Crime (Houston, Dallas, San Antonio: crime rate, home, neighborhood)

[kittymama]

I currently live in Alaska and when I tell people I want to move to TX, they often try to tell me that there's so much "crime" and it "isn't safe there." Having grown up in TX, I know this not to be the case and I shrug it off, though it makes my husband who has lived in Alaska all his life then become nervous about the prospect of moving.

No doubt someone will tell me that this is a reason not to move to TX:

Manhunt after driver kills 2 in Dallas - Crime & courts- msnbc.com

(It's the story about the drive by in Dallas today, which made national news). Then people will go on to say that Fairbanks is a safe place to live and brag about how people leave their doors unlocked here (I don't). Of course, there's this story in today's paper - a horrible, horrible tragedy:

newsminer.com • Charges expected to be filed against three men in Fairbanks man's death

I'm not saying that this is common in Fairbanks. I'm saying that it is shocking because the whole borough (the equivalent of a county) has about 80,000 people and people know people here. Yet, I would never tell someone to avoid moving to Fairbanks "because of the crime," not even after reading this story. I might discourage them due to the winters and the isolation, but I would not dare to hint that I live in a crime ridden community, even though we also had a drive by shooting this summer (no one was killed in that, but someone could have been killed) on one of the main thoroughfares of town that I drive on almost every day of the year and even dare to walk on in the summer.

My point is - we're a small town in the middle of nowhere. We're ignored by the media elsewhere even though these things are a much bigger deal here due to the limited population size. But because national media covers an event like this in Dallas, people will think it is a crime ridden hell hole and that I'm nuts to want to move to a big city in Texas where "those things happen all the time." If they happend all the time, they wouldn't get national media coverage, would they? And if I had a dollar for everytime someone said they wanted to raise their kids in Fairbanks, "because there isn't so much crime here as there is elsewhere," I could finance my move.

[Canine*Castle]

There is much crime in Texas, but according to statistics, Alaska is worse overall. Just don't pick a city where the crime is really bad. There are many safe places to live.

The Dallas killings are not a reason to not move to Texas. Unfortunately, the whole country is plagued with random killings. People are just nuts.

[kittymama]

CC, I'm agreeing that one drive by shooting is not a reason not to move someone. I would be interested in these statistics, because I have never thought Alaska felt "safer." It didn't feel "less safe" to me either and I have never been one to worry about crime much. I just find it an interesting perception that people here think crime doesn't happen here or something and that the rest of the country is rampant with it. And "crime" is the number one objection they give to moving to TX when I say I want to move. But no, I don't lie awake and worry about being killed by random violence at all and I don't let that dictate my choices. I was just commenting on the cultural perceptions that don't seem to be based in reality.

[ShaneSA]

Where ever you go there is crime. Crime from burgalies to murder. Some places it's worse than others. Saying that, there is crime in Texas, and no worse than anywhere else. Some places have more, some less. You just have to pick and choose what you want and do some research as to types of crimes and what you want to deal with. Overall, crime is low in San Antonio, and it's still news when there is a murder, or other violent crime. To me, that says it's not all that common.

[Canine*Castle]

Originally Posted by kittymama

CC, I'm agreeing that one drive by shooting is not a reason not to move someone. I would be interested in these statistics, because I have never thought Alaska felt "safer." It didn't feel "less safe" to me either and I have never been one to worry about crime much. I just find it an interesting perception that people here think crime doesn't happen here or something and that the rest of the country is rampant with it. And "crime" is the number one objection they give to moving to TX when I say I want to move. But no, I don't lie awake and worry about being killed by random violence at all and I don't let that dictate my choices. I was just commenting on the cultural perceptions that don't seem to be based in reality.

I agree. By the way, one of the deaths of the random shootings was in Garland and it's crime rate is quite a bit lesser than Dallas.

I can assure you if I ever were to move again, I would be mighty cautious about where I choose because there are places that are safer than others. Of course, and sadly as we all know, even the crazies get loose there too. Personally, I would not live in Dallas as the crime rate is quite high but as I said, there are places in Texas where it's better.

People in Dallas would more than likely say differently about it, but one finds a sort of comfort zone when living in a city for a long time. I can definitely understand that. I'm just saying I know I wouldn't move to a city where the crime is high.

My main concerns, should I move again, would be crime and weather. A friend of mine in CA has a daughter who just moved to Las Vegas with her husband and little son. I would be very worried if my child moved there. It's pretty crime-filled, I do believe.

Good luck whatever you choose. Do you guys have a special area in Texas that you're considering?

