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Okay, I've been reading the threads within this Forum for some time contemplating a move to Greenville. I stepped out to review crime data. I am surprised to see that Greenville is ranked so high with crime. I would appreciate some feedback if its true. What type of crimes are the biggest within your area? Is most of the crime occurring on the West side? Can i move here and feel safe? Any particular side of town i could move to and feel safe? Are the numbers just skewed and unjust to the community? Any feedback is appreciated.
Have lived in Greenville (Simpsonville to be exact) for 4 years now and have not witnessed a single crime.
Not saying it doesn't happen but if you are aware of your surroundings you should be fine. Of course you can't avoid becoming a victim of a random crime anywhere you live.
I've lived in the city of Greenville for over 5 years and have been surprised by how much petty crime there is here, but there have not been any violent crimes towards people that I know.
Crime stats within the city are not as easily available as they are for the county. In fact, I can't find them online.
My neighbors on either side have had stuff stolen from their unlocked cars.
A friend a few blocks away said her next door neighbor had their basement robbed as they slept.
My wife's coworker was robbed as they slept.
My former and current workplaces have been robbed multiple times.
A coworker had some nutcase homeless type try to take her purse at a drive thru.
My wife's coworker had her purse stolen as she pumped gas at a gas station.
The neighbor a few doors down had some kids just come into her (unlocked) house in the middle of the day thinking nobody was there. She scared them off and called 911. Turns out they stole some jewelry down the street.
FWIW, we live in a "nice area" with homes starting around $250k and going up to 7 figures a block or two over.
I don't know anybody who has really been physically harmed in a crime, if that's your worry (the drive thru incident was a bit physical, but the guy in the car behind her came to the rescue and chased off the nutcase).
But you definitely need to lock your doors at all times while at home or pumping gas, etc. and keep your wits about you. We have recently purchased our first gun ever, mainly to protect us at night should we get broken into. We aren't really gun people, but when you live in Rome...
Feel safe during the day or at night? Almost any neighborhood at night is pretty creepy! But if living in a gated community makes you feel more safe from hooded miscreants, there are plenty around. My general expierence has been east side over west/north/south of greenville, and specifically on "eastside" any place north of woodruff past five forks is the boundary line for "white" neighborhoods.
But you definitely need to lock your doors at all times while at home or pumping gas, etc. and keep your wits about you. We have recently purchased our first gun ever, mainly to protect us at night should we get broken into. We aren't really gun people, but when you live in Rome...
This isn't the Bronx.
Also, that's a terrible reason to purchase a gun. Gun's aren't for protection, they're for killing (usually yourself, wife or kids).
Also, that's a terrible reason to purchase a gun. Gun's aren't for protection, they're for killing (usually yourself, wife or kids).
Guns are indeed for killing. My husband (a former cop) says that if you pull a gun out, you best intend to use it and use it well. Because if you don't, you're just going to p*ss off your assailant. But the idea that guns are used to kill yourself, wife, kids, etc. is ridiculous. I think you've been listening to the liberals too much. I personally intend to get my CWP soon and have a small handgun to keep in my nightstand drawer. But I don't intend to carry it in my car or in my purse. I feel more unsafe doing that than I feel unsafe without it.
True, this isn't the Bronx. I certainly feel safer in Greenville (I live in Greer, work in Greenville) than I did in Columbia. Unless you move out to the country, there's always the potential for crime. No where is safe anymore. Most cities the size of Greenville are going to have the same amount of crime.
Personally, I'm a proponent of security systems. I had one installed in our house in Columbia. It didn't deter the criminals there (at least during the day when we were at work), but I felt safer at night. Columbia also had major issues with its city police force, which I think breeds an atmosphere where criminals can get away with most anything. While GPD and GCSD have had their own incidents, they are both solid forces with good leadership, IMO.
Even the "nice" neighborhoods are targets nowadays and it's the perception that rich people live there, therefore they have good stuff. If you're lazy and leave a lawn mower out in plain sight, chances are someone's going to walk off with it. Just be smart. I always say, don't be flashy, keep your doors locked, and you'll be fine barring a random act of violence, which could happen anywhere honestly. Most serious crime around here (murders, etc.) is crime of acquaintance or drug related. You get a lot of domestic related abuse and murder in this area, and of course, if you're into drugs...well you're taking your chances.
There are some "bad" areas around Greenville but it's pretty clear which ones. There is a lot of revitalization going on in the West End along Pendleton Street, but as a reformed urban pioneer, I don't think I would take my chances. Not because I think I would get shot but because I don't want to lose my stuff. The White Horse Road area is pretty dicey and if you drive through there, you can tell. Also the area along Hwy 123 (through Judson, etc.) is pretty dicey as well. I feel safe driving through there with my car doors locked but I certainly wouldn't live there. The east side does seem to have a better reputation.
I don't really put much into crime stats. It may give you the big picture, but doesn't break things down incident by incident. Check out the Greenville County Crime Map as it breaks down reported incidents by type. I always check it when I'm looking at potential real estate purchases or neighborhoods I am unfamiliar with.
I think you've been listening to the right-wing nut jobs too much. See two can play that game!
Oldhousejunkie does correctly point out some of the better/worse areas. But locking your car doors through those areas is just paranoia. Greenville is a very safe place.
And according to the data (in addition to my own personal experience), a pretty solid argument can be made that Greenville is not really a "very safe place."
I can't attest to the surrounding areas, as I haven't lived there. But I have lived in a few places in this country in my life, and feel the most vulnerable to crime here, especially property crime.
I'm a tree-huggin, generally anti-gun liberal married to a woman who swore she would never have a gun in her house. Yet, she came to me and expressed that she thought we should get one, as she wouldn't want me confronting an intruder with a gun while holding a bat.
That's just my personal experience, but here is some data:
Violent crime rate in 2011
Greenville: 375.4
U.S. Average: 213.6
Violent crime rate in 2010
Greenville: 338.6
U.S. Average: 223.2
Violent crime rate in 2009
Greenville: 471.0
U.S. Average: 238.0
Violent crime rate in 2008
Greenville: 445.5
U.S. Average: 252.4
Property crime rate in 2011
Greenville: 441.3
U.S. Average: 273.7
Property crime rate in 2010
Greenville: 367.5
U.S. Average: 276.4
Property crime rate in 2009
Greenville: 426.9
U.S. Average: 285.6
Property crime rate in 2008
Greenville: 461.5
U.S. Average: 302.2
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