Portland Crime Rate (Beaverton, Phoenix, Beaver: safe area, construction, camping)

[CantStandTheHeat]

I have used the city-data comparisons to compare Portland to my current city (which I already knew was safer than most), and every crime, across the board, is 3 to 4 times higher (not based on number, but per 100,000) in Portland. OMG!! I am really upset because, if you read my earlier post, I am really in love with what Portland has to offer. But am I risking my family's safety in exchange for parks, historical surroundings, cultural activities? According to the various statics sites, Portland is even rougher than Phoenix. The only exception is the murder rate. This is very disturbing, since I find some areas of Phoenix to be downright scary. How can it be that Portland is so bad?? Help! Can anyone honestly explain how this can be and how safe they really feel living in Portland?

[Ryant]

Strange, Forbes has portland as the 3rd safest city in the US "The Portland, Ore., metro area, which boasts the lowest crime rate"

Portland is America's No. 3 Safest City, according to Forbes Magazine | OregonLive.com

I haven't seem a getto or an unsafe area here yet and I've been living here for years.

[Ryant]

Or, I guess number 2 safest this year. CantStandTheHeat, you should come here first if you're really thinking about moving. That way you can get an idea.

[CantStandTheHeat]

Thank you, Ryant! In an ideal world I would love to go and see Portland first, but the situation we are in prevents that from being possible. My husband may be offered a job in Beaverton through a connection he has at his current job. If the offer is worth it we will probably have to move on short notice. This, combined with our almost non-existent cash-flow, would prevent us from traveling to Portland first.

I appreciate the link you posted. I am sure Forbes has more current data on crime stats than the sites I visited, since those had stats from either the 2000 Census or from 2006. One site I looked at last night but could not find again this morning had data up to 2008 and their data reflected a surge in crime in 05 and 06 which seemed to correlate with an uptick in housing construction, oddly enough.

Thank you for your input. I really appreciate it!

[Ryant]

Sure, if I can help out.. I would say downtown might have petty crimes. For instance once I had a backpack stolen out of my car. They used a stick trough the partially open window. I'm guessing it was a homeless person who got bored. The homeless around here don't seem violent or aggressive. If anything they are somewhat friendly. People will often say that the cities in the PNW are "puppy dog cities" compared to the east coast or some neigorborhoods in California. There is not many gangs, homicides etc. Probably the least likely place for angry or aggresive attitudes.

It is kind of a sexual city. I'm sure you know of the strip clubs per population. You might hear some of this talk on the busses and MAX, you know, liberal attitudes. It's friendly though. For me I like that almost no one honks their horn at you and you can feel safe even walking downtown in the middle of the night. Beverton has less of the liberal attitude, or homeless, and a lot like any nicer suburb you might have lived in.

The weather I think you'd like since it's almost always mild. People are friendly. If you want to talk to someone you just have to ask "So, are you from here?" and they will chat for awhile, it's very common to ask that.

Not least of all it's very outdoorsy around here. Something like going to coast on the weekend is very common. If you like outdoor activities, skiing, camping, or whatever you'll find loads of people around who are similar. If I was to raise kids I'd want them raised here. It's amazing how many young people you see with hiking boots on.

I once worked with a girl in Chicago who had worked in Portland for awhile. She was saying they loved it out here, that "she and her husband used to go to the coast on the weekends...". I replied "that's how I know you're from Portland!". At least that's how it seems to me, but some people will stay home, some people will be hipsters and only know downtown and the cool neighborhoods. It depends who you are.

[tablemtn]

The only exception is the murder rate.

Well, that's an important fact. Non-murder crimes vary widely from area to area due to differences in reporting and recording standards, reporting rates, and other factors. But the murder rate is a bit more difficult to manipulate.

So, if you see an area with a high murder rate but apparently low rates of other crime, be suspicious. It probably means that the statistics are being "massaged."

[khyron]

When you compare crime statistics between different metro areas in different states, one important distinction is as you said "per X number of people" versus raw numbers since populations vary. However another more subtle aspect you have to look at is how crimes are actually measured. From state to state, the way a metro area is "counted" varies a great deal, especially considering how the city "core" of an area is or is not combined with various surrounding counties or suburbs.

Before getting too alarmed at comparisons, check into what the numbers you're comparing actually mean.

[Sprightly]

In general it depends on what style of life you'll be living and where. Beaverton is really tame and if you are mainly going to be working and living the suburban life you'll be very unlikely to have a problem. One of the most important aspects about crime statistics that crime distribution really matters. If most of the crime is focused on one particular area of the city that you never go to you're okay. In some cities it is more evenly distributed and people feel the need for burglar bars on their windows even in "good" areas - that is not the case here in PDX. A good area of Beaverton will probably feel quite safe to you.

[sayulita]

There is a local monthly newspaper that I get in my Hillsdale neighborhood. Here's the police blotter for February. It makes me giggle.

February police blotter

To take a look at other local community newspapers, go to Redirect I'd guess that they also have police blotters for your perusal.

[Leisesturm]

Maybe its me, but if I was already living in an area known to be safer than most, and my safety and the safety of my family were important to me... ...