locked, doors locked, get a security door on entrances), and don't escalate a situation even if you're a 'fighter.' Don't do it that's how that little girl got shot....remember people here have a wild west mentality and even if someone did something stupid just let it go. For example, I once was in a double right turn and some jerk in a big truck pulled up next to me after the turn. He was yelling, screaming, giving me the middle finger because he didn't realize it was a double right turn and he tried to pull in to my lane during the turn (which was both illegal and bad driving). I just rolled up my window and ignored him. I could probably tell you a few other stories like that. Anyway, what I've learned is to be aware of my surroundings, keep a safe distance, and not be overly confrontational. The only exception to this is sometimes if I'm downtown, I will tell a transient person not to approach me and give them a warning (such, as "please do not come any closer to me" when I'm walking to my car or whatever it is because I've had a number of rather aggressive drunk people come up to me and I just let them know that it is not ok to walk right up to me). After 16 years in NM, I've had my house burglarized twice, been threatened probably 4 times by stupid drivers, had one person point a gun at me, had my car broken in once (for a stereo worth $50), had several people knock on my door in the middle of the night asking for money, had a bicycle stolen, had my car hit 4 times while parked on the street in front of my house (causing major damage), been otherwise hit by drivers 5 other times. Just be safe. Lots of nice things to see and do in NM, but definitely a place to keep your personal safety in mind.
Now, to the original poster: If you're debating Vegas vs Albuquerque, I'd say pick the place that is close to the things you enjoy. You probably won't find big differences in safety between the two cities.
Both cities have relatively high crime rates. Albuquerque has a violent crime rate of 884 per 100,000 and 858 per 100,000. But I think Albuquerque overstate's the violent crime rate as it just doesn't feel like that rough of a city.
Albuquerque in general feels like a safer city to me. It has some some areas that a very rough but it also has many, many quiet and safe neighborhoods. Albuquerque has larger areas of nice areas then Las Vegas also. One can avoid the rough areas more-so in Albuquerque.
Las Vegas on the other hand has rampant crime all over the place. Its worst areas aren't as bad as most cities but the moderate levels are all over the map.
Las Vegas has rentals even the nicest areas. Albuquerque has far more owner occupied neighborhoods that aren't transient.
Henderson used to be one of the safest cities in the USA but they have had escalating crime in just last year or so.
If one wants a very safe area of Clark County it would be likely Boulder City or Mesquite which are seperated from the general safety issues in the Las Vegas area.
Albuquerque has a much lower robbery rate though 248 per 100,000 as opposed to 325 per 100,000.
Albuquerque is known for lower homicide rates though. In 2014, Albuquerque had 30 homicides. I could not find 2015 numbers.
Las Vegas had 136 homicides last year in it's jurisdiction. This is a very dangerous area. Already, Clark County as a whole is up to 77 homicides this year which includes LMVPD, Henderson and North Las Vegas.
I think Albuquerque looks more dangerous then it is on paper because it classifieds more assaults as aggrevated then single assaults.
Another thing about Albuquerque the drivers are far better then Vegas. They seem be in no rush in Albuqerque which is a good thing.
Very good post.
ABQ all the way for me.
Vegas....after 3 days I'm done.
Way too hot in summer....Querque can get hot but not Vegas hot.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
