Safest city rankings. And you think Oxnard is not safe? (Thousand Oaks: low income, crime rate)

[SOON2BNSURPRISE]

I know that Simi and Thousand Oaks are always near the top of the list when it comes to safety. Both have been at the #1 spot and for many years have sat in the top 10. Always wondered where Oxnard and Ventura stood. It seems that many people consider the Oxnard and Ventura cities not safe, with Oxnard having a very bad reputation. Many people that live in both Simi and Thousand Oaks seem to be the prevayors of this bad news of how unsafe Oxnard is.

I was reading a story today where Mayor Holden stated that Oxnard ranks 5th in the nation in cities of its size range. That amazed me but shouldn't have. I have lived most of my life in the Oxnard area and have never had a problem with a gang or anyone else. After reading the story though I did want to do my own checking and found this story in the Star.

Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley say FBI data shows they are among nation's safest cities » Ventura County Star


If we are 5th place in safety among cities over 100,000 people then where is Oxnard over all.

It turns out that Oxnard is the 38th safest city in the nation. Ventura is ranked at 79th safest city in the nation. In comparison Thousand Oaks was ranked 5th in the nation and Simi was ranked 8th in the nation. Seeing the numbers one can come to the conclusion that those that live on the East side of the county may have a problem with the lack of safety in Oxnard because we are not in the top 10. Still if someone is coming from most cities within the nation, then Oxnard ranks pretty good and chances are is much more safe than anyplace that they are coming from. Now if you happen to come from a city that has 200,000 people in it chances are good that Oxnard will also be much safer than your city as it does rank in the top 10 of safest cities of its size.

[DowntownVentura]

Moorpark, being nestled in between Thousand Oaks and Simi, continues to be the safest city in Ventura county Moorpark sees crime rate fall in 2010 » Ventura County Star
Of course, their population is not over 100,000 so doesn't make the FBI list of safest cities. But there is less crime there.

Oxnard (and Ventura) have just a couple of pockets where most crime occurs. There are certainly large sections of Oxnard that are very safe.

Overall Ventura County is very safe, no doubt about that.

[SOON2BNSURPRISE]

Hi Downtown,

Yea my brother lives in Moorpark just west of the College. That is a very nice place to live. He works all the way near Amgen so he does have a long commute. LOL (Well at least longer than mine.)

[HSP1161]

I remember living in the San Gabriel valley many years ago and driving with my roommate through the old town in El Monte, a low income area with a large community of undocumented immigrants and signs that let you know it's 'Patrolled by Helicopter.'

There was a banner over the old town that read "Welcome to El Monte - One of the Safest Cities in the USA*" and at the foot of the banner, in tiny print read "*According to FBI statistics".

The irony? My roommate was there to score some weed from his 'source.'

Here's a story from the LA Times that came out circa my experience (emphasis mine):

Even the police seem a little baffled by their good fortune--they didn't notice how comparatively safe their city was until reading about it in a newspaper two years ago. Now they are revving up a publicity campaign to promote El Monte as a safe place to raise a family, hoping to inundate the area with information about the drop in crime.

"We're trying to change a long-lived stereotype," assistant city administrator Matthew Weintraub said. The prevalent image of El Monte as a dangerous town "is a notion that does not hold up."

The helicopter signs were posted years ago. When El Monte last year was ranked as the 20th-safest mid-size city in the nation in one survey, a business group had it engraved on dozens of pencils and distributed them. The newest additions are banners scattered throughout town proclaiming that El Monte is now the 10th-safest city nationwide.

El Monte's campaign highlights the increasing use of crime statistics, numbers that police admit are notoriously unreliable markers of public safety but have been seized upon nationwide by cities hoping to draw more business and more affluent residents. In fact, El Monte viewed the original FBI statistics--which according to a Times analysis ranked it 16th--as inaccurate and crunched the numbers again to put itself in the 10th rung.

If a crime isn't reported, it doesn't make it to the statistics.

