Violent St. Louis: Report finds St. Louis most dangerous U.S. city

[Sojiita]

Report finds St. Louis most dangerous U.S. city
Research group: Violent crime grew by 20 percent; Detroit at No. 2
Updated: 12:12 a.m. ET Oct 30, 2006

ST. LOUIS - Just days after the St. Louis Cardinals won the top honor in Major League Baseball, their hometown jumped to first place on a list no one wants to lead: the most dangerous cities in the United States.

This Midwestern city has long been in the upper tiers of the annual ranking of the nation’s safest and most dangerous cities, compiled by Morgan Quitno Press. Violent crime surged nearly 20 percent there this year, when the rate of such crimes rose much faster in the Midwest than in the rest of nation, according to FBI figures released in June.

The ranking, being released Monday, came as the city was still celebrating Friday’s World Series victory at the new Busch Stadium. St. Louis has been spending millions of dollars on urban renewal even as the crime rate climbs.


Mayor Francis Slay did not return calls seeking comment Sunday.

Scott Morgan, president of Morgan Quitno Press, a private research and publishing company specializing in state and city reference books, said he was not surprised to see St. Louis top the list, since it has been among the 10 most dangerous cities for years.

Morgan said the study looks at crime only within St. Louis city limits, with a population of about 330,000. It doesn’t take into account the suburbs in St. Louis County, which has roughly 980,000 residents.

The safest city in 2005 was Brick, N.J., population about 78,000, followed by Amherst, N.Y., and Mission Viejo, Calif. The second most dangerous city was Detroit, followed by Flint, Mich., and Compton, Calif.

The national FBI figures released in June showed the murder rate in St. Louis jumped 16 percent in 2005, compared with 4.8 percent nationally. The overall violent crime rate increased nearly 20 percent, compared with 2.5 percent nationally.

Midwest's rise outpaces nation
While crime increased in all regions last year, the 5.7 percent rise in the 12 Midwestern states was at least three times higher than any other region, according to the FBI.

Visiting St. Louis on Thursday, FBI director Robert Mueller said it was too early to tell why some types of crime were rising faster in the Midwest.

Mueller said the FBI is working harder to form partnerships with police departments to launch programs like St. Louis’ Safe Streets task force, which focuses police efforts on problematic neighborhoods.

This year’s ranking was good news for Camden, N.J., which in 2005 was named the most dangerous city for the second year in a row.

Camden Mayor Gwendolyn Faison said Sunday she was thrilled to learn that her city no longer topped the most-dangerous list.

“You made my day!” said Faison, who has served since 2000. “There’s a new hope and a new spirit.”
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15475741/


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Most dangerous US cities:

1. St. Louis
2. Detroit
3. Flint, Mich.
4. Compton, Calif.
5. Camden, N.J.
6. Birmingham, Ala.
7. Cleveland
8. Oakland, Calif.
9. Youngstown, Ohio
10. Gary, Ind.
11. Richmond, Calif.
12. Baltimore
13. Memphis, Tenn.
14. Trenton, N.J.
15. Richmond, Va
16. Kansas City, Mo.
17. Atlanta
18. Cincinnati
19. Washington
20. North Charleston, S.C.
21. Reading, Pa.
22. Newark, N.J.
23. Little Rock, Ark.
24. San Bernardino, Calif.
25. Orlando, Fla
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Orlando in the top 25???? that is surprising. Maybe they should change the name from Disneyworld to Dangerworld?

[Laurent]

Here's the entire list, for those who want a nice Monday morning pick-me-up.

The cities are listed from safest (#1) to most dangerous (#371).

