Minneapolis: closing in on Detroit on violent crime rates and yet so good at ignoring Minneapolis massive problems (St. Paul: homes, neighborhoods)

[MattDen]

The violent crime rate for the nation as a whole in 2005 was about 500 per 100,000 people

Minneapolis rate in 2006 was 1728.8 per 100,000 or 6,483 for a population of 375,000 people. That is more then three times the national average.

I think alot of Minneapolis denial comes in with the aspect that its violent crime is extremely concentrated on the northside of the city, I wonder what the violent crime rate is in that precient/district I would venture to guess as a district its amongst the worst in the nation considering the southside and downtown tend to be rather peaceful in general usually with the exception of the a few high-profile situation over the last several years.

Minneapolis excellent highway system is the reason why I dont think many residents really know the extent of how blighted and violent-crime ridden much of the northside of Minneapolis is. Ive been up there many times and I will never go up there again if I am up in Brooklyn Center I would take an express bus down for sure because the Northside of Minneapolis is very, very rough but I how often do Minneapolis residents and Twin Cities residents ever get up there.

I agree midwestern cities tend to be very violent. Minneapolis is not the only one. Milwaukee has a very high violent crime, Indianapolis is getting much, much worse by the year, Cincinnati has a homicide rate which has risen astronomically since the late 1990s, Cleveland is in the same situation as Cincinnati and has a very high violent crime rate. Ditto for St. Louis and Kansas City but I think Missouri cities no offense have a reputation for very high violent crime rates.

Omaha isnt getting any worse, as of last week 18 homicides in the city of Omaha which is about where it typically would be in an average year. So I guess Omaha is a bright spot on a bleak midwestern radar screen and Des Moines is fairly safe also although like Omaha its violent crime rate is slighly above the national average I think both are around 600 per 100,000 people as opposed to Minneapolis 1,700 per 100,000.

Columbus, Ohio hasnt gone down-hill as much as many midwestern cities but its still got alot of rough neighborhods and I wouldnt say its a model for public safety at all. I think their violent crime rate was about 800 per 100,000 which is about half of Minneapolis but still way above the national average.

[The Icy River Vagabond]

MAttden, base on your description of how blighted it is, Im guessing that you really haven't ventured to many cities around the country. I guess it's all relative. If the only place that you have been is Lincoln Nebraska. Than I guess any city that is bigger would be scary to you.

[The Icy River Vagabond]

Oh yea, and how can you possibly say that Minneapolis is closing in on Detroit in the violent crime category???? That is an absurd statement. There have only been 25 murders in Minneapolis this year, Detroit has had more than 10 times that.

[green_mariner]

Originally Posted by MattDen

The violent crime rate for the nation as a whole in 2005 was about 500 per 100,000 people

Minneapolis rate in 2006 was 1728.8 per 100,000 or 6,483 for a population of 375,000 people. That is more then three times the national average.

I think alot of Minneapolis denial comes in with the aspect that its violent crime is extremely concentrated on the northside of the city, I wonder what the violent crime rate is in that precient/district I would venture to guess as a district its amongst the worst in the nation considering the southside and downtown tend to be rather peaceful in general usually with the exception of the a few high-profile situation over the last several years.

Minneapolis excellent highway system is the reason why I dont think many residents really know the extent of how blighted and violent-crime ridden much of the northside of Minneapolis is. Ive been up there many times and I will never go up there again if I am up in Brooklyn Center I would take an express bus down for sure because the Northside of Minneapolis is very, very rough but I how often do Minneapolis residents and Twin Cities residents ever get up there.

I agree midwestern cities tend to be very violent. Minneapolis is not the only one. Milwaukee has a very high violent crime, Indianapolis is getting much, much worse by the year, Cincinnati has a homicide rate which has risen astronomically since the late 1990s, Cleveland is in the same situation as Cincinnati and has a very high violent crime rate. Ditto for St. Louis and Kansas City but I think Missouri cities no offense have a reputation for very high violent crime rates.

Omaha isnt getting any worse, as of last week 18 homicides in the city of Omaha which is about where it typically would be in an average year. So I guess Omaha is a bright spot on a bleak midwestern radar screen and Des Moines is fairly safe also although like Omaha its violent crime rate is slighly above the national average I think both are around 600 per 100,000 people as opposed to Minneapolis 1,700 per 100,000.

Columbus, Ohio hasnt gone down-hill as much as many midwestern cities but its still got alot of rough neighborhods and I wouldnt say its a model for public safety at all. I think their violent crime rate was about 800 per 100,000 which is about half of Minneapolis but still way above the national average.

