Ranking shows St. Louis overtaking Detroit as nation's most-dangerous city

Associated Press / SFGate

[RCW2001]

Friday, December 6, 2002
©2002 Associated Press

URL: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2002/12/06/national2229EST0800.DTL

(12-06) 19:29 PST ST. LOUIS (AP) --

St. Louis outranked Detroit as the nation's most-dangerous city, according to a Kansas research and publishing firm's annual report.

St. Louis' marketers and criminologists dismissed the findings as another bid to satisfy America's craving for rankings.

"People are inundated with this type of thing, and they read it for what it is," said Nancy Milton of the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission.

Using FBI crime figures for 2001, Lawrence, Kan.-based Morgan Quitno Press ranked Atlanta as the third most dangerous city, followed by Gary, Ind., and Baltimore. Detroit had been No. 1 for three years, according to Morgan Quitno's rankings, now in their ninth year.

Ranked safest was Amherst, N.Y., followed by Brick Township, N.J.; Newton, Mass.; and the California communities of Thousand Oaks and Sunnyvale.

The rankings are based on a city's rate for six crime categories: murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary and motor vehicle theft.

---

On the Net:

Morgan Quitno Press, www.morganquitno.com

©2002 Associated Press  

[DCBryan1]

Gee, I wonder what east St Louis and Detroit have in common?

[DCBryan1]

The answer of course is: no concealed weapons allowed.

[Shooter 2.5]

So why did Detroit suddenly drop in the Crime Index? It couldn't have been the CCW law that was passed.

I must have missed all those "Blood in the Streets" reports. < Sarcasm >

[SamAdams76]

The worst city I have ever been through was Newark, NJ. What a hellhole.

[Shooter 2.5]

You must be psychic. You answered my question before I posted.

[rmlew]

You really must visit Detroit, Buffalo, or Oakland CA.
Teh old joke about Newark NJ, is that they tried to join NYC and we wouldn't take them.

[CFC__VRWC]

The answer of course is: no concealed weapons allowed.

Not to mention these cities are great liberal meccas, run by generations of corrupt socialist party hacks and their political machines. The entire list is made up of similar cities (lovely places like Baltimore, Atlanta, and Gary, IN)

[Parley Baer]

HMMMMM, Sounds like the democRATS/liberals are trying to outdo each other. Seems like the areas with the highest crime rates are hotbeds for the democRAT party. Hey Gephardt is St. Louis not your back yard? Parley

[Torie]

As a young man, I had this preception that St. Louis and Philadelphia would be charming and stimulating cities, and Pittsburg a polluted decrepit toxic waste dump, and Kansas City anything but up to date, and a prosaic oversized Wichita. Then I visited all four cites, and I was 0-4 in my preconceptions. St. Louis was about the ugliest town I had ever seen, and Philly was filled with dumpy looking houses. Kansas City and Pittsburg were very agreeable places, with Pittsburg with its hills and lack of neon chain store sprawl because of its slow growth particularly charming. Of larger metro areas, I can't really think of one that I would less like to live in than St. Louis with the possible exception of Detroit, except one could live in Ann Arbor with respect to Detroit.

[AppyPappy]

Major Dem area

[Always A Marine]

St. Louis, Detroit, Atlanta, Gary, Baltimore...

Wonder what all these cities have in common...? Could it be majority black cities with corrupt city governments?

murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary and motor vehicle theft

Not your average white collar or suburban crimes. Proving why it's truly better in the 'burbs...

[lormand]

"Not to mention these cities are great liberal meccas, run by generations of corrupt socialist party hacks and their political machines. The entire list is made up of similar cities (lovely places like Baltimore, Atlanta, and Gary, IN)"

If these cities were run by Conservative administrations, you can bet they would report the findings as such. Because these cities are governed on pure American liberalism, they are dangerous.

[rockprof]

I drove through East St Louis once (across the river in IL). It was the most frightening looking place I've ever been (and I've drive through bad parts of NYC, Chicago, and DC).

There's a nice little park on the Mississippi where the arch is but otherwise the city had nothing much to offer as far as I could see.

[Dave S]

Of larger metro areas, I can't really think of one that I would less like to live in than St. Louis with the possible exception of Detroit, except one could live in Ann Arbor with respect to Detroit.

Dont be so hard on "St. Louis." Drive 15 miles west of downtown and you are in some very nice suburbs, the home district of Jim Talent, Missouri's newest Senator. Life in the suburbs of St. Louis County, a completely different political entity is quite good. My doctor's office is in the city. Other than a couple visits there each year, I rarely visit the city.

[baseballmom]

The worst city I have ever been through was Newark, NJ. What a hellhole.

Why are you picking on me?? LOL I don't live in Newark. But I did fly out of there one time."-)

I live in the Phila. burbs. The public touristy parts of Philadelphia are beautiful. I'm partial to DC because that's where I grew up. I think the public areas of Washington are the most beautiful.

[Dave S]

I drove through East St Louis once (across the river in IL). It was the most frightening looking place I've ever been (and I've drive through bad parts of NYC, Chicago, and DC).

You are lucky you didnt have a flat. I used to live in Chicago and I've driven in some of the worst areas of Chicago but none are as scary as driving through East St. Louis, particularly if you watch the local news and know what goes on there.

[cebadams]

Memorable Quotations from Meet Me in St. Louis:

"Personally, I wouldn't marry a man who proposed to me over an invention." --Katie.

"My dear, when you get to be my age you'll find there are more important things in life than boys." --Rose.

"Mrs. Smith, if I have to keep lying for your girls, I'm going to need more money." --Katie.

"Wasn't I lucky to be born in my favorite city?" --Tootie.

"Personally, I think I have too much bloom." --Esther.

"That Welsh rarebit was ginger peachy." --John.

"Well, certainly is dark in here with the lights off." --Esther.

"No, it wasn't the street car. It was John Truett. He tried to kill me!" --Tootie.

"It's no worse than football practice, except it's better with a girl." --John.

"If you're not busy tomorrow night, would you beat me up again?" --John.

"You know, you've got a mighty strong grip for a boy." --Esther.

"It'll take me at least a week to dig up all my dolls in the cemetery." --Tootie.

"I've worked all my life to be a senior." --Esther.

"Money. I hate, loathe, despise and abominate money!" --Rose.

"Aren't you afraid to stay here alone with a criminal?" --Mr. Smith.

"You know, suits are like men. They like to step out every once in a while with a pretty dress." --Grandpa.

That's just peachy ginger....

[Zack Nguyen]

The worst cities in America are run by hard-core corrupt Democrat machines. One has to ask which came first - the chicken or the egg?