How bad is Little Rock honestly (Van Buren, Bella Vista: countertops, appliances, houses)

[folkguitarist555]

Sounds like the way the entire United States is going, cant move anywhere any more that is safe, the whole country is like one huge crime zone these days.... I guess the world needs some darkness in order to appreciate the light?? Who knows

[North Pulaski Player]

I've never felt unsafe anywhere in the LR area, but I'm never on Geyer Springs Rd or Roosevelt Rd either...

[ColdAilment]

Originally Posted by Sam I Am

You know, I think the stats are very misleading...and probably in Memphis as well. While it is a tragedy that 11 people (and counting) are gone forever, look at the demographics on those who have departed this life. I think life in LR is pretty safe if you stay out of the areas that are known for criminal activity that results in death and destruction. Good grief - thugs gonna do what thugs gonna do. There are known areas for thug activity. Stay the hell out and your chances of getting through the day intact and for seeing the sunrise tomorrow just went off the charts.

Little Rock will become more dangerous, though, if the Pulaski County jail doesn't reopen for guests. That's a whole 'nother topic, but something citizens need to be seriously concerned about. Look at the stats on how often the Graybar Hotel sends another one that's supposed to be serving time out into the night because there are no accommodations. Ridiculous.

I don't feel unsafe in LR, but I keep my molly-tail where there's no illicit activity. Works for me.

While I agree with you, I only agree with you to a point. It's true that Little Rock, like most cities, has its areas that are notorious for crime and depravity, and those areas should be avoided. However, most of those areas are neighborhoods, rough neighborhoods yes, but places where families live nonetheless. I'm not condoning the lifestyles most of the people in those areas lead, but there are a lot of families caught in the crossfire of events that they have no hand in, and sometimes they end up getting hurt or killed as well.

Most cities, even the bad ones, don't have an issue with rampant crime, violence, and murders in the white collar areas of their city, and trust me, every city has one. All cities are battling the same common problem, the issue of violence in the decaying inner city neighborhoods. The cities with the larger wealth gap typically have more violence. The cities with higher unemployment typically have more crime. While it's no simple task, eradicating or at the very least, eroding poverty would be the greatest dent in crime and murders we could possibly do. Statistics clearly show that people above a certain income level are far less likely to be murdered or involved in illicit criminal activities that we associate these "hoods" with.

[Sam I Am]

Mmmmmmm....and I agree with you - to a point. Thugs ARE gonna do what thugs gonna do - you can't eliminate all the sociopaths from society or you and I might be the only ones standing :-)

Yours is a statement more on society as a whole - I was holding my remarks to Little Rock per se and whether I feel safe. And I do - but as North Pulaski Player has noted, I stay away from the areas that are known to be hotbeds of activity. Hence, I never get caught in the crossfire....not to say it won't happen at Park Plaza, it could, but the stats go up exponentially the further south you go.

Although I agree with your statement that there are neighborhoods where innocents get caught up in a red hot mess, there are areas we are all talking about, areas where water has found its level....areas known only for things that ain't good, where mostly the underbelly of society congregates and "family" may not be the first thing on everyone's mind. And every city has an area like that as well.

[nickk7]

Little Rock is dangerous. People who say it isn't should probably get out more. When I graduated from college, I moved from Texas (I am an Arkansas native and only attended college in TX) to Little Rock. I lived in Hillcrest because I figured this was a nice, safe-er area than some parts of town. I thought people were overreacting when they said it was dangerous.
Two people were stabbed one night walking home from a bar who lived in my complex. Multiple times, people in my apartment complex were robbed (mind you, my apartment was VERY nice...), there were carjackings in the area constantly, and I did NOT feel safe leaving my house past about 9 p.m.
I moved to Conway, and never had one iota of trouble in the two years I was there. I felt completely, totally safe.
I finally moved back to Little Rock for another job, and lived in West Little Rock. I lived near Pulaski Heights, in a nice apartment complex. I chose West Little Rock because I felt like it might be a safer bet than my previous residence. I was wrong.
There were robberies, stabbings and the like on a fairly regular basis in the neighborhoods near where I was. There was actually a low income housing complex NEXT DOOR to my expensive apartment, and we were told to keep our doors locked and check our cars because robberies could be common (I found this out AFTER I'd already moved in and gotten situated).
I worked in Park Plaza for three months. In that short time, someone was shot and killed in the food court.
I DO NOT care what stats say.
However, Little Rock does have some charm, and it does have some awesome places to eat, shop, visit, etc. I love the city as I love my home state, but I would never ever live there again if I do not have to.
People who are saying that it is safe either do not live there, and are assuming statistics are "inaccurate," or live in a gated community with a security system.

