I hope this isn't too bleak of a question! But since crime is a part of urban life, I'm curious what the murder rate is in your area - and whether or not that is seen as a big problem.
My own city is Portland, Oregon. The city of Portland has around 560,000 people. Last year (2006), it recorded 27 homicides. This includes "justifiable" homicides in the form of police shootings or self-defense incidents. So, Portland has a murder rate of 4.82 per 100,000 people for 2006. Out of every 100,000 residents in Portland, 4.82 were killed in one year. The US national average is 5.6 per 100,000, so, Portland is doing okay by that standard. However, it is still much higher than the Canadian national average of 2.1 per 100,000.
The worst city in the US for murders in 2006 was New Orleans. New Orleans has about 200,000 residents (this seems to be the best estimate), and recorded 162 murders in 2006. This means New Orleans had a rate of 81 per 100,000 per year. That is 16.8 times higher than Portland's murder rate.
How are things in your city?
My own city is Portland, Oregon. The city of Portland has around 560,000 people. Last year (2006), it recorded 27 homicides. This includes "justifiable" homicides in the form of police shootings or self-defense incidents. So, Portland has a murder rate of 4.82 per 100,000 people for 2006. Out of every 100,000 residents in Portland, 4.82 were killed in one year. The US national average is 5.6 per 100,000, so, Portland is doing okay by that standard. However, it is still much higher than the Canadian national average of 2.1 per 100,000.
The worst city in the US for murders in 2006 was New Orleans. New Orleans has about 200,000 residents (this seems to be the best estimate), and recorded 162 murders in 2006. This means New Orleans had a rate of 81 per 100,000 per year. That is 16.8 times higher than Portland's murder rate.
How are things in your city?