Benton Park

joey: 21st Apr 2007 - 18:29 GMT

from my urban experience you'll find the crime rate is highest in america's older red brick building neighborhoods

serlingrod: 21st Apr 2007 - 19:36 GMT

I think you're refering to deindustrialized inner-city neighborhoods in general...they're not all red brick. Statistically St. Louis does remain the most dangerous U.S. city.

maybetoday: 22nd Apr 2007 - 01:09 GMT

I believe you're referring to the Morgan Quitno list of "Most Dangerous Cities" that's released every year. Every year both the FBI (source of the data) and criminologists around the nation decry using the FBI's data as a way to compare cities. MQ's methodology ranks all crimes the same and takes cities out of their context. St. Louis is a perfect example of a city taken out of its context. St. Louis isn't any safer or more dangerous than other major American cities and its crime usually rises and falls with the national average.

Benton Park is quite safe to visit and live in. You can't see the people out and about in any of these pictures, but there were people on lunch break, residents walking their dogs/strolling their kids, people tending to community gardens and workers rehabbing houses and storefronts. Does crime happen here? Sure, it happens everywhere. Should people use common sense here? Yes (and everywhere else too). But, the perception that it is dangerous is not exactly true.

Jamie: 22nd Apr 2007 - 07:31 GMT

Nice slice of life. I have to say that from your recnt photos, St Louis to me appears clean, safe and almost quaint. Not at all dangerous. More photos of Jasper's Radio Museum please!

CE: 22nd Apr 2007 - 16:50 GMT

These are some of my favourite types of posts. The one's that give you a real sense of the city and its neighbourhoods.

Peter: 22nd Apr 2007 - 17:59 GMT

nice. when i think of st. louis, all i see in my head is the the arch... now, i have some new mental pictures. thanks! post more...!

also: yeah, i gotta second the call for more info/pics of jasper's radio museum...

colavitos ghost: 23rd Apr 2007 - 07:38 GMT

looks just like cinci to me. and by that i mean pretty nice.

Adam Wills: 30th Jun 2007 - 21:07 GMT

I was just wondering what the area around 2818 Lemp Ave. is like I am supposed to take a look at an apartment there next week and would like to know if it would be worth going and taking a look at.

zeeaapjae: 29th Aug 2007 - 17:40 GMT

Statistically, StL is NOT the most dangerous city in the US, that was 2005 data, not 2007. That being said, the Quinto list is a poor standard because the City of STL has a lot of crime victims from the county, which raises our crime rate (to get a rate you calculate crimes per 100,000 population..if crime is committed against those not in the population, it artificially raises your rate)...that being said, NORTH STL is still quite dangerous, but that's not benton park, in those "red brick" hoods there aren't many windows that aren't broken. Thats not the case in Benton Park.

diamond: 9th Jun 2008 - 15:40 GMT

Im thinking about looking at an apartment in the Benton Park West are,an this article really helped me.Thanks a lot.It looks like a very nicde and safe place.All of my worries are gone...THANKS!!!