Is Columbus dangerous to live in? (Cincinnati, Westerville: best neighborhood, 2013, crime rate)

[jaco78]

Hello all, my family and I are contemplating a move to the Columbus, OH area withing the next 6 months. We would most likely live in the surrounding suburbs of Hilliard, Dublin, etc. My question is it seems as though there is a lot of crime in Columbus, especially property crimes such as burglaries and violent crimes such as robberies at gunpoint (especially around the OSU campus), is this true? Do you residents who live both in the city and in the outlying suburbs feel unsafe in your daily lives? Do the news reports I see online from wbns provide an accurate portrayal of the perceived crime in Columbus or is is overblown a bit?

I have two children ages 8 and 10 and would very much like them to experience bigger and better things then we currently have in Nebraska, however, I don't want to put them in any danger. Can I hear from parents as well? Do you feel that raising your children either in Columbus proper or the outlying suburbs has been a good experience? Do the suburban schools do a good job of educating while at the same time providing a safe and secure environment for the children?

I don't want to sound paranoid about the safety thing and maybe its just the fact that we have lived our whole lives in Nebraska which is extremely safe but lacks a lot of things normally found in other areas of the country. Thank you for your responses.

[onesmartcookie38]

Yes, there is a ton of crime here. It's definitely a problem. Your best bet would be Dublin of the 2 you listed. You shouldn't have any issues there. But when traveling through Columbus, it definitely pays to be street smart. Don't leave anything you wouldn't want stolen in your car. Here's the most recent crime statistics by City Data:
Crime in Columbus by Year
Type 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Murders 71 67 81 81 109 88 102 104 79 109 83 94
per 100,000 10.5 9.9 11.4 11.3 15.0 12.1 14.0 14.2 10.7 14.5 10.9 12.2
Rapes 638 578 602 673 615 574 518 586 661 615 574 566
per 100,000 94.7 85.4 84.5 94.0 84.7 78.6 70.9 80.1 89.8 81.8 75.6 73.2
Robberies 3,026 3,098 3,364 3,503 3,332 3,353 3,777 3,646 3,849 3,590 3,395 3,359
per 100,000 449.4 457.8 472.0 489.4 458.9 459.4 517.2 498.4 523.0 477.5 447.1 434.6
Assaults 2,020 2,255 2,349 2,242 2,159 1,910 1,714 1,612 1,680 1,507 1,288 1,432
per 100,000 300.0 333.2 329.6 313.2 297.3 261.7 234.7 220.4 228.3 200.4 169.6 185.3
Burglaries 14,090 13,600 15,740 16,066 14,650 14,695 14,604 14,816 14,370 14,708 14,583 15,234
per 100,000 2092.4 2009.8 2208.4 2244.7 2017.5 2013.3 1999.6 2025.3 1952.5 1956.1 1920.4 1970.8
Thefts 34,625 36,316 38,835 36,063 33,343 33,844 31,724 30,882 30,893 28,263 30,044 30,784
per 100,000 5141.8 5366.6 5448.6 5038.6 4591.7 4636.7 4343.8 4221.5 4197.5 3758.9 3956.3 3982.5
Auto thefts 6,822 7,180 7,576 7,633 8,345 8,397 7,813 6,400 6,228 5,311 4,186 4,150
per 100,000 1013.1 1061.0 1062.9 1066.5 1149.2 1150.4 1069.8 874.9 846.2 706.4 551.2 536.9
Arson 829 606 476 223 N/A 507 465 559 638 470 432 403
per 100,000 123.1 89.6 66.8 31.2 N/A 69.5 63.7 76.4 86.7 62.5 56.9 52.1
City-data.com crime index (higher means more crime, U.S. average = 319.1) 717.9 725.3 748.1 744.1 704.9 688.9 679.5 660.3 661.7 615.6 581.5 584.9


Read more: https://www.city-data.com/city/Columb...#ixzz1dtQj6Eq3

[motorman]

^ Stats are what they are--pure, unadulterated objectivity--are they not? (Most of us here on the Ohio forum were taught this, over & over, by Columbus's Supreme Statistician & Guardian Angel--who will undoubtably make His Grand Appearance shortly...) So, before He does, take my advice: (1) trust the stats; (2) envision a city in Ohio that doesn't resemble where you came from; (3) move to Cincinnati...

