Moving to the city! (San Jose, Oakland: crime rate, neighborhoods, living in)

[celzcali]

Hey everyone, so I just moved up the Bay Area from LA. I am currently living with a friend in San Jose as it is close to my company. I am however looking for a place in the city for my girlfriend, myself and my brother (looking for a 2 bdrm). They are both planning on working in the city, but I am planning on taking the shuttle my company provides from the city to work. We considered living in one of the cities up the pennisula, like Palo Alto or Mountain View, but seems like their best chances of finding a job are going to be in the city. Anyways, we have narrowed it down to Noe Valley. We keep reading about all the gangs in the mission and were wondering if there ever is any spill over into Noe Valley? My shuttle pickup would be either 24th and Guerrero, or San Jose at Guerrero. Are these okay areas to be going? One better than the other? Also, my brother has a brand new mercedes, any chance this wont get broken into? Sorry for all the questions, appreciate any help you can provide to some new bay area residents!

[SickOfCalifornia]

If you are from LA, you will laugh at what we call "gang problems" up here. Yes, there are some gangs, and yes, there is some gang-related violence... but it is light years away from the gang problems LA faces. Oakland is a different story, but I don't think you'll find the senseless gangsta violence you see in LA up here.

[celzcali]

Originally Posted by SickOfCalifornia

If you are from LA, you will laugh at what we call "gang problems" up here. Yes, there are some gangs, and yes, there is some gang-related violence... but it is light years away from the gang problems LA faces. Oakland is a different story, but I don't think you'll find the senseless gangsta violence you see in LA up here.

Thanks for the response. Just wondering.. the thing with LA is that I lived in LA but in a really nice part of LA (right near Playa Vista) that was really far from any bad areas. I guess I was worried because it seems like gang-related violence can be so close to you here. This is my and my girlfriends first time living in a big city so maybe were being way too paranoid? Also, do you know about those bus stop areas that I mentioned? Thanks again!

[mayorhaggar]

We keep reading about all the gangs in the mission and were wondering if there ever is any spill over into Noe Valley?

No not really, anywhere west of Mission Street is a lot safer than anywhere on or east of Mission. Valencia is sort of noisy because there's a lot of shops and restaurants and bars but it's a lot safer than Mission. Guerrero and Dolores are more residential.

My shuttle pickup would be either 24th and Guerrero, or San Jose at Guerrero. Are these okay areas to be going? One better than the other?

Either should be ok especially early in the morning. Cesar Chavez is kind of ghetto-ish in parts so 24th might be better than San Jose.

Also, my brother has a brand new mercedes, any chance this wont get broken into?

Cars can be broken into anywhere in SF. Noe Valley is a nice area but it is still in a big city. Unless he parks it indoors it will risk being broken into. A less flashy car would be less of a risk too.

[celzcali]

Thanks for the response Mayor! Im probably just being paranoid... I heard something about not being able to wear red or blue in the mission?

[rah]

Originally Posted by SickOfCalifornia

If you are from LA, you will laugh at what we call "gang problems" up here. Yes, there are some gangs, and yes, there is some gang-related violence... but it is light years away from the gang problems LA faces. Oakland is a different story, but I don't think you'll find the senseless gangsta violence you see in LA up here.

Gang violence in general is less prevalent in the Bay Area than in LA... Oakland included. That's "gang violence" as in "you will be violently attacked for wearing the wrong color," you know...the bloods and the crips, etc. The bloods and crips were never very succesful at their attempts to expand up here, as the existing gangs usually would run them out of town before they get any kind of foot hold. Those blood/crip sets that did establish themselves didn't last very long. Aside from latino gangs (Nortenos and Surenos), people don't care about colors in the Bay Area. Most "gangbangers" over here are just people who are from the same hood/project, etc, and who all rep that hood/project...they have rival sets, or "gangs" but it's not really the same. Most gangs here aren't really organized or "official" or anything. They get worked up over where you're from and what your doing, but not over colors. Gangs here are tied to their neighborhoods, and thus are plentiful but small and don't expand/have branches in other hoods/cities, etc. The latin gangs are part of a bigger system (born out of mexican-american prison gangs back in the 60s, which are still around today) that is strong throughout CA, and are pretty serious about colors though. People do get killed or injured in mistaken identity gang things here with regularity, even if it may or may not be with quite the same frequency as in LA.

When it comes to violence per capita though (and not just gang violence, which we have no real measure of anyways), SF has had more of it than LA since 2005, and was never all that far below in the decades before that. Same for Oakland, obviously...though it's almost always been higher than LA, at least since 1985.

Violent crime rate per 100k residents:

2005
SF - 959.1
LA - 820.6
2006
SF - 1,036.4
LA - 786.9
2007
SF - 1,037.1
LA - 718.4
2008
SF - 1,024.1
LA - 689.5

[celzcali]

Thanks Rah. Isnt the mission where most of the latino gangs are? Since im living close to there... just be careful not to wear red or blue.. at least to play it safe!

[gone down south]

Originally Posted by celzcali

Thanks for the response Mayor! Im probably just being paranoid... I heard something about not being able to wear red or blue in the mission?

Oh ffs.

[mayorhaggar]

The gangs and violence and crime mainly stay east of Mission. Just don't go east of Mission and you won't have any trouble. East of Mission isn't THAT bad especially during the day, but it is grubby and there are sketchy people all over the place, and gang shootings at night are common. You really don't have to worry about gang colors in the heart of the Mission though and especially in Noe Valley. In Noe Valley the biggest danger will be dodging strollers and finding parking near 24th.

[celzcali]

Thanks Mayor. appreciate the help.