[kittymama]

CC,

My first choice so far is Austin followed by San Antonio or Fort Worth. Dallas and Houston are on the list too. I'm a city slicker at heart and it's hard for me to live in a small town like Fairbanks because I like things like chain stores and constant growth and shopping and restaurants. I've lived a few places and I've traveled quite a few places too. I would be willing to live in a town that was jammed up on the city like Round Rock is to Austin, for example, but I don't really want to live in a town that is "isolated." All my moving around has taught me that "perceptions" about a place aren't always accurate and that people everywhere really have a lot in common.

[cobolt]

Every town or city has "bad parts" and no place is safe. However, alot of crime is tied to economics. That's not to say that white collar crime doesn't happen or that some banker won't decide to go all postal in a middle to upscale neighborhood, but if you stay out of the shady areas and away from the shady characters, chances are you'll be okay. Notice I said "chances are," because we can't ignore random crime in the form of robberies, car jackings, arson, buglaries, vandalism, etc. It happens and no one is out of reach, but I've never felt "less safe" in Texas than I did in Alaska or Hawaii or anywhere else. You must always be on guard and aware of your surroundings. Some places have less crime than others, but I wouldn't let a few publicized crimes prevent you from moving to a place, be it Texas or wherever. Okay, well maybe Gary, Indiana would be an exception to that, but you get the drift.

[momof2dfw]

Originally Posted by kittymama

IManhunt after driver kills 2 in Dallas - Crime & courts- msnbc.com

(It's the story about the drive by in Dallas today, which made national news). Then people will go on to say that Fairbanks is a safe place to live and brag about how people leave their doors unlocked here (I don't). Of course, there's this story in today's paper - a horrible, horrible tragedy:

.

Originally Posted by kittymama

CC, I'm agreeing that one drive by shooting is not a reason not to move someone. I would be interested in these statistics, because I have never thought Alaska felt "safer." It didn't feel "less safe" to me either and I have never been one to worry about crime much. I just find it an interesting perception that people here think crime doesn't happen here or something and that the rest of the country is rampant with it. And "crime" is the number one objection they give to moving to TX when I say I want to move. But no, I don't lie awake and worry about being killed by random violence at all and I don't let that dictate my choices. I was just commenting on the cultural perceptions that don't seem to be based in reality.

Okay, this shooting hit VERY CLOSE TO home for us. Here is the timeline now on what the police know.

The 37 year old suspect was a FORMER UTAH State Trooper. Back in May he called someone w/ his Mormon church telling them he was going to kill himself. They talked him out of it and got the gun (DARNIT!). The guy then moved to KELLER, TX. Keller is considered by some to be one of the "better" places in the DFW Metroplex.

On Monday, Dec. 22 sometime he robbed a store in Keller. He then robbed a Kroger Grocery Stores pharmacy located at Walnut and N. Garland Ave in Garland at about 5:15ish. Our office is literally less than 1/2 mile from there and my husband left the office at 5:45. The guy then less than 2 miles away shot and killed a 20 year old that was from Rowlett (we lived there for a few years and have MANY good friends from there and I'm sure several of them probably know the victim). The killer then went to LBJ and shot at 3 other people all in 18 wheelers (my dad is a truck driver and wasn't far from that vicinity a little earlier). The truck driver killed from Kentucky was able to manuever his truck and apply the air brakes before he died (HERO!!!!).

At about 9:30 pm Garland PD got a call that the guy from Keller could be in their area. They spotted a car matching his on Hwy 66 and Commerce (this is blocks from where my oldest daughter goes to school). They surrounded his car w/ SWAT officers and hours later he tried to move and the GPD stopped him w/ their own vehicles. Then the suspect shot himself in the head. He is on life support at Parkland Hospital in Dallas.

If that person in UTAH would have let the moron kill himself THEN we would not have 2 families dealing with the loss of an innocent loved one right here at Christmas. The truck driver was only minutes from parking his truck and getting a flight home for Christmas to be with his family which includes a 5 year old little girl. But NOOOOOO, now Texas gets blamed for it and Garland does too. Where I live. This moron was FROM UTAH and had only been in Texas for a few months and this was probably the ONLY TIME IN HIS LIFE he had EVER been in Garland. But it will go down as a murder for the city and another death due to him shooting himself here.

This idiot could have lost it in any other state. He just happened to pick Texas.

[TexasHorseLady]

kittymama, anyone who points to that as evidence of how crime-ridden Texas is might consider that this made national news. Every day occurrences don't make national news.

And what momof2dfw said.

[kittymama]

THL,

I think it's more likely that many people in Alaska can't imagine why anyone would want to live anywhere else. Most of them came here to get away from it all.