[jbcmh81]

Originally Posted by motorman

^ Stats are what they are--pure, unadulterated objectivity--are they not? (Most of us here on the Ohio forum were taught this, over & over, by Columbus's Supreme Statistician & Guardian Angel--who will undoubtably make His Grand Appearance shortly...) So, before He does, take my advice: (1) trust the stats; (2) envision a city in Ohio that doesn't resemble where you came from; (3) move to Cincinnati...

Cincinnati has worse crime rates overall than Columbus. Facts are facts.

And actually, the above poster did me a favor, as it shows a ton of good news. The overall trend for just about every one of those catergories is down since 1999, in many cases significantly. This supports my crime rates post I did awhile back that showed just about every city reflecting the national trend, even Cincy. If anything, crime is much less of a concern now than it has been in decades. I don't really need to defend Columbus on this. The numbers speak for themselves. Also, according to the article in the Dispatch about the latest city budget, Columbus will have its highest levels of police and safety forces ever by 2012-13. Combined with that national and local trends, this is only good news, I think.

Also, if the OP is moving to the suburbs anyway, I'm not sure why crime is even a main concern. I would think the following areas, both suburban and urban, are relatively safe: Dublin, Hilliard, Westerville, Grandview, Marble Cliff, Valleyview, Grove City, Canal Winchester, New Albany, German Village, Victorian Village, Upper Arlington, Bexley, Reynoldsburg, Clintonville, Obetz, Worthington, Downtown, etc. The areas I would probably avoid would be Hilltop (I have lived here the last 5 years and have never had a problem, but it has some of the highest crime rates in the city), Franklinton, Linden, Whitehall, Weinland Park (though this neighborhood is seeing a ton of revitalization, so it probably won't stay bad too much longer), and parts of the northeast and south sides. Like every city, the good tends to far outweigh the bad. I would recommend the OP do research and find the best neighborhood for what they want. Some of the more urban neighborhoods are just as safe and have as many, if not more, amenities than those in the suburbs.

[onesmartcookie38]

Originally Posted by jbcmh81

Cincinnati has worse crime rates overall than Columbus. Facts are facts.

And actually, the above poster did me a favor, as it shows a ton of good news. The overall trend for just about every one of those catergories is down since 1999, in many cases significantly. This supports my crime rates post I did awhile back that showed just about every city reflecting the national trend, even Cincy. If anything, crime is much less of a concern now than it has been in decades. I don't really need to defend Columbus on this. The numbers speak for themselves. Also, according to the article in the Dispatch about the latest city budget, Columbus will have its highest levels of police and safety forces ever by 2012-13. Combined with that national and local trends, this is only good news, I think.

Also, if the OP is moving to the suburbs anyway, I'm not sure why crime is even a main concern. I would think the following areas, both suburban and urban, are relatively safe: Dublin, Hilliard, Westerville, Grandview, Marble Cliff, Valleyview, Grove City, Canal Winchester, New Albany, German Village, Victorian Village, Upper Arlington, Bexley, Reynoldsburg, Clintonville, Obetz, Worthington, Downtown, etc. The areas I would probably avoid would be Hilltop (I have lived here the last 5 years and have never had a problem, but it has some of the highest crime rates in the city), Franklinton, Linden, Whitehall, Weinland Park (though this neighborhood is seeing a ton of revitalization, so it probably won't stay bad too much longer), and parts of the northeast and south sides. Like every city, the good tends to far outweigh the bad. I would recommend the OP do research and find the best neighborhood for what they want. Some of the more urban neighborhoods are just as safe and have as many, if not more, amenities than those in the suburbs.

