There are 162,000 people just in my immediate neighborhood and it's.....(gasp) safe. Of course, anything can happen anywhere at any time to anyone.
I've lived in rural, urban, upscale, downmarket locations and so far the only real trouble I've experienced was trouble that I brought to my own door. IMO the biggest danger is not in the statistics or the neighborhood it's in the lifestyle and the people that we choose to associate with.
I can drive through a neighborhood and usually tell and be correct as to the people there and safety or crime in the area, not always but most of the times, anyone and yes there are a certain segment of society that think police are to protect them which is a false hood they take after incident reports well also the statement anywhere at anytime is so very true but some shun the thought of it they live in a bubble of false security, the only one responsible for your safety is you! Am I profiling people YES darn right I am, I choose not to be a easy mark if possible.
The Rio Grande Valley of Texas, on the Texas-Mexico border, was a high-crime area and, in fact, gunshot wounds, stabbings, and other violence calls were fairly common calls that we received in EMS, yet I didn't feel unsafe. Usually, I left the keys in my car, and that included a new pickup truck, and I rarely locked my door unless I was going to be gone for a couple of days. Most of the crime was drug-related and if you weren't involved in the drug trade, you were actually pretty safe. In fact, people were very likely to look out for you. I didn't know my neighbors well, but even those who didn't speak English would watch out for my house while I was at work, usually 24-hour shifts. There were, of course, some neighborhoods that were known to be more dangerous than others, and there was one - Monte Alto, Texas - a small town of fewer than two thousand people, in our service area, where we wouldn't usually send an ambulance unless the sheriff's department was on the scene. Since we were usually able to get there much faster than the sheriff's department, we would stage our ambulance just outside of town until SO got there. That was a tough little town. Knowing that we wouldn't send the ambulance out on violence calls until SO got there, we received a call there for chest pains once; expecting something like a heart attack, we didn't call for SO, but when our ambulance arrived, they found that the chest pains were caused by a knife wound. But even in Monte Alto, we had medics who knew enough people there to feel safe without police support.
I may have previously mentioned in the past of this, I have a neighbor in her mid 80's now that when a person asked for a drink she gave it to him after he had a flat by her home. She was beaten, raped and almost killed by him just for helping him, finally when left for dead she was able to stop it all for good, the illegal did not survive. She was deemed a local hero here for fighting back, her comment was priceless, "I was ok till I saw him take my purse!" Wrong for her to let him have the drink yes, as said you never know. Almost beat to death, raped, broken ribs and jaw were just part of her injuries. The suspect was found dead at the scene from a center of chest gunshot wound from her shotgun.
Chrissy is right. People from the more erudite parts of California have and still refer to Fresno as the Arm Pit of California. Johnny Carson said on his TV show that he had spent a week in California one night. When I was in High School in the San Francisco Bay Area we referred to Fresno folks as Oakies & Hill Billies.Many agricultural areas of the US get the same treatment and Fresno & the San Joaquin Valley is one of the largest & most diverse with cotton, fruits, veggies, nuts, wine etc. etc. 10 Years out of college. married with one child and living in the SF Bay area I was offered a job in Fresno from a old friend and mentor. He had relocated to Fresno three years earlier with his wife and three children. I laughed out loud and said No Way Marv. He said, "I know how you feel, but please come down and spend a couple of days with us and you might just change your mind. My wife, daughter and I made the two and a half hour drive down to Fresno being thankful that it was spring and not summer. Temps in Fresno can hit 100 F plus on a regular basis. As I made the turn onto the street leading to Marv's home I was immediately impressed with the wide well land scaped boulevard and further impressed as I pulled into his driveway viewing a large attractive home. The house was a four thousand sq. ft. four bedroom three bath two car garage with a swimming pool & Spa. Oh Yes----A Wet Bar too. I choked when he told me how little he paid for this house and I compared it with costs in the area from which I was moving. The housing differential was a major factor in my decision to move to Fresno where I purchased a lovely home within the year In summary----I am glad I made the move and stayed here until retiring. The schools were great for my daughter and the overall Quality of Life was excellent. I developed many good friends and clients and made a very comfortable income. Oh Yes----There was Crime. Car Theft was the big thing at that time. Now here I am, many years later and living in a Assisted Living Facility that I would compare with any in the U,S. In retrospect, I have had a very exciting active, full life so far with no regrets. Being 60 minutes from the south entrance to Yosemite National Park and viewing the snow capped Sierra Madre Mountains from anywhere in the city is a real plus and the Blooming out in this valley in the springt time is a visual masterpiece.
Not sure if we ever made it to Fresno when we lived in California. We were further south in Moreno Valley. My parents lived in Davis, California and we enjoyed visiting them there. University town, lots of young people and bikes. I think I could live in Davis, if I had to live in California again.
In defense of Fresno? I knew a lawyer who said he defended Fresno once but the evidence was so extreme that Fresno was given 50 years to life for his crimes. I never actually met the guy but viewing how much time he’s going to spend in prison, I don’t think I’d like Fresno. To be honest, I visited but I didn’t care for it but then, I’m not big on California in general. Now, had I met a few people like @Chrissy Cross, I might have liked it a tad more.
I loved this place and sure miss it. I particularly miss the SPA & Pool off the Master Bedroom in the back