[24hr7]

Based on my osbervation people that are from Ventura County tend to be harsh on Oxnard because they are comparing Oxnard to other cities in Ventura County. Oxnard stat is not bad compare to many cities of its size in the country. I lived in Thousand Oaks for 18 years and still work in Westlake Village. I bought a house in Oxnard and I still have a house in Thousand Oaks. The only thing I would not do is send my kids to schools whether its is Camarillo or Oxnard. I will stick with the Conejo Valley Unified School disctrict. Since I'm single and no kids for now Oxnard is darn good.

[LadyKLO]

Great post..probably one of the most refreshing in a while. I moved to Oxnard from Saint Louis, MO....and to boot....I'm from Memphis, TN...2 cities that probably aren't on the safest list at all!!!

[Winston Smith]

Originally Posted by SOON2BNSURPRISE

Seeing the numbers one can come to the conclusion that those that live on the East side of the county may have a problem with the lack of safety in Oxnard because we are not in the top 10. Still if someone is coming from most cities within the nation, then Oxnard ranks pretty good and chances are is much more safe than anyplace that they are coming from. Now if you happen to come from a city that has 200,000 people in it chances are good that Oxnard will also be much safer than your city as it does rank in the top 10 of safest cities of its size.

An excellent observation. It's relative to where one finds one's self. Taking the broader picture into account, Oxnard looks pretty good.

[NardForLife]

Let us also not forget Oxnard is a predominantly Hispanic (close to 70%) community. So somehow the neighboring cities which are primarily Caucasian associate this automatically with a 'blame it on the illegals' attitude. One only needs to look at an article of an Oxnard crime in the Ventura County Star online and read the comments. Some are outright disgusting and racist. But to be fair, these are only a very few people from neighboring Camarillo, T.O., etc. They are just as unavoidable as are the very few gangbangers or thugs who tarnish Oxnard's reputation.
Now, I don't have any 'illegal' statistics, but after living over 30 years in south Oxnard, I can say I've been crime free so far and loving it. I live harmoniously with my mostly Hispanic/Filipino neighbors and everyone here seems to have a mutual cultural respect for one another. I find especially the vast majority of Hispanics to be hardworking whether it's in the fields or in an office. It's always a pleasure to see a brand new Nissan or Lexus or Cadillac, even Audi on the streets or the lawn mowers on in the afternoon or people walking their dogs, cycling, and yes mothers with their kids in tow.
Of course it's not all peaches and creme. Unemployment is high and Oxnard is not for everyone, but the fact remains crime is much lower here than the nationwide average. A lot is to be credited to the Oxnard Police Department and to the Oxnard citizens themselves. Against many odds, it's a remarkable sight to watch our city keep growing....what I like to call the Oxnard juggernaut!!

[socaldream]

St. Louis and especially Memphis are some of the toughest towns going when it comes to crime. Oxnard is quaint by comparison.

Originally Posted by LadyKLO

Great post..probably one of the most refreshing in a while. I moved to Oxnard from Saint Louis, MO....and to boot....I'm from Memphis, TN...2 cities that probably aren't on the safest list at all!!!

[Winston Smith]

Not to pick on Ventura -- and not to get into the age-old Oxnard vs. Ventura rivalry, I like both cities -- but today's Sunday VC Star was full of troubling stories from Ventura. A concert shut down at the Fairgrounds because of brawling and reports of shots fired that involved the PD, CHP and even the Harbor Patrol. Then a body was found off Poli Street, an apparent victim of a hit-and-run, but the PD was unsure if he'd been run down at that location or somewhere else. What? Meanwhile the news from Oxnard was of a dance team there who won the World Dance competition, and of Boys & Girls club as beneficiaries of a wine and art tour.

I mention this not to say that Oxnard is better than Ventura -- again, I'm a fan of both having lived in both -- but rather to break down the notion that Ventura is safer than Oxnard. Both cities are about equal and face the same good and bad. Day to day living there is little difference between the two.