Is st louis really that dangerous?

Show all answers

The rankings recently came out naming St. Louis as the U.S.'s most dangerous city. I believe this only referred to the city of St. Louis specifically. So, yes, downtown and some of the neighboring areas are considered fairly dangerous by law enforcement. On the other hand, there are some extremely nice suburbs, especially in western St. Louis county and St. Charles.

~mary~

You have to think of St louis like the Land of Oz. You don't want to go to the east and the west, and the north and the south are just too dam happy.

SA Writer

St. Louis got the dubious distinction of being the most dangerous city in America based on the FBI's Uniform Crime Report. This breaks violent crime into "number of violent crimes per 100,000 people." However, just like any other large city, some neighborhoods are very dangerous and some are as safe as a small town.

Mickey F

I am in East St Louis and I don't have any problems there or in STL. If you look for trouble you'll find it. If you look like you know where you are going and not like a tourist, you'll be ok.

Duey G

I was born in St. Louis and lived there for 15 years. Now I live in St. Paul, Minnesota. But I could not believe the difference in the standards of living between the two. St. Louis is a dirty, dangerous city that I dont recommend visiting. The North and East counties seem to be on the news everyday for murders, rapes, fires, gang assaults, etc.. South County seems to have a mixture of middle to upper middle class residents but things still happen there too. West county is the richest side but with money also comes the ability to buy drugs and get away with things, so its not as pristine as some people think it is. As an overall generalization of the people their, one word says it all, HOOSIERS. I was not surprised when it was named the most dangerous city in America because it IS that bad. As a northerner, I look back on them now as stupid southerners who drink too much (the city's biggest industry is beer). If you go there stay in the Western and Southern counties, and only go downtown during the day or with a bunch of people. Go to the other counties if you wish to die...

tywonda c

stl has good and bad areas but hey thats almost every state i've been living in stl for 19yrs and its a cool place to live and im not saying this because this is my home town because stlouis do have parts thats bad and i lived in the bad and the good areas so its nothing to be afraid of

MARY ann

I live here yes it's a dangerous city if you drive there is a chance of break ins and car jacking if you take public trans there is a chance of being robbed,raped,beaten or worse don't go any where alone watch whats around you and carry a weapon because all the bad people do no place is safe daylight or dark if you go to soulard and take public transportation or anywhere and take the bus be sure to find out what time the last one is as the buses stop running before the bars close and that would put you in even more danger so be careful.

ballerBABE_23

i do live in st.louis personally and love my neighborhood! don't get me wrong, there are better streets, but it is just like any other city or state. it has some good towns and some bad ones. other than that, st.louis has some good things to offer- friendly people, hospitality, goood food, shopping, baseball team, loyal fans- of course there a bad, but y focus on that? st.louis has it's ups and downs...which city hasnt???

reveradearies

Saint Louis has its dangerous parts. Avoid the area that is part that is north of the Delmar Loop, and I suggest that if you ever come here, please travel with a group after dark if have to take the bus or Metro Link.

messageboardpirate

No, the whole city is not dangerous. Its like any other major city, it has its good and bad areas.

Brian Da Dog

Just like every major metroploitian...the areas of lower economic standing tend to have more random violence then those with higher. In most areas, its a block by block change in crime levels. To generalize the whole city as dangerous is very stereotypical. Even for those that say downtown is dangerous are those that tend to fearmonger. I find myself walking the streets of downtown on a yearly basis more times I can count with my hands (with my two kids) and I feel safe.

Honey J. Valentine

The city as a whole isn't dangerous, but like everyone else has said.. There are questionable area's that are sometimes known for being more dangerous than others. But, there are also a lot of family attractions, ie: the zoo, city muesum, the arch, etc... It's best to use common sense.. if your in an area that really doesn't feel safe, there's always that chance that it's not....

If your used to big cities, you can easily handle St. Louis also.

That's just my opinion anyway.

schmidtee

While it was ranked #1 for crime in the nation, I've lived here all of my life and never run into any sort of crime. That said, I also live in the subburbs. St. Louis is a big city but the statistics don't take into account the subburbs at all, just the city itself. There are more people living in the subburbs than in the city- they quoted it as around 350,000 in the city while over 1 million live outside the city- which is still called St. Louis Including 1 million would significantly change the rating.

Are there places I wouldn't go alone or at night? Sure. But doesn't that hold true to all cities? A good rule of thumb is to never wander where you aren't familiar with things. I would never chose to live anywhere else and quite frankly, the statistic helps those of us who know the secret- it IS a wonderful place to live- and it keeps it quiet as that!

Lt. Dan reborn

As the others said there are places that are pretty dangerous and others that are O.K. Make sure you know where you are going. The daytime in some areas is pretty O.K. but at night, the freaks come out.
Like any major city, look for signs of "I think I should go now" like gang graffitti, broken windows, accumulating trash, etc. I once got lost and stopped to ask some brother officers directions right after another officer got shot, when I said "excuse me?" from my car, one guy whirled and I thought he was going to draw down on me.
Know where you are going, stick to the main streets and you're O.K. It ain't as bad as L.A. yet, but they are working on it.

TedEx

There are certain areas of any city in which you would not want to be.

1. Avoid dark places, such as alleys.
2. Walk where there are other people.
3. Ask other people. What areas do you want to avoid.

Ladies, watch your purse.
Men, don't be a hero.

You'll be ok.

HISgirl

I live in MO. StL can be dangerous, but not if you know where you're going. Don't go somewhere unfamailar at night. Never go to East StL. The burbs are usually okay. The Loop and the Hill are questionable as is Forest Park. One of my good friends had her brand new SUV stolen off the street while she and her husband were at a Cards game. The police found the car thanks to OnStar though. Basically, you just have to be careful where you go and when.

just downtown st. louis is dangerous - i live approx 30 miles it's not anymore dangerous here than anywhere else.

Tee

The city is bad. The North Side, West Side, and a lot of The South Side is bad. The county is pretty nice though

Douglas ?

Just take your 9 and be ready to bust a few caps when the slappies come to crime you.

Enter Your Message or Comment

User Name:
User Email:
Post a comment: