How to Spot a Bad Neighborhood
Posted on April 21, 2010
Charlotte is fairly low in crime rates but like any other city you can find small pockets of bad areas. Here’s some advice from American Van Lines premier Charlotte local movers: Do a bit of research before choosing your next home. In order to stay clear of a bad neighborhood it is a good idea to know what to look for in a bad neighborhood.
Most signs of a bad neighborhood are easy to spot. Abandoned or poorly kept homes are good signs of a neglected area. Another sign of a bad neighborhood are the actions of the average people you find outside at any given time of the day. If the residents seem to just wander around without a clear destination or purpose then this is a good indication of people with a lot of time on their hands. Do the residents look like they feel safe; are there any children outside, are adults at home during work hours? As the saying goes “idle hands are the devils playground”. If people do not work then how do they sustain themselves?
You can also tell a bad neighbor by the businesses that occupy the area. If most of the store fronts are abandoned or mostly convenience stores and liquor stores then it probably means that there is not much money being spent in this area. It is a known fact that businesses migrate towards areas where the most customers are.
Police presence will also reveal if you’re in a bad neighborhood. Where there’s smoke there’s fire so a large police presence usually means there is a problem with crime in that area. It is only natural to assume that police usually patrol where they are needed the most. Do you see any police officers living in the neighborhood? Most police officers would not risk living in the same are they work in for fear of retaliation.
Beware of well kept areas that are high in crime. Not all crimes are committed in rundown areas. Some areas are just a few blocks away from bad neighborhoods so naturally criminals see these areas as convenient victims who live in the same neighborhood but are better off.
An ever changing population is also a good sign of a neighborhood in decline. If people seem to be rapidly moving to other neighborhoods this may be a good time to ask why. The opposite may also hold true depending on how rapidly the population increases. A boom in population may mean that people who could not previously afford to live in that area are now finding that these homes are now in their price range. No neighborhood is better than another but it is wise to know where you want to live before you end up somewhere you were not prepared to be.