philly is dangerous? - Page 9 - PhillyBlog

KByrd · #81 (**permalink**) 05-14-2008, 07:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by billy ross

Philadelphia was founded in 1682. To the best of my knowledge there has never been a single natural disaster in this city since then. No cyclones, no tidal waves, no hurricanes, no earthquakes, et cetera. There has been flooding due to tropical storms, but nothing on the scale of what I would call a natural disaster.

In other countries (Korea and Egypt come to mind) one regularly hears stories about unsavory builders building buildings too tall for their foundations / structures, which then collapse and pin people inside of them. When was the last time that happened in Philadelphia?

In the USA, when a house is built in a hurricane zone, it needs to be built to withstand hurricanes. When a house is built in an earthquake zone, it needs to be built to withstand earthquakes. What happened in China? Did an earthquake occur in an area where earthquakes have never occurred?

That depends on what you consider a "natural" disaster. Philadelphia suffered
about 2000 deaths during the Yellow Fever epidemic of 1793. That was a lot
of people given that the city had about 50,000 residents at the time.

The city also suffered quite a bit during the great flu epidemic of 1918.

We've actually had a minor earthquake in this area which was pretty stunning
at the time since earthquakes are something most people never think
about around here. This quake happened in the very early 70s. I can't be
exact about the year but I know it was before 1973 because I was still
living at home at my parents' at the time.

smitsp · #82 (**permalink**) 05-15-2008, 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rpost3

2006: 316 robberies in the 19103 and 19107 zip codes, and those are just two of Center City's zip codes. There's the statistics you guys were asking for.

And that was in 2006. It's been two years. Have the stats gone up or down?

I'm moving to the 19103 area code to be with my fiance--who has lived in Center City for three years without incident, and I've been visiting him often for the past three years... without incident.

Honestly, I feel safer walking around the streets of Philly day or night (granted, just University City, Center City, and Old City) than I do walking around the streets of downtown Cincinnati at night. (Night is probably a better comparison between the two). Even if Philly has a higher crime rate than Cincy. The fact that there are always people walking around in Center City, et al, helps. Everyone bails downtown Cincinnati at about 7 p.m., so you're mostly left with panhandlers and whatnot. Unless the Reds have a home game or there's something going on at the Aronoff Center.

It's the mentality. You've got to go around having the Big City mentality. Being aware of your surroundings, of the people, of everything. As cliche as it sounds, it's just common sense. Maybe taking a self defense course might be a smart thing.

The fiance has a husband/wife friend--husband lives in Manhattan; his wife lives in Center City four days a week while she attends the Curtis School of Music--husband kept going on and on about how he couldn't wait until wife was home for the weekend where she'd be safe. Took everything in my power not to shout, "You live in freakin' Manhattan! Like they don't have crime there too??!!"

rpost3 · #83 (**permalink**) 05-15-2008, 05:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rpost3

2006: 316 robberies in the 19103 and 19107 zip codes, and those are just two of Center City's zip codes. There's the statistics you guys were asking for. So much for violent crime being rare in Center City. Like I said... you don't hear about it b/c it happens so often that it's not newsworthy.

I hear crickets.............

mackomon · #84 (**permalink**) 05-15-2008, 06:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rpost3

I hear crickets.............

lol...I believe you hear crickets because you're providing one data point in a vacuum as an argument. It means nothing.

First, not all robberies are violent crimes.
Second, does Center City need to have zero robberies to be considered safe? What imaginary utopia are you referencing?
Third, this data point is in a vacuum. What are you comparing it to? Are you comparing it to other cities?

Therefore, since you really had no argument, no one can counter the lack of a point.

rpost3 · #85 (**permalink**) 05-15-2008, 07:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mackomon

lol...I believe you hear crickets because you're providing one data point in a vacuum as an argument. It means nothing.

First, not all robberies are violent crimes.
Second, does Center City need to have zero robberies to be considered safe? What imaginary utopia are you referencing?
Third, this data point is in a vacuum. What are you comparing it to? Are you comparing it to other cities?

Therefore, since you really had no argument, no one can counter the lack of a point.

haha you guys are so full of **** it's unbelievable. First people say Center City is immune to violent crime. Now this. And not all robberies are violent crime? haha oh really? How's it work? "Ma'am, may I please have your purse?"

CC has a few zip codes. 19103 and 19107 are only two, and there was almost a reported robbery per day b/w them. 316 would be too many if it encompassed all of CC, much less just a portion of it. The number of restaurant workers I know who've been robbed is astronomical, but 316 in just those two zip codes is actually more than I thought.

