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Put yourselves in their shoes. That is, if you have the nads to. I know I wouldnt want to deal with the gargantuan headaches that must come along with being a NYC cop.
That's because most people like yourself only go to Times Square and think New York is safe. In the early 90's, even Times Square was scary. There are several areas of New York that are ghetto and dangerous. You just haven't been to any of them or seen them. I'm sure if someone just went to the Phoenecian resort, they would also think Arizona is safe.
so much ignorance in this thread it's kind of amazing
first to phoenix itself - i really wouldn't say the city is all that ghetto on the whole - as someone who went to school in west philly I can pretty honestly say that this city is fairly tame in comparison to a lot of other places
find me any industrial core in the nation that looks shiny & nice and is surrounded by high property values and great homes - it doesn't happen
the area around downtown is for all intents and purposes an industrial center - i'm also not a big fan of downtown, but it's far from dilapidated or "ghetto"
the drive down central can be a little sketchy - but in converse, have you ever driven up it? - some beautiful homes there, with nice big lots and less cookie cutter than the burbs
the biltmore area is very nice - i've yet to hear anyone refer to the botanical gardens as ghetto
there are also some really neat lots in the willo district
my only semi-complaint about some or the really nice neighborhoods in phoenix is they haven't done that great of a job of making them work/live/play - for the most part they are heavy on residential, usually a little more convenient to work with limited play in comparison
as for the west valley - yes there are $1M homes here - I wish I took pictures of some of the custom homes i've been into around palm valley - they are really amazing
don't know why it's hard for people to believe that with goodyear and litchfield park having two of the highest average household income rates in the entire valley that people could actually live out here amongst nice things
verrado is in buckeye and if you think that is ghetto, then you are a lost cause - but i'm sure the schools in verrado suck, right? - nope, they are actually in a different district and some of the best in the valley
and all of glendale is ghetto - just like that arrowhead lakes section
i have friends who live in an older area of peoria and we were driving around for lights and there are some really nice homes hidden in there around sweetwater (could be phoenix, could be peoria)
also take a look at this link for more terrible ghetto phoenix
people are people everywhere - i actually prefer east coast people - but like it plenty out here
phoenix isn't for everyone - it's newer, it's a big grid - lots of strip malls and plazas and suburban living
however just because it's not your preference doesn't mean you can paint the whole thing ghetto
I'm responding to this because it would be a tragedy if your response was overlooked. Your response is the most accurate description I've read thus far.
I visit Phoenix every year right now I am in Chicago. You people kill me you really do. You want "ghetto" and crime? You want corruption and gangs? Come on up to Chicago. ALL of the Southern part of the City of Chicago is Ghetto. 30 people shot in Engelwood in 3 days. There are some good parts and some bad parts to Pheonix. Mostly all the parts I have seen are good but because Phoenix is so big I have not been to every part.
I remember when I was a kid, I used to visit my friends at Northwestern University in Evanston. I took the L to Evanston from Midway. That was one of the scariest experiences of my life. Chicago definitely has some ghetto areas. Ever been to a White Sox game? That's can be a downright scary experience. There is nothing in Phoenix that remotely compares to the scary areas in Chicago. After all, it was at one time, the murder capital of the United States a little over 4 years ago. I love Chicago and it has a lot of beautiful areas too but it also has its fair share of crime ridden areas just like any large urban metropolis.
CNN.com - Chicago is U.S. murder capital - Jan. 1, 2004 (http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/01/01/city.murders.ap/ - broken link)
Put yourselves in their shoes. That is, if you have the nads to. I know I wouldnt want to deal with the gargantuan headaches that must come along with being a NYC cop.
You know what they say, "can't handle the heat...". Each and every job has its own headaches and some even has danger but that still shouldn't turn them into bunch of ***holes.
Here is what happened so you might relate:
A few years back, a friend of my and I took his parent's van and drove from NJ to NY for sightseeing. We got lost, kind of and also stuck in traffic. At the point where we stopped, there was a cop car on the side of the road only couple of feet away from my window. Both vehicles windows were open, I politely asked the officer how we could get to XX bridge. He turned and looked at me for 5 seconds with a ""WTF?" impression on his face, then turned to his partner and start saying something. I didn't know what to do or say, so my friend gave it a shot, this time we got a 2 second stare from the cop. At that point the traffic started moving so we drove off... it was almost like a little Seinfeld sketch.
I suppose "To Serve and Protect" doesn't cover giving directions?
You know what they say, "can't handle the heat...". Each and every job has its own headaches and some even has danger but that still shouldn't turn them into bunch of ***holes.
Here is what happened so you might relate:
A few years back, a friend of my and I took his parent's van and drove from NJ to NY for sightseeing. We got lost, kind of and also stuck in traffic. At the point where we stopped, there was a cop car on the side of the road only couple of feet away from my window. Both vehicles windows were open, I politely asked the officer how we could get to XX bridge. He turned and looked at me for 5 seconds with a ""WTF?" impression on his face, then turned to his partner and start saying something. I didn't know what to do or say, so my friend gave it a shot, this time we got a 2 second stare from the cop. At that point the traffic started moving so we drove off... it was almost like a little Seinfeld sketch.
I suppose "To Serve and Protect" doesn't cover giving directions?
