How bad is Little Rock honestly (North Little Rock, Camden: best neighborhoods, crime rates, job market)

[ArkansasSlim]

I have lived here off-and-on since 1953 and many of the "off" years I worked here. This last time I have lived here for eight years and came from a 10,000 Pop town. Here and there I had the good judgment to stay out of certain parts of town. All who do that will be O.K. in L.R. From reading the local newspaper it appears that most of the murders are on the streets in known drug areas and the "home invasion" murders are usually drug related or a doper trying to get goods to trade for dope. We had specific reasons to move back to L.R. and did not hesitate to do so, and to anyone considering to move here, I'd say "come on, it's O.K."

And as far as stats (and surveys) are concerned, IMO it depends on what you put into the blender what you get out of it

[Sam I Am]

Totally agree on all counts, Slim - we are considering a move back to LR as well. We consider a lot of things, though. The last time we considered moving we ended up in the Caribbean, so go figure :-)

I'd have absolutely no hesitation in moving back to LR. As you and I have both noted, it's who, where, and what time you're doing your hanging....and I don't see that as being any different than any other town/city/metropolis you can name. I'd never hesitate to go to Walmart at 1 a.m. here in the River Valley, but I'm sure smart enough to know what streets I shouldn't be on at that hour.

[TWD39]

Originally Posted by ArkansasSlim

I have lived here off-and-on since 1953 and many of the "off" years I worked here. This last time I have lived here for eight years and came from a 10,000 Pop town. Here and there I had the good judgment to stay out of certain parts of town. All who do that will be O.K. in L.R. From reading the local newspaper it appears that most of the murders are on the streets in known drug areas and the "home invasion" murders are usually drug related or a doper trying to get goods to trade for dope. We had specific reasons to move back to L.R. and did not hesitate to do so, and to anyone considering to move here, I'd say "come on, it's O.K."

And as far as stats (and surveys) are concerned, IMO it depends on what you put into the blender what you get out of it

I don't put a lot of stock in the surveys either, but it's getting to the point where there are few safe areas left in LR. First it was stay away from south of 630, then east of I-30 Baseline area, then Otter Creek. Now I am reading of regular home burgerlies even in broad daylight in the Heights/Hillcrest area which I thought was suppose to be a trendy safe area. Join the Forbidden Hillcrest FB group and you'll see. Last year, Gengis Grill got held up at gunpoint with people dining in Chenal. Now it seems to be bleeding down into the Bryant area as Subway got held up last night and police are reporting more robberies.

But then again, my dad says it's bad everywhere now. He says there is just as much crime in Dallas these days. I hear Cheyenne, WY is pretty darn safe though lol

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by TWD39

I don't put a lot of stock in the surveys either, but it's getting to the point where there are few safe areas left in LR. First it was stay away from south of 630, then east of I-30 Baseline area, then Otter Creek. Now I am reading of regular home burgerlies even in broad daylight in the Heights/Hillcrest area which I thought was suppose to be a trendy safe area. Join the Forbidden Hillcrest FB group and you'll see. Last year, Gengis Grill got held up at gunpoint with people dining in Chenal. Now it seems to be bleeding down into the Bryant area as Subway got held up last night and police are reporting more robberies.

But then again, my dad says it's bad everywhere now. He says there is just as much crime in Dallas these days. I hear Cheyenne, WY is pretty darn safe though lol

Everyplace has crime, Lord knows Dallas has its share like your dad said, but that doesn't mean people should not more to Dallas or the burbs surrounding Dallas. This certainly goes for Little Rock, When these studies are done, they usually refer to the inner city and not the surrounding areas, but when someone says how safe or bad is Little Rock? I take it as meaning the entire metro area, not just the inner city. For those who know much about NWA they know the crime here is very low, especially when you go to the most northern parts of the region, but does that mean we do not have break ins, fast food places don't get robbed, there isn't pedafiles running around or drug busts? Of course hot. Remember the media reports the bad, but rarely the good. How often do you see stories on the TV or in your paper that say "such and such city takes pride in not having a single murder in the past year"?

[TWD39]

Originally Posted by nmnita

Everyplace has crime, Lord knows Dallas has its share like your dad said, but that doesn't mean people should not more to Dallas or the burbs surrounding Dallas. This certainly goes for Little Rock, When these studies are done, they usually refer to the inner city and not the surrounding areas, but when someone says how safe or bad is Little Rock? I take it as meaning the entire metro area, not just the inner city. For those who know much about NWA they know the crime here is very low, especially when you go to the most northern parts of the region, but does that mean we do not have break ins, fast food places don't get robbed, there isn't pedafiles running around or drug busts? Of course hot. Remember the media reports the bad, but rarely the good. How often do you see stories on the TV or in your paper that say "such and such city takes pride in not having a single murder in the past year"?

Hi Nmnita,

You make some good points. Another study came out today ranking Pine Bluff, AR as the 2nd most dangerous city in America, and Little Rock at #8! However, if you read the article, the actual residents tell a different story. LR police are saying violent crime has gone down.

Arkansas Cities Rank Amongst Most Dangerous

[LILRAZORHOG]

Originally Posted by BrendanRabbitt

I constantly hear about people saying LR & North Little Rock as being some of the most dangerous in the nation, with some comparing it to Memphis.
But I want opinions from residents on how bad the capital of Arkansas in the crime department

.

Nah. Your city is much much worse.

[LordHelmit]

2 Shot at Park Plaza Mall

[todd00]

If I was thinking of moving to LR or anywhere else, I wouldn't simply rely on FBI stats. I'd be watching a site like Spotcrime that tracks crimes by the day in a city. You can see where things are happening, is it all in the "bad area" of town or is there a larger problem. In most cities the violent crime happens in a couple areas and most of the murders are related to drug crime and those that know each other. Listen to the scanner, you can do that on RadioReference.com. The online magazines just seem to love the best and worst of surveys and lists. I'd take those with a grain of salt.

Looking at the crime stats, one can't deny LR is higher than many cities its size.
//www.city-data.com/city/Little-Rock-Arkansas.html

[Bondurant]

Originally Posted by TWD39

LR police are saying violent crime has gone down.

Arkansas Cities Rank Amongst Most Dangerous

All police departments across the country cook their books so things won't look as grim. NYC is probably the most notorious for doing so. David Simon's book Homicide documents this happening in Baltimore back in the 80s. These same people will throw out real stats or overplay stats when it suits their political aims (like trying to force new gun control measures). It's all politics and all the numbers should be questioned, good or bad.

[ArkansasSlim]

"cookin" the stats is like reading the Bible, taking things out of context, and prove any point you choose!