Why is crime so high in Biddeford? (Lewiston, Bangor: middle-class, for sale)

[Katrina Laney]

Just checked City-Data stats for Biddeford as my husband and I were on-line recently and looked at homes for sale in Biddeford. We were shocked to see that crime has really spiked much higher than the national average in nearly all areas in recent years (murders, rapes, burglaries, theft, etc.). Can someone please tell me why this is so? Who's responsible for the increase in crime? Is it due to illegal aliens moving into the area? We live in So. CA, and over the years nearly all cities and towns have been adversely affected because of illegal immigration. Sad.

[Northern Maine Land Man]

"Can someone please tell me why this is so?"

Maine is the safest state. Search long enough and you can find a community that is above the national average. This does not mean there has been an increase.

[maineguy8888]

Biddeford has long had a reputation for being a bit sketchy. The oceanfront parts of town are quite different from the rest of town.
Biddeford is close enough to Boston etc. to attract some of that crime.
Drugs and alcohol, the usual stuff....mixed in with some more hardcore stuff.

[IHeartMaine]

Originally Posted by Katrina Laney

Just checked City-Data stats for Biddeford as my husband and I were on-line recently and looked at homes for sale in Biddeford. We were shocked to see that crime has really spiked much higher than the national average in nearly all areas in recent years (murders, rapes, burglaries, theft, etc.). Can someone please tell me why this is so? Who's responsible for the increase in crime? Is it due to illegal aliens moving into the area? We live in So. CA, and over the years nearly all cities and towns have been adversely affected because of illegal immigration. Sad.

No, it's not due to "illegal aliens"........it's more about poverty, drugs, and white trash.

[Maineah_For_Life]

Look at the downtown, and tell me Biddeford isn't "sketchy"!

[Mark S.]

When we first moved to Maine, I happened to mention to our then landlord that we were so glad to be in Maine to be able to live in a neighborhood that isn't filled with crime, drugs, and gangs. He laughed and said, "Yeah, in Maine you have to go to Biddeford for that."

[Three Wolves In Snow]

In another thread, I stated that I used to work a job that gave me information as to where many of the criminals were coming from. Biddeford was indeed one of those places. There were three other places along with Biddeford that were the main places those types lived. (Yes, of course, you had some from other areas as well, but the big chunk of them came from four specific areas.)

I, personally, will not ever live there knowing what I now know.

[Giantrobot]

Originally Posted by Maineah_For_Life

Look at the downtown, and tell me Biddeford isn't "sketchy"!

Biddeford has other areas, you know.....not every square inch of it is "sketchy". Heck, not even the entire downtown is bad! The corner of Main and Rt.1 and as you climb the hill towards Five Points is a very obvious and visible one. The neighborhoods just off that on either side, and then over around Bacon St. also. You see much of the worst if you are passing through town. There are more nice areas than bad, but because the bad is so prominent, that fuels the reputation.

Another problem is just proximity. The bad seeds spread outward. There is a very nice middle-class subdivision heading out of town on North St. that was getting burglerized repeatedly by heroin junkies. Some are criminals coming from out of state, but much like Lewiston, there are generations of white trash scumbags who have scourged that town to this day. It's a cancerous environment. I appreciate the efforts to educate and revitalize that area, because I feel Biddeford is overall a nice town with many positives. I'd love to see a slum clearing and rebuilding of those previously mentioned areas.

[Giantrobot]

Originally Posted by Three Wolves In Snow

In another thread, I stated that I used to work a job that gave me information as to where many of the criminals were coming from. Biddeford was indeed one of those places. There were three other places along with Biddeford that were the main places those types lived. (Yes, of course, you had some from other areas as well, but the big chunk of them came from four specific areas.)

I, personally, will not ever live there knowing what I now know.

I'm guessing Biddeford, Sanford, Lewiston, Bangor.

[Three Wolves In Snow]

Originally Posted by Giantrobot

I'm guessing Biddeford, Sanford, Lewiston, Bangor.

You got two of them right, and one of them was a close 5th place.