New York isn't the only city that has fine police officers. Check out these threads regarding the Chicago police
True, but give it time, PHX will continue to spiral downwards. With all the criminals coming up from Mexico and L.A., youre in for one hell of a ride, trust me. In another 50-75 years, when PHX has had time to age and has a large population like cities back East, PHX will have parts that are just as bad as Chicago's south side, or DC (as mentioned above), or Houston. PHX is just a baby, and for how "young" it is, it is already having higher crime levels (ie car theft, burglary, etc) than cities more than 2/3 times its size. Ive seen some crimes come out of PHX (ever watch The First 48 Hours?) that are unspeakably horrible, and this is just the beginning.
Possible; and Chicago may dry up and blow away as well------it is all a crapshoot, Steve-o
Possible; and Chicago may dry up and blow away as well------it is all a crapshoot, Steve-o
Neither of these cities is that bad really. I agree with AZbear we should stay on topic. Look here is a nice article on how AZ population growth is slowing.
APS economist: Valley growth slowest in 35 years | Arizona Business, personal finance, technology news for East Valley and Phoenix | eastvalleytribune.com (http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/116250 - broken link)
Hey this will keep all the people happy who dont like all the newcomers and development. Maybe now we can preserve some of those undeveloped cotton fields.
That's because most people like yourself only go to Times Square and think New York is safe. In the early 90's, even Times Square was scary. There are several areas of New York that are ghetto and dangerous. You just haven't been to any of them or seen them. I'm sure if someone just went to the Phoenecian resort, they would also think Arizona is safe.
Base on a weighted avererage of crime rates in 2006, for cities with pop greater than 500K ...
Safest 10:
1San Jose, CA
2Honolulu, HI
3El Paso, TX
4New York, NY
5Austin, TX
6San Diego, CA
7San Antonio, TX
8Louisville, KY
9Fort Worth, TX
10Jacksonville, FL
Most Dangerous 10:
1Detroit, MI
2Baltimore, MD
3Memphis, TN
4Washington, DC
5Philadelphia, PA
6Dallas, TX
7Nashville, TN
8Charlotte, NC
9Columbus, OH
10Houston, TX
See [url]http://www.morganquitno.com/cit07pop.htm#25[/url] for methodology.
obviously no single statistical measure is precise, but some trends cannot be denied. Everyone knows Detroit, Baltimore and Memphis are downrigt scary. Anyone who has lived (visiting doesn't count) in NYC within the past 10 years or reads beyond the arizona republic knows that new york is one of the safest per capita cities in the country. and yes, that includes all 5 boroughs.
New York City is one of the safest cities PER CAPITA! Omaha, Nebraska had a higher murder rate than New York city. Buffalo and Kansas City were ranked 10th and 11th in murder rate. You would feel more safe in the NYC area than Buffalo or KC? Minneapolis was ranked ahead of Los Angelas and Stockton in murder rate as well. You would feel safer in LA than Minneapolis? The argument of this thread concerned the existence of certain ghettos or bad neighborhoods which NYC has a larger abundance of than Phoenix. No one woud argue that Phoenix poses a greater threat to someone than one living in New York City.
Also, the statistics can be misleading. It's methodology is based on averaging the FBI crime statistics in murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary and motor vehicle theft and then compiling that data together. So a city such as Phoenix which has one of the highest rates of auto theft in the country could skew the numbers despite having low rates of murder and aggravated assault. No intelligent person would feel safer in a city with a higher murder and assault rate than an autotheft rate.
The term safe is a subjective term that can't be defined. A city might have a lower murder rate but it's not necessarily safer. Do you think NYC is safter than Omaha? This is what the FBI had to say in regards to those rankings you posted. Notice, the source isn't the Arizona Republic.
"You're not comparing apples and oranges; you're comparing watermelons and grapes," said Rob Casey, who heads the FBI section that puts out the Uniform Crime Report that provides the data for the Quitno report.The FBI posted a statement on its Web site criticizing such use of its statistics. "These rough rankings provide no insight into the numerous variables that mold crime in a particular town, city, county, state, or region," the FBI said. "Consequently, they lead to simplistic and/or incomplete analyses that often create misleading perceptions adversely affecting communities and their residents."
New York City is one of the safest cities PER CAPITA! Omaha, Nebraska had a higher murder rate than New York city. Buffalo and Kansas City were ranked 10th and 11th in murder rate. You would feel more safe in the NYC area than Buffalo or KC?
yes.
Quote:
Originally Posted by azriverfan
You would feel safer in LA than Minneapolis?
can't say. never hed a reason to go to minneapolis. never had a problem in LA.
Quote:
Originally Posted by azriverfan
No intelligent person would feel safer in a city with a higher murder and assault rate than an autotheft rate.
as of 2006, phoenix ranked 21st in murder rate. NYC 50th. so, you'd feel safer in nyc, right? then again, it's only data.
Quote:
Originally Posted by azriverfan
This is what the FBI had to say in regards to those rankings you posted. Notice, the source isn't the Arizona Republic.
thanks for the notice. as i said, no single statistical method is precise. so, i agree with the fbi. notice, as well, a major source for that article is the detroit chief of police ... hmmmm. an unbiased source? i think not.
Quote:
Originally Posted by azriverfan
New York City is one of the safest cities PER CAPITA!
you seen shocked at the notion of per capita statistics. i'm unclear why. generally speaking, where is your chance of being the victim of homicide lower? in a city of 10 million with 200 murders a year, or a city of 500,000 with 200 murders a year?
data speaks louder than anecdotal evidence.
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I know I wouldnt want to deal with the gargantuan headaches that must come along with being a NYC cop. 
No one is going to dry up