[ColdAilment]

Originally Posted by nickk7

Little Rock is dangerous. People who say it isn't should probably get out more. When I graduated from college, I moved from Texas (I am an Arkansas native and only attended college in TX) to Little Rock. I lived in Hillcrest because I figured this was a nice, safe-er area than some parts of town. I thought people were overreacting when they said it was dangerous.
Two people were stabbed one night walking home from a bar who lived in my complex. Multiple times, people in my apartment complex were robbed (mind you, my apartment was VERY nice...), there were carjackings in the area constantly, and I did NOT feel safe leaving my house past about 9 p.m.
I moved to Conway, and never had one iota of trouble in the two years I was there. I felt completely, totally safe.
I finally moved back to Little Rock for another job, and lived in West Little Rock. I lived near Pulaski Heights, in a nice apartment complex. I chose West Little Rock because I felt like it might be a safer bet than my previous residence. I was wrong.
There were robberies, stabbings and the like on a fairly regular basis in the neighborhoods near where I was. There was actually a low income housing complex NEXT DOOR to my expensive apartment, and we were told to keep our doors locked and check our cars because robberies could be common (I found this out AFTER I'd already moved in and gotten situated).
I worked in Park Plaza for three months. In that short time, someone was shot and killed in the food court.
I DO NOT care what stats say.
However, Little Rock does have some charm, and it does have some awesome places to eat, shop, visit, etc. I love the city as I love my home state, but I would never ever live there again if I do not have to.
People who are saying that it is safe either do not live there, and are assuming statistics are "inaccurate," or live in a gated community with a security system.

Have you been to Jackson Mississippi? How would you compare Little Rock in crime to Jackson Mississippi in crime? I've heard both are bad. Only driven through Little Rock, never stopped there, but its downtown looked nice.

[cab591]

Not sure how crime rates compare, but I certainly felt safer walking around downtown Little Rock than I did walking around downtown Jackson. No part of Jackson "feels" safe (until you go out towards Madison / Ridgeland, over towards the Res, etc). Little Rock's downtown along the river front is fairly attractive, but venture outside of there and it definitely feels a lot less safe.

Source: Parents moved to Ridgeland for 2 years, and now they live 30 mins south of Little Rock. I visit often (in fact, I'm writing this post while visiting them in Arkansas, and was in downtown LR just last night).

[ColdAilment]

Originally Posted by cab591

Not sure how crime rates compare, but I certainly felt safer walking around downtown Little Rock than I did walking around downtown Jackson. No part of Jackson "feels" safe (until you go out towards Madison / Ridgeland, over towards the Res, etc). Little Rock's downtown along the river front is fairly attractive, but venture outside of there and it definitely feels a lot less safe.

Source: Parents moved to Ridgeland for 2 years, and now they live 30 mins south of Little Rock. I visit often (in fact, I'm writing this post while visiting them in Arkansas, and was in downtown LR just last night).

Interesting, thanks for the insight! I thought Jackson might look and feel worse.

[Tiger Beer]

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

Hillcrest? I just visited that area, what a great little area! Hopefully that was more the exception than the norm though.

[Brian211978]

Originally Posted by ColdAilment

All cities, no matter how large or small have good sides and bad sides, Little Rock is no exception. If you're really looking for how Little Rock ranks nationally, look no further than here:

Detroit Tops The 2012 List Of America's Most Dangerous Cities - Forbes

Little Rock isn't in the top 10, so it can't be that bad, and Atlanta is in that list. Atlanta has tons of nice places, but its violent crime rate remains high in certain select areas.

I recall reading a statistic that said in NYC in 2011 80% of all murders were drug or gang related. So if you are not affiliated with a gang or drugs, chances of you getting killed are pretty slim. Also, most of the murders and violent crime falls with the blacks, they are far more likely to be the victim of a murder.

I know this was a year and a half ago, but Little Rock had 35 murders last year in a city of just under 200,000. I live in Omaha, Nebraska and there were 32 murders, with a population of just over 400,000. And I can go on an on with cities with crime rates a lot lower.

Plus, Little Rock is below 250,000, so usually doesn't get counted in most of them stats. Still, they have crime rate nearly twice the national average. And that many murders in 200,000 people city, is insane!