CC is a very small area. For that many robberies to be taking place in just two portions of it is ridiculous. A city does not have to be Fallujah to be considered dangerous. Fact is, PB'ers are so embarassed about Philly's reputation as a city full of psycho's w/ guns that they pretend that rep is w/out merit.

Hospitalitygirl · #86 (**permalink**) 05-15-2008, 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smitsp

And that was in 2006. It's been two years. Have the stats gone up or down?

Overall, in 2007, crime went down 8% across all categories.

CapsuleF · #87 (**permalink**) 05-15-2008, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rpost3

I hear crickets.............

So that equals less then one robbery a day in transient areas that may or may not see influxes of people well into the 100ks a year. Not to bad if you ask me. Some of the ninnys out there are probably reporting incidents were a bum solicits money from them as a violent crime. Either way, I don' buy it.

Hospitalitygirl · #88 (**permalink**) 05-15-2008, 07:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rpost3

haha you guys are so full of **** it's unbelievable. First people say Center City is immune to violent crime. Now this. And not all robberies are violent crime? haha oh really? How's it work? "Ma'am, may I please have your purse?"

CC has a few zip codes. 19103 and 19107 are only two, and there was almost a reported robbery per day b/w them. 316 would be too many if it encompassed all of CC, much less just a portion of it. The number of restaurant workers I know who've been robbed is astronomical, but 316 in just those two zip codes is actually more than I thought.

CC is a very small area. For that many robberies to be taking place in just two portions of it is ridiculous. A city does not have to be Fallujah to be considered dangerous. Fact is, PB'ers are so embarassed about Philly's reputation as a city full of psycho's w/ guns that they pretend that rep is w/out merit.

19103 and 19107 may be small geographical areas, but are dense areas, and 316 isn't that many, when extrapolated on a per capita basis. And again, 8% decrease across different categories of crime, in 2007.

Swinefeld · #89 (**permalink**) 05-15-2008, 07:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rpost3

I hear crickets.............

Poor hygiene?

Quote:

Center City is thriving on most fronts but still struggles to grow high-paying office jobs.
Philadelphia Business Journal - by Natalie Kostelni

Just about every facet of the neighborhood, which includes the Central Business District and runs from the Schuylkill River to the Delaware River, is hitting its stride, according to Center City District's annual State of Center City report, which was released Thursday by the special services district.

Center City's office market is experiencing low vacancy rates around 10 percent and higher rents. Its skyline has been altered by the addition of Comcast Center, allowing the city for the first time in 15 years to expand its share of regional office space, according to the report.

Even though the office market fared well and reductions in the city's business taxes were under way last year, the city still struggled to add jobs. Office employment grew by just 1.7 percent from 2004 to 2007, going to 145,300 office jobs from 142,900, which is still 6.5 percent below 2000 job levels.

In fact, unlike the suburbs, the city has yet to fully recover from the 2001 recession, said Paul Levy, president and chief executive of CCD. Downtown office rents are less than the suburbs until you add in use and occupancy and the business privilege taxes.

"Taxes have really retarded our growth," Levy said.

The stage for that is set to change, as Mayor Michael Nutter continues to a trend to curtail taxes and the eventual economic boost from the gaming industry hits city coffers.

While employment figures are one indicator in the health of Center City, other factors point to a core that is vibrant even amid a national housing slump, credit crunch and subprime debacle. To top it off, the downtown continued a 15-year decline in crime even though other parts of the city remained challenged on that front.

In yet another sign of a market that is flourishing, $12.3 billion in development activity is under way in Center City and adjacent University City. Demographics are also changing. In what Levy called a "huge new demographic bubble that is an opportunity for us," 11,372 babies have been born to Center City parents from 2000 to 2005. This has put pressure on nursery schools and pre-schools and leads Levy to believe the city is on the cusp of a historical moment.

"We could reverse that huge flight to the suburbs," that urban dwelling parents make when their children reach school age.

billy ross · #90 (**permalink**) 05-15-2008, 08:07 PM

I view Philly's competitor cities as New York, Boston, Washington, and DC, although those cities might not concur (NYC most likely views London as a competitor, while Philly is certainly not competing with London). Anyway, it would be interesting to know what the crime rate in Center City is vis-a-vis similar areas in our competitor cities. I don't expect much of a difference. Certainly there is more crime in CC than more small-town neighborhoods and suburbs, but the roughly 90,000 (of whom over 11,000 are under 9 if their parents have yet to decamp and Levy is to be believed) residents of Center City are a larger sample size than the 5,000 residents of smaller towns, which are more likely to be skewed by random events in one direction or another. I would nevertheless like to see a comparison. I recall the running gun battle on the streets of Narberth a few years ago. Events like that are met with 'That never happens here' kind of astonishment, as if it hadn't just happened.