So total crime is down, but burglaries are up, robberies are up, murders are up. These are the stats I care most about. Arson is down but who really worries about someone burning down their house? Compare this crime data to other cities and it's not good. Washington DC which is a city notorious for crime has had the exact same drops we have but they are still considered a dangerous city. Having the same drops in the same areas we do, suggests this is something national not local. Perhaps economy related. We had 566 rapes last year, they had 184. And this is where all the politicians are, mind you. lol We had FIFTEEN THOUSAND burglaries last year they had 4224. So you are more likely to be raped or robbed here than Washington DC. If you don't think this is a problem, you are drinking the Koolaid.

[onesmartcookie38]

I'm beginning to think jbcmh81 is Mayor Coleman. Perhaps this is why nothing gets done in this city. Mayor Coleman is too busy posting all day about how great Columbus is. LOL.

[jbcmh81]

Originally Posted by onesmartcookie38

So total crime is down, but burglaries are up, robberies are up, murders are up. These are the stats I care most about. Arson is down but who really worries about someone burning down their house? Compare this crime data to other cities and it's not good. Washington DC which is a city notorious for crime has had the exact same drops we have but they are still considered a dangerous city. Having the same drops in the same areas we do, suggests this is something national not local. Perhaps economy related. We had 566 rapes last year, they had 184. And this is where all the politicians are, mind you. lol We had FIFTEEN THOUSAND burglaries last year they had 4224. So you are more likely to be raped or robbed here than Washington DC. If you don't think this is a problem, you are drinking the Koolaid.

I live in Hilltop, considered one of the highest crime areas of the city. You know how many times I've been a victim in 5 years? 0. Ironically, the only crime I've ever witnessed here *was* an arson. A couple of garages were set on fire in the alley behind my house.

The drops in crime rates nationally have been going on since the early 1990s, so I don't think it has anything to do with the recent recession. If anything, common thinking is that during tough economic times, crimes increase, particularly those related to theft. What do you know, that's exactly the catergories that went up. Murder too can sometimes be attributed to this in the form of higher stress making people desperate.

Your city comparison is not really fair, either. Columbus city encompasses about 217 square miles while DC is 68.3. That's a lot more room for people to commit crimes in. That's why you can't just look at the numbers but the rate per 100,000. You said in another post that murder, burglary and robbery were most important to you. Here are the 2009 rates for Columbus and DC:

Murder
Columbus: 13.3
DC: 23.8

Burglary
Columbus: 1920.4
DC: 616.4

Robbery
Columbus: 447.6
DC: 666.7

2 out of your 3 most important catergories are much worse in DC. The overall violent crime rate in DC is also significantly higher. And my argument is not that Columbus can't improve on its crime, only that the rates are not getting worse overall and that crime is not as significant an issue as you are describing. This isn't East St Louis.

[abr7rmj]

Originally Posted by onesmartcookie38

I'm beginning to think jbcmh81 is Mayor Coleman. Perhaps this is why nothing gets done in this city. Mayor Coleman is too busy posting all day about how great Columbus is. LOL.

hahaha

I hope jbcmh81 has a job with the city or the chamber of commerce. It would be a shame to waste his talents and exhaustive research, not to mention a healthy dose of spin, on just a few message board posters.

[jbcmh81]

Originally Posted by onesmartcookie38

I'm beginning to think jbcmh81 is Mayor Coleman. Perhaps this is why nothing gets done in this city. Mayor Coleman is too busy posting all day about how great Columbus is. LOL.

Well, that would at least make me a lot more popular in this city than I am on this forum.

[jbcmh81]

Originally Posted by abr7rmj

hahaha

I hope jbcmh81 has a job with the city or the chamber of commerce. It would be a shame to waste his talents and exhaustive research, not to mention a healthy dose of spin, on just a few message board posters.

I'm beginning to think people are obsessed with me. Now it seems even before I post in a thread people are discussing what I'm going to say next. I'm flattered and all, but I'd rather not have more threads derailed simply because I may or may not post in them. At least comment on the question of the thread.