Council Bluffs Out-of-Site Crime Stats? (Independence, Bellevue: transplants, crime rate, home)

[RogueMom]

Why are the crime stats so high in Council Bluffs? Is it the close proximity to Omaha? We are heading to the mid-west in two weeks, and were considering looking into the Council Bluffs area, but the high crime stats are puzzling. Must be something I'm missing.

Any first hand knowledge why? It's in the 600's here on City Data. I thought it was bad here in the small southern town we're currently in.

Thanks.

[unicron]

Council Bluffs has a lot of thieves for sure. It's also suffers from the "Boys in the Hood" wannabe youth culture which probably needs no explanation. Council Bluffs is a garbage dump, and looks like a poverty stricken town in most areas. It's commonly referred to as Council-tuckey, you can probably guess why. Now I'm sure some folks here are going to defend it as being a great place blah blah, and probably say I don't know what I'm talking about. But I lived there for over a decade, about age 15 to 25. And despite some new shopping centers, it's pretty much crap. Trashy people are everywhere, it's like a city full of Wal-mart shoppers. If you've ever wanted to live in a giant trailer park - Council Bluffs is your town!

Iowa has some good social services, so you'll also find a lot of ghetto welfare families from Omaha that move to CB to take advantage of that.

[RogueMom]

Originally Posted by unicron

it's like a city full of Wal-mart shoppers.

Thanks unicron. That's all I needed to know.

[MOKAN]

Originally Posted by montanamom

Thanks unicron. That's all I needed to know.

There's more to Council Bluffs than what that poster shared. Check out this thread and the poster's photo link:

//www.city-data.com/forum/iowa/...fs-photos.html

And their CVB:

http://www.councilbluffsiowa.com/

[EastCB]

Unicron needs to open his eyes. Council Bluffs is just fine. Yes, there are some shady people here but there are also many fine citizens who enjoys calling CB home. Most of the crime is in a few small pockets. It is safer than where I lived in West Omaha. I have lived here 14 years and never lock my doors. No problem.

[Echohunter]

Originally Posted by montanamom

Thanks unicron. That's all I needed to know.

It's a little bit of a shame that ONE post by ONE poster with a jaded view of a town is what gives you "all" you needed to know.. . . ..I lived there on and off thru quite a few years and yes..like any town of equal size there are always less desirable areas to live in and there are many degrees of desirable areas to live in above that ... please do a little more research than just this posting here to discern if it's a place you'd like to live...

[Big George]

I've got family in Omaha, and have spent a lot of time in the Omaha/CB area.

The truth is, Council Bluffs is just a "different" kind of place. It's hard to describe. Though there is now a lot of business built up along the Interstate (Lake Manawa & Metro Crossing), anywhere else in Council Bluffs is almost like stepping back in time about 30 years. It's not all bad, but certainly not all good. And anytime I've been in CB, I always have this weird feeling that everybody there is related.

Historically, Council Bluffs is a river & railroad town. Lower economic strata, and tending to be pretty dirty. A lot of people refer to it as Omaha's Trailer Park, or Counciltucky.

Council Bluffs has recently turned into a Casino River Town - meaning that the casinos are pouring money into the city, but many of the residents of the city (and Omaha) have "lost their shirts" due to gambling. Even so, the casinos have bought the affections of the CB City Council by doing things like forming and funding the Iowa West Foundation, which pours millions of dollars into "art" around Council Bluffs. Unfortunately, most of the art is nothing short of hideous, and literally a laughing-stock. Also, bars used to stay open in Co Bluffs later than in Omaha, so you had a huge number of drinkers & gamblers who would drive (about 50% drunk) into Co Bluffs late at night, then drive home (100% drunk) after 2:00 AM.

That said, there are some newer developments - particularly in the east part of Co Bluffs - that are very nice. That area is up off the flood plane/river bottom, is hilly and wooded, and beautiful.

Council Bluffs has come a long way forward in the last 10 years. However, if I were to move into the area, I'd choose to live just about anywhere BUT Co Bluffs. If you want an urban feel, live in near-downtown Omaha. If you want "white" Suburbs, live in West Omaha. If you want a more spread-out, slightly rural feel, live in Bellevue or Papillion. If you want country, live in the country.

[RogueMom]

Originally Posted by Echohunter

It's a little bit of a shame that ONE post by ONE poster with a jaded view of a town is what gives you "all" you needed to know.. . . ..I lived there on and off thru quite a few years and yes..like any town of equal size there are always less desirable areas to live in and there are many degrees of desirable areas to live in above that ... please do a little more research than just this posting here to discern if it's a place you'd like to live...

I was actually being somewhat sarcastic there.

I had been doing quite a lot of research on the area before I posted the thread, including researching schools, housing, job potential, etc.

It was when I went to the City Data profile for Council Bluffs, IA and saw that the crime stat was in the High 600's that it stopped me in my tracks. I wondered why the crime rate would be so high there.

There must be some reason for that extremely high crime rate, if it is in fact that high.

[MOKAN]

Originally Posted by Big George

....And anytime I've been in CB, I always have this weird feeling that everybody there is related....

^That is awesome and says something really deep and connects with your "stepping back in time 30 years" comment. CB isn't a place where a ton of transplants move to. It's the type of place where the same families have lived for generations, originally drawn there by blue-collar work, and many surely had country or Southern origins. These type of places are, indeed, interesting. But really, they're not much different from black neighborhoods in many respects. Other cities that are 30 years behind, dominantly blue-collar, and have had few transplants or outsiders change the dynamic, are St. Joseph, MO; Independence, MO; Kansas City, KS; and Fort Smith, Ark. These places all share a similarity that non-blue collar types will find strange.

[mikesdenver]

I travel a lot throughout the United States and what Council Bluffs has accomplished over the past 15 years in redeveloping itself is truly remarkable. With an absolutely adorable downtown, restored or new parks under development, an incredible central library and all sorts of community arts installations the people here can be proud of what they have done and what is planned for the future. With plans for the Riverfront taking shape this place is a retirement paradise sitting next to all the amenities that Omaha offers just across the river. Beautiful historic districts, mixed forests running though the bluffs this place is stunning at the price points you find for housing here. A convenient airport just 10 minutes away. Massive reconstruction of their freeway system; no traffic jams or air pollution here. Other than a better climate I don't know what more you could ask for. I assume the crime rate must be property crime because I've never felt unsafe on the streets here. I eventually plan to retire here.