[Geo-Aggie]

Originally Posted by flyinghigh21

Sorry if it came across as if I was downplaying the crime Flint has; no, I knew there is crime there. However as I said I was willing to consider moving to an area in the city because not all parts must be absolutely horrid. Well not horrid, I meant crime-ridden.

Oh no, there are parts of Flint that are accurately described as "horrid"

That being said, there are also parts of Flint which are accurately described as "quaintly suburban", "quickly gentrifying", or "a great investment potential". I think between the advice you've read here and a short day trip around the city (in person or with Google maps) you can pretty well land yourself in a nice Flint neighborhood, or you can play it safe, pay a little more, and live in a suburb (personally I'd avoid Mt. Morris and Beecher as parts of Flint City are nicer than typical neighborhoods in these suburbs). Neither way is wrong, just do what works best for you.

[slowdawg]

About 7 or 8 years ago, someone set up a live stream online broadcasting the Flint Police dispatch channel. I have listened to it ever since the feed was set up, on a regular basis-hours on end, several days a week. I hear what goes on and I am willing to say that most of the city is not within my definition of "safe".
It used to be that anything north of Welch all the way up to the northern city limits was awful. This area has quieted down a little bit because there are many blocks that are heavily abandoned. Many people moved out and scattered into other parts of the city-including the folks causing all the problems. People used to tell me about how bad Dayton Avenue was but streets in that area have emptied out enough that theres far less activity. Not as many people, and not as much to steal. Still not a good area, though.Much of that activity has moved from North-central Flint to the west side, along Chevrolet Ave
The Fenton Rd area is also problematic. I would say anything west of 475 and south of the tracks would be the general area I'm talking about. This is an impoverished area with drugs, assualts, and increasing gun use. Whats interesting is that its bordered by 2 of the safer, if not safest, neighborhoods: Berry Patch to the West, and the Golf Club area to the East. These areas do not yet have a barrage of police calls.
Even the Corunna Rd/Miller Rd areas are getting a lot of calls these days.
One of the most active, busy areas is the triangle between Longway/475/Dort. I think this is known as State Streets. This area was seeing a number of arsons about 5 years ago. Its a lot more abandoned now but remains a hotbed of police calls.
Just remember: As neighborhoods vacate and depopulate into abandonment, the criminals that scared everyone else out usually go, too. It sure seems like the pattern in Flint is for them to move farther toward the edge of town.
As for good areas? The aforementioned Berry Patch near Atherton/Hammerberg and the small neighborhoods on the west side of Hammerberg havent been getting too much activity yet. Some of the areas near the golf club dont see a lot of activity, and some isolated historic districts like the Swartz Creek golf course mansions, which are not likely to be cheap.
Again, I have been monitoring police calls on a very regular basis there, and I think it takes time to truly understand the safety risks. Some neighborhoods look ok while driving through but over time, you'll start finding out just how many safety issues are lurking under the surface and how migratory patters from the bad areas change things over the course of a few years.