Is Milwaukee really that dangerous? (Racine, Waukesha: crime rates, new home, neighborhoods)

[MrLonely1990]

I've been reasearching about these "Most Dangerous Cities" lists, and Milwaukee caught my attention. Wisconsin is supposed to be one of the safest states in the country, overall crime rates far below the national averages, but Milwaukee seems like to be "the black sheep", with much higher crime rates than Wisconsin. But I wonder how bad really is Milwaukee? I mean, I understand that Milwaukee is very dangerous for Wisconsin standards, and might be the most dangerous city in the state. But is it really THAT dangerous compared to other cities in America its size? Does it really deserves be on these "Most Dangerous Cities" lists?

[thefragile]

Originally Posted by MrLonely1990

I've been reasearching about these "Most Dangerous Cities" lists, and Milwaukee caught my attention. Wisconsin is supposed to be one of the safest states in the country, overall crime rates far below the national averages, but Milwaukee seems like to be "the black sheep", with much higher crime rates than Wisconsin. But I wonder how bad really is Milwaukee? I mean, I understand that Milwaukee is very dangerous for Wisconsin standards, and might be the most dangerous city in the state. But is it really THAT dangerous compared to other cities in America its size? Does it really deserves be on these "Most Dangerous Cities" lists?

North side of Milwaukee, the inner city is where the crime is. People who live here know this. The entire city? No. Pockets, just like any other city where there are pockets of crime.

[43north87west]

Well, statistics are what they are, and this year isn't off to a good start either.

Like many cities, crime is usually contained to certain areas, though, so if you live in one of the good areas, your chance of running into crime is as low as it is in other cities that didn't make a list.

[Jeannie_D]

Hello, MrLonely1990 -

Regarding the reply from thefragile - "the North Side" of Milwaukee is a rather large area geographically. There are some poorer, higher crime parts of the Milwaukee North Side and some fine areas. Most recently, I lived in an area of Northwest Milwaukee, near Brown Deer, River Hills (the most expensive part of Milwaukee Co.), and Glendale.

Much of the "danger" in Milwaukee seems to revolve around drugs, high alcohol usage, and gang activity as well as some of the sad side effects of a life of poverty. For one thing, Milwaukee has been hit hard by the loss of good-paying manufacturing jobs and the "trickle down" economy from the era of Pres. Reagan to the present.

I don't live in Milwaukee now (had to move for family and job reasons - not my choice), but I didn't feel unsafe there - even out on my own at night. Some of the neighborhoods others refer to as "bad" were the neighborhoods I chose to drive through during the day and early evening, cross-town (north-south), to avoid highway traffic jams. I mean . . . there was very little traffic on the streets in those neighborhoods and few people even walking about. :-)

Note: Regarding Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive in Milwaukee, just because of the street name don't think that neighborhood is one where all of the residents are African-American, which might unreasonably scare some people - not me. It is a continuation of N. 3rd St. / Old World 3rd St. It is a neighborhood which has changed over the years. It started off as a neighborhood for "working folk" of European ancestry. It is close to the location of the former Blatz and Pabst Breweries and near where tanneries existed. Gradually, the neighborhood became poorer. The houses there were large enough for multi-generational families and families with a sizable number of children. Now, it is an area of gentrification. Older late Victorian era homes have been refurbished now and new homes have been built, reflecting the outside look of the older homes.

Depending upon the kind of lifestyle you want to live, whether you are single, married and/or have children, there will be different neighborhoods you may like within the City of Milwaukee, in a suburb in Milwaukee County, or in one of the suburbs/cities in one of the counties surrounding Milwaukee Co. - Ozaukee Co., Washington Co., Waukesha Co., Racine Co.

You can see a map of the incidence of crime Milwaukee here:
Local Crime Map

and here - City of Milwaukee Police Districts:
Milwaukee Police District Statistics

and here - Milwaukee County crime statistics:
RecordsPedia | Milwaukee County, Wisconsin Crime Statistics

[MKEastsider]

Milwaukee is not that dangerous. It has its not so great neighborhoods like any other city its size, but even those areas aren't on the level of most neighborhoods you'd find in places like Detroit or Chicago's southside.

Frankly, anyone who'd tell you Milwaukee is that bad is probably sheltered and doesn't understand what a city is.

[svicious22]

It's certainly not NOT dangerous. But it's the property crime that's so bad there more than anything.

[MidwestRedux]

Subjectively and statistically, Milwaukee feels and looks about the same crime-wise as many neighboring cities including Indianapolis, Columbus, Cincinnati and even Chicago. Using the same criteria, I would say that it is safer than St. Louis, Cleveland and of course Detroit.

City-Data has crime stats covering many years for all of these cities which are a great resource.

The area where Milwaukee stands out in a bad way to me is racial tension. The city is very economically, socially and racially divided when compared to other cities in the region and the rest of the country.

[MKEastsider]

Originally Posted by MidwestRedux

The area where Milwaukee stands out in a bad way to me is racial tension. The city is very economically, socially and racially divided when compared to other cities in the region and the rest of the country.

This is misleading. Milwaukee is by no means perfect, but it's pretty easy to find a social niche in the city where that's not an issue.

Ultimately, what makes race relations so much different here than in other places is that Milwaukee has both the whitest and most politically conservative suburbs of any major city in the US. That's not a coincidence, and politicians and media pundits have been whipping up white hysteria and anti-urban sentiment for 50 years to keep it that way.

[Manbearpig4lfe]

MKEastsider needs to lay off the wacky tobaccy. I did not think it was that dangerous here and just kind of laughed at the whole thing when I initially moved here. But then I ran errands a few times and night. Let me tell you, the actual city of Milwaukee (not suburbs surrounding) turns into "I am Legend" The people who come out when the sun sets are the people you want to avoid at all costs. I have legitimately feared for my safety a few times. I will walk about in my neighborhood (Riverwest) but will not leave the main (well-lit) streets when the sun goes down. Most of the shootings are gang related "20 y.o. sitting in car" etc. but there is still allot that does not make the news headlines like "woman raped in park" and "man threatened at gunpoint." Citizens of this town have taken notice as well. When I drive outside of the downtown area (not including marquette or east side) it is practically a ghost town on any given night. People know better than to leave their homes. Also Milwaukee is the 2nd poorest city in america (only behind Detroit).

A combination of welfare benefits and underfunded/ mislead police force is creating a black hole in Milwaukee. Did you know that if the cops try to pull you over in the city limits and you just keep driving... they will let you go? There aren't many rules here, so yes, it is a dangerous place. That being said, I do like a lot of things about Milwaukee. Obviously enough to still live here.

[noamchomsky]

Yeah, they let you keep driving because 80mph cop chases in residential areas aren't a very good idea.