1. Brick, N.J.

2. Amherst, N.Y.

3. Mission Viejo, Calif.

4. Newton, Mass.

5. Troy, Mich.

6. Colonie, N.Y.

7. Irvine, Calif.

8. Cary, N.C.

9. Greece, N.Y.

10. Coral Springs, Fla.

11. Thousand Oaks, Calif.

12. Orem, Utah

13. Round Rock, Texas

14. Dover, N.J.

15. Lake Forest, Calif.

16. Sterling Heights, Mich.

17. Simi Valley, Calif.

18. Roswell, Ga.

19. Lee's Summit, Mo.

20. Broken Arrow, Okla.

21. Chino Hills, Calif.

22. Gilbert, Ariz.

23. Edison, N.J.

24. Cranston, R.I.

25. Port St. Lucie, Fla.

26. Sandy, Utah

27. Nashua, N.H.

28. Danbury, Conn.

29. Huntington Beach, Calif.

30. Orange, Calif.

31. Hamilton, N.J.

32. Parma, Ohio

33. Overland Park, Kan.

34. Santa Clarita, Calif.

35. Stamford, Conn.

36. Cheektowaga, N.Y.

37. Livonia, Mich.

38. Sunnyvale, Calif.

39. Murrieta, Calif.

40. Canton, Mich.

41. Plano, Texas

42. Warwick, R.I.

43. Torrance, Calif.

44. Clifton, N.J.

44. Newport Beach, Calif.

46. Woodbridge, N.J.

47. Fargo, N.D.

48. Norman, Okla.

49. Olathe, Kan.

50. Boca Raton, Fla.

51. Livermore, Calif.

52. Centennial, Colo.

53. Fremont, Calif.

54. Clinton, Mich.

55. Vacaville, Calif.

56. Tracy, Calif.

57. Bellevue, Wash.

58. Carlsbad, Calif.

59. Pembroke Pines, Fla.

60. Farmington Hills, Mich.

61. Richardson, Texas

62. Rancho Cucamon., Calif.

63. Boulder, Colo.

64. McKinney, Texas

65. Rochester, Minn.

66. Beaverton, Ore.

67. Santa Clara, Calif.

68. Daly City, Calif.

69. Lewisville, Texas

70. Napa, Calif.

71. Burbank, Calif.

72. Arvada, Colo.

73. Alexandria, Va.

74. Virginia Beach, Va.

75. Ann Arbor, Mich.

76. Quincy, Mass.

77. Glendale, Calif.

78. Ventura, Calif.

79. Provo, Utah

80. Fullerton, Calif.

81. Lawrence, Kan.

82. Scottsdale, Ariz.

83. Carrollton, Texas

84. Hillsboro, Ore.

85. Somerville, Mass.

86. Kenosha, Wis.

87. Davie, Fla.

88. Chino, Calif.

89. Sunrise, Fla.

90. Cape Coral, Fla.

91. Henderson, Nev.

92. Billings, Mont.

93. Cedar Rapids, Iowa

94. Plantation, Fla.

95. Costa Mesa, Calif.

96. San Mateo, Calif.

97. Garland, Texas

98. Madison, Wis.

99. Corona, Calif.

100. Clovis, Calif.

101. Yonkers, N.Y.

102. Alhambra, Calif.

103. Buena Park, Calif.

104. Odessa, Texas

105. Chandler, Ariz.

106. Norwalk, Conn.

107. Upper Darby, Pa.

108. Peoria, Ariz.

109. Westminster, Calif.

110. Roseville, Calif.

111. Lakewood, Calif.

112. San Jose, Calif.

113. Honolulu, Hawaii

114. El Paso, Texas

115. Santa Barbara, Calif.

116. Temecula, Calif.

117. Cambridge, Mass.

118. Pasadena, Texas

119. Brownsville, Texas

120. Boise, Idaho

121. Garden Grove, Calif.

122. Mesquite, Texas

123. Westminster, Colo.

124. Manchester, N.H.

125. Whittier, Calif.

126. Westland, Mich.

127. McAllen, Texas

128. Lincoln, Neb.

129. Pasadena, Calif.

130. Columbia, Mo.

131. Midland, Texas

132. Chesapeake, Va.

133. Santa Rosa, Calif.

134. Spokane Valley, Wash.

135. Anaheim, Calif.

136. Athens-Clarke, Ga.

137. Green Bay, Wis.

138. Irving, Texas

139. Fort Collins, Colo.

140. Escondido, Calif.

141. Miramar, Fla.

142. Concord, Calif.

143. West Covina, Calif.

144. Hampton, Va.

145. New York City

146. Denton, Texas

147. Palm Bay, Fla.

148. Sioux City, Iowa

149. Sioux Falls, S.D.

150. Thornton, Colo.

151. Salem, Ore.

152. Hialeah, Fla.

153. Baldwin Park, Calif.

154. Erie, Pa.

155. San Angelo, Texas

156. Oxnard, Calif.

157. Oceanside, Calif.

158. Austin, Texas

159. Evansville, Ind.

160. Lakeland, Fla.

161. Laredo, Texas

162. Raleigh, N.C.

163. El Monte, Calif.

164. Waterbury, Conn.

165. Vista, Calif.

