Is this neighborhood safe? How does it compare to other cities?

Is this neighborhood safe?

It’s a good question to ask, but what do you consider safe? No land is Utopia...even small towns will have their share of criminal activity.

From Dictionary.com,

safe [seyf] Show IPA adjective, saf·er, saf·est, noun, adjective

1. secure from liability to harm, injury, danger, or risk: a safe place.

2. free from hurt, injury, danger, or risk: to arrive safe and  sound.

3. involving little or no risk of mishap,error, etc.: a safe estimate.

4. dependable or trustworthy: a safe guide.

5. careful to avoid danger or controversy: a safe player; a safe play.

So how does one determine if a neighborhood is safe?
When people ask me this question, I generally refer them to various sites.

CrimeReports.com - This is probably my favorite. I entered my home address in Alameda CA, chose the type of crime activity I wanted to see (for example, homicide, robbery, assault) and “layered” them. This is what it shows.

We also have Crimespotting in San Francisco and Oakland CA areas.

Spot Crime  This is another good resource. Just type in the address. One can even sign up for email alerts for specific neighborhoods.

Neighborhood Scout --- here’s a video on how to navigate their site that provides information on the neighborhood, public schools, real estate values appreciation, crime rates, and even find a real estate agent. Some of the information is free, while others are by subscription.

Trulia also has a terrific map that even provides dates and types of criminal activity within the area.

Sperling’s Best Places has some good information, too, and allows you to compare cities at different angles: schools, climate, cost of living, crime rates, etc.

AreaConnect is another interesting site that enables you to compare two cities. For example, here’s comparison of where I used to live in Orlando FL and where I live now in Alameda CA

We’re lucky we have such resources to help us find out as much as we need to about certain neighborhoods. These help in making decisions on where we choose to live.