I'm not saying Mpls doesn't have a crime problem. I'm saying that there are cities worse off than Mpls, and many of them are not in the Midwest. I could be very wrong, but the reason crime isn't address as much in places like Atlanta, Orlando, and/or other sunbelt metros is because those places are considered the places for professionals to move to and in record numbers. The problem with crime in those locales has more to do with the new residents settling outside the cities(as well as many of the wealthier residents moving out of the city as well.). Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area from what I have heard is not gaining the same population of professionals as the sunbelt areas(I think the frigid climate has something to do with it). At the same time, Mpls-St.Paul area doesn't have the Rust Belt economy in common with many other Midwestern cities, so the crime is more noticeable. Another factor is that Mpls crime rates now are high for the region and for its history, so 59 murders in a year sounds very high for the Minneapolis, where as 59 murders for Mlwke, or Atl sounds like a record low for the decade. Another issue is gangs from the more violent cities, such as Flint, Detroit, Chicago, etc, are moving to the Twin Cities because for welfare purposes. Ironically, many people flee to Minnesota from the Rust Belt cities for more job opportunities and safer places to live, albeit colder. How sad. There are people who move to the Twin Cities who are there for work and the crime problems they fleed from are following.

By the way, here are some crime statistics:Moderator cut: linking to competitors sites is not allowed

Mpls may have more robberies and rape, but total crime rate, and specifically, murder is less than many other places.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by mr_evergreen

That is what many people are not looking at. Yes, Mpls has it's crime and it has been going up, but it isn't Atlanta or Detroit. Mpls is not even close to those levels. Something can be done about it while the problem hasn't turned into Detroit.

To be fair, Atlanta isn't Detroit either. The housing market and business market is rather good here even downtown, while Detroit is turning into a virtual doughnut because everyone is leaving the center.

Large companies leaving a city or disappearing can have a HUGE impact on a metro area. Cities in Michigan and Pennsylvania have been hit rather hard over the years because of the decline of certain industries, and that probably explains why they aren't doing so well (bad economics tends to lead to more poor/desperate people which can lead to more Bad Stuff Happening).

[green_mariner]

Originally Posted by rcsteiner

To be fair, Atlanta isn't Detroit either. The housing market and business market is rather good here even downtown, while Detroit is turning into a virtual doughnut because everyone is leaving the center.

That is true to many extents. People are starting to move into Atlanta again and Atlanta's murder rate hasn't reach the level it has in Detroit.

Large companies leaving a city or disappearing can have a HUGE impact on a metro area. Cities in Michigan and Pennsylvania have been hit rather hard over the years because of the decline of certain industries, and that probably explains why they aren't doing so well (bad economics tends to lead to more poor/desperate people which can lead to more Bad Stuff Happening).

That is happening. Even relative small cities like Racine,WI are having problems to a certain extent. I know what is causing crime in the Twin Cities. With Atlanta, one may be inclined to believe that a city where lots of people want to come and make a home in would have a lower crime rate. Economically, Atlanta is booming in many ways. At the same time, most of the jobs in Atlanta that I see aren't heavy factory jobs, unless you count Lockheed Martin, which is in Marietta. Atlanta has a diversified economy. If Lockheed Martin closed down suddenly, the city of Marietta wouldn't take the same financial hit that Detroit and Flint took when the automobile plants started closing down. Not even close. Part of it is that most of the residents who work for Lockheed don't live in Marietta. Most of the people affected could easily move somewhere else if they have a car. That is why Atlanta is booming. It isn't built on just one industry. That is one lesson learned. Now Atlanta has some other lessons that need to be learned such as proper infrastructure for mass transit.

[Cruz Azul Guy]

I didn't edit it, I must've gotten the list from this website:

Safest and Most Dangerous U.S. Cities, 2006 — Infoplease.com

[green_mariner]

Minneapolis has some problems, but not like Detroit, not even close.

[green_mariner]

Another detail I have found is that Minneapolis .MPR: Metro crime trends mirror national picture. According to that documentary, violent crime is down from last year. The last time I checked, violent crime in Atlanta is on the rise and getting more violent.

[blueandpink]

I live in Phildaelphia. Every night on the 11'o clock news, at least 5 to 6 murdered in North Philly. Plus Camden NJ is across the Delware River. That place is more dangerous than Detroit on a bad day. I'd take Minneapolis any day.