166. Murfreesboro, Tenn.

167. Fontana, Calif.

168. Grand Prairie, Texas

169. Fort Wayne, Ind.

170. Santa Ana, Calif.

171. Santa Monica, Calif.

172. Lexington, Ky.

173. Colorado Springs, Colo.

174. Suffolk, Va.

175. Hollywood, Fla.

176. Eugene, Ore.

177. Norwalk, Calif.

178. Santa Maria, Calif.

179. Downey, Calif.

180. Abilene, Texas

181. Chula Vista, Calif.

182. Ogden, Utah

183. Melbourne, Fla.

184. Clarksville, Tenn.

185. Sparks, Nev.

186. San Diego, Calif.

187. Carson, Calif.

188. Vancouver, Wash.

189. Greeley, Colo.

190. Springfield, Mo.

191. Mesa, Ariz.

192. Moreno Valley, Calif.

193. Tyler, Texas

194. Dearborn, Mich.

195. Des Moines, Iowa

196. Lowell, Mass.

197. San Antonio

198. Corpus Christi, Texas

199. El Cajon, Calif.

200. Salinas, Calif.

201. Fairfield, Calif.

202. Lakewood, Colo.

203. Redding, Calif.

204. Ontario, Calif.

205. South Gate, Calif.

206. Topeka, Kan.

207. Arlington, Texas

208. Lawton, Okla.

209. Riverside, Calif.

210. Antioch, Calif.

211. Long Beach, Calif.

212. Anchorage, Alaska

213. West Valley, Utah

214. Hawthorne, Calif.

215. Yuma, Ariz.

216. Louisville, Ky.

217. Omaha, Neb.

218. Clearwater, Fla.

219. Independence, Mo.

220. Spokane, Wash.

221. Reno, Nev.

222. Grand Rapids, Mich.

223. Pueblo, Colo.

224. Hayward, Calif.

225. Tuscaloosa, Ala.

226. Berkeley, Calif.

227. Las Cruces, N.M.

228. Mobile, Ala.

229. Worcester, Mass.

230. Palmdale, Calif.

231. Modesto, Calif.

232. Wichita Falls, Texas

233. Lubbock, Texas

234. San Leandro, Calif.

235. Amarillo, Texas

236. Bakersfield, Calif.

237. Columbus, Ga.

238. Gainesville, Fla.

239. Gresham, Ore.

240. Charleston, S.C.

241. Tempe, Ariz.

242. Lynn, Mass.

243. Lafayette, La.

244. Newport News, Va.

245. High Point, N.C.

246. Fort Worth, Texas

247. Salt Lake City, Utah

248. Jacksonville, Fla.

249. Portland, Ore.

250. Los Angeles

251. Victorville, Calif.

252. Bellflower, Calif.

253. Glendale, Ariz.

254. New Bedford, Mass.

255. Pomona, Calif.

256. Racine, Wis.

257. Aurora, Colo.

258. Elizabeth, N.J.

259. Rialto, Calif.

260. Savannah, Ga.

261. Paterson, N.J.

262. Seattle

263. Albany, Ga.

264. Southfield, Mich.

265. Lancaster, Calif.

266. Waco, Texas

267. Fresno, Calif.

268. Killeen, Texas

269. Greensboro, N.C.

270. San Francisco

271. Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

272. Durham, N.C.

273. Fort Smith, Ark.

274. Tallahassee, Fla.

275. South Bend, Ind.

276. Lansing, Mich.

277. Federal Way, Wash.

278. Huntsville, Ala.

279. Albuquerque, N.M.

280. Visalia, Calif.

281. Winston-Salem, N.C.

282. Providence, R.I.

283. Everett, Wash.

284. Davenport, Iowa

285. Hammond, Ind.

286. Roanoke, Va.

287. Norfolk, Va.

288. Fayetteville, N.C.

289. Kent, Wash.

290. Akron, Ohio

291. St. Paul, Minn.

292. Wilmington, N.C.

293. Portsmouth, Va.

294. Oklahoma City

295. Columbia, S.C.

296. Canton, Ohio

297. Knoxville, Tenn.

298. Montgomery, Ala.

299. Allentown, Pa.

300. North Las Vegas, Nev.

301. Beaumont, Texas

302. Las Vegas, Nev.

303. Denver

304. Yakima, Wash.

305. Syracuse, N.Y.

306. Longview, Texas

307. Pittsburgh

308. Tucson, Ariz.

309. Bridgeport, Conn.

310. Inglewood, Calif.

311. Pompano Beach, Fla.

312. Albany, N.Y.

313. Phoenix

314. Boston

315. Chattanooga, Tenn.

316. Tampa, Fla.

317. Jersey City, N.J.

318. Milwaukee

319. Miami Beach, Fla.

320. Indianapolis, Ind.

321. Shreveport, La.

322. Sacramento, Calif.

323. St. Petersburg, Fla.

324. Tacoma, Wash.

325. Houston

326. Columbus, Ohio

327. Miami

328. Baton Rouge, La.

329. Charlotte, N.C.

330. Jackson, Miss.

331. Toledo, Ohio

332. Macon, Ga.

333. Nashville, Tenn.

334. Rochester, N.Y.

335. Tulsa, Okla.

336. Stockton, Calif.

337. Hartford, Conn.

338. Dallas

339. Miami Gardens, Fla.

340. Buffalo, N.Y.

341. Springfield, Mass.

342. Kansas City, Kan.

343. Philadelphia

344. West Palm Beach, Fla.

345. Minneapolis

346. Dayton, Ohio

347. Orlando, Fla.

348. San Bernardino, Calif.

349. Little Rock, Ark.

350. Newark, N.J.

351. Reading, Pa.

352. North Charleston, S.C.

353. Washington

354. Cincinnati

355. Atlanta

356. Kansas City, Mo.

357. Richmond, Va.

358. Trenton, N.J.

359. Memphis, Tenn.

360. Baltimore

361. Richmond, Calif.

362. Gary, Ind.

363. Youngstown, Ohio

364. Oakland, Calif.

365. Cleveland

366. Birmingham, Ala.

367. Camden, N.J.

368. Compton, Calif.

369. Flint, Mich.

370. Detroit

371. St. Louis

[Sojiita]

Camden Mayor Gwendolyn Faison said Sunday she was thrilled to learn that her city no longer topped the most-dangerous list.

“You made my day!” said Faison, who has served since 2000. “There’s a new hope and a new spirit.”


^^How sad when the mayor of a city is rejoicing that it is no longer the very worst city, just the fifth worst out of 371.

[teforde23]

I use to live in Amherst, NY when I went to the University of Buffalo. I loved it there. The only problem with it is that there's not really any jobs and even though the houses are cheap the property tax is really really high.

[Palermo]

Detroit is slipping, they were known as the Murder Capital the whole time I lived there

[Penny Lane]

I'm 119! Woo hoo! I just LOVE living in a city where I can't go outside without seeing a person who is either obese or coming towards me with a knife.

[Sojiita]

Originally Posted by Laurent

Here's the entire list, for those who want a nice Monday morning pick-me-up.

The cities are listed from safest (#1) to most dangerous (#371).

Actually this list is really misleading..you have major central cities like Atlanta lumped in with mere suburbs of such cities(like Roswell Georgia). Very misleading. Either compare suburbs to suburbs, central cities to central cities, or metro areas to metro areas to get a more balanced persepective. Of course suburbs full of $$$$$ Are going to be at the top of the safe list. Of the top 50 safest on that list I think about 46 or 47 are just suburbs of a larger city.

[january]

It is a very misleading report. St. Louis always tops the most dangerous and safest polls. Why? Because East St. Louis in Illinois is arguably one of the worst areas you could ever brave, with rampant gang violence and rapes. Nobody ventures there. But the suburbs of St. Louis, located in Missouri, are one of the safest places you could live. So it is very misleading, and portrays a really negative view of an entire populace which is only true of a very limited area.

[Mr. Authority]

I find it real odd that I live in the 5th safest city in the country when Detroit is just 10 min away on I-75. I guess it's due to income demographics and urban decay there . Kwame Kilpatrick (Detroit's mayor) just now wants to fix up the neighborhoods in Detroit, that should've been done 10 years ago.

But Soj is right about suburbs being much safer than the central city. Troy is in one of the richest counties in the country and there's this galleria mall here that caters to all the rich stuck-ups in the area.

[teforde23]

Wow. Colonie, NY is in the top ten. I can't believe that Trenton is more dangerous than Newark. You learn something new everyday