Portland

[portlandhopeful]

Hello -

We are strongly considering moving to Portland within the next few years and have started looking at neighborhoods.  We have been dismayed by the high crime rates that are posted on ZipRealty , as most neighborhoods seem to be well over the 300 mark.  We have been to Portland many times and have always felt very safe.  We currently live in southern California near areas that we do not feel are so safe, such as Pomona and Compton, yet these neighborhoods are rated as lower in crime than most Portland neighborhoods.  Has anyone else noticed this or does anyone have an explanation?

[irene]

Hello Portlandhopeful,

Where are you seeing the crime stats over 300 mark? The reason I ask is because under local info, the crime stats I am seeing does not reflect that...

Here's a screenshot of what I am seeing, and it clearly shows that Portland has much lower crime than the national average... I am familiar with Pomona and I can say that it definitely is safer! I am interested in knowing where you saw the statistic, so please let me know!

Irene Shen

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portlandhopeful wrote:

Hello -

We are strongly considering moving to Portland within the next few years and have started looking at neighborhoods.  We have been dismayed by the high crime rates that are posted on ZipRealty , as most neighborhoods seem to be well over the 300 mark.  We have been to Portland many times and have always felt very safe.  We currently live in southern California near areas that we do not feel are so safe, such as Pomona and Compton, yet these neighborhoods are rated as lower in crime than most Portland neighborhoods.  Has anyone else noticed this or does anyone have an explanation?

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[Reneta Peery]

Hi

I am very familiar with the area's in So Cal that you are speaking of I used to live in San Pedro and Harbor City and we still have family in the area.  There are many sources and sights that you can find crime reports.   You really have to read how they are coming to the number of crimes reported.  I myself sometimes find them confusing as they clump petty theft with more serious crimes together.  I find the best way to find out about an area is to ask friends and family.  Friends and family are a great resources for this particular topic!  Your friends and family will of course want you to move as close to them as possible ;-).  Please let me know if I can help you in your search whether it is this year or years from now you will find me here at Zip!  Take Care, 

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portlandhopeful wrote:

Hello -

We are strongly considering moving to Portland within the next few years and have started looking at neighborhoods.  We have been dismayed by the high crime rates that are posted on ZipRealty , as most neighborhoods seem to be well over the 300 mark.  We have been to Portland many times and have always felt very safe.  We currently live in southern California near areas that we do not feel are so safe, such as Pomona and Compton, yet these neighborhoods are rated as lower in crime than most Portland neighborhoods.  Has anyone else noticed this or does anyone have an explanation?

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[Jeremy Fershleiser]

Hello Portland Hopeful,

I too would love to help. I am curious as to where exactly you are seeing the high crime rates posted. Could you let me know when you have an opportunity? I have lived in Portland for about 11 years now, previously lived on the east coast, sometimes around some legitimately questionable areas. I've travelled through California a bit, but certainly wouldn't call myself an expert on that area. I will say that most of Portland is not what I'd consider an unsafe / high crime area. However, I will also say that like any decent sized city Portland has it's share of small, usually non-violent crimes. It's also an extremely friendly city, occasionally to the point of naivety - this may lead to more small crimes being reported than Compton has for example. Just a guess if the numbers are really panning out that way. I hope to hear from you soon, in which case I'd be happy to let you know about my impressions, and if appropriate do some digging on a specific neighborhood or two.

Kind Regards, Jeremy (jeremy.fershleiser@ziprealty.com 503.351.8060)

[portlandhopeful]

Hi!

Thanks for responding.  The screenshot you posted looks like Beaverton to me, and we are not particularly interested in Beaverton.  Here is an example from the Mt. Tabor area:

    

Any ideas about this?  I have seen this over and over in areas like Irvington, Laurelhurst and other really attractive areas.  It doesn't make sense to me.  I appreciate any info you can provide!

Thanks!

[portlandhopeful]

Hi, Irene -

I'm not sure the last screenshot worked, so let me try again, from the Mt. Tabor area.  Thanks for any insight you can provode.

[irene]

Hi Portlandhopeful,

Thank you for providingf the additional info. I was searching in Portland and my screenshot was a house in Portland, but I did find that crime statistic you were talking about when I found a property next to the Mount Tabor Park (screenshot below).

I am not as familiar with the local nuances since I do not live in the area, but if you are interested in the crime details of the area, Portland has a good website on this subject: http://www.gis.ci.portland.or.us/maps/police/.  The data on our site is not as detailed as the information provided by the city. I inputted the address of the property that had the crime stat screenshot above and was able to pull up more details and it looks like most of the crimes are vandalism, car theft, and disorderly conduct. Perhaps you might want to try typing in the addresses you are interested in and see what you get there.

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portlandhopeful wrote:

Hi!

Thanks for responding.  The screenshot you posted looks like Beaverton to me, and we are not particularly interested in Beaverton.  Here is an example from the Mt. Tabor area:

Any ideas about this?  I have seen this over and over in areas like Irvington, Laurelhurst and other really attractive areas.  It doesn't make sense to me.  I appreciate any info you can provide!

Thanks!

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Hopefully, someone local to the area will also be able to provide more information.

Irene Shen

http://www.gis.ci.portland.or.us/maps/police/detail.cfm?action=Crime_Summary&propertyid=&state_id=&a...

[Jeremy Fershleiser]

Hello again Portlandhopeful,

I pulled up the information that you were talking about in the Mt. Tabor area, and found something similar in the Laurelhurst area... I'm almost positive that the reasoning is due to the number of "theft from auto crimes and the like (also some burglaries) that get reported per my prior post description.

I've lived in the area for quite some time and really find it quite safe to walk around at night, etc...

A great resource to give you specific information on the break down of reported crimes is Portland Maps. The url is www.portlandmaps.com. It only works for the City of Portland. Once you are there you can type in any address and there is a link to all sorts of information including a "crime" link. When you click on that link you can find the breakdown of the types of crimes for any particular area. If you put in an address for Laurelhurst area for example you'll see that most of the crimes are thefts related to automobiles - aka goods taken from autos (I tried to copy an image, but think it's the wrong file type on Portland Maps, so encourage you to browse there yourself and investigate).

I hope this is a help, certainly know it doesn't mean there is no crime... just mostly not crimes that make one feel unsafe in an area. Good luck!

Kind Regards, Jeremy

[portlandhopeful]

Thank you for your response.  That is very helpful and kind of what i was hoping for in terms of explanation.  

[Jeremy Fershleiser]

Thank you for the kind words portlandhopeful, you are more than welcome. Please let me know if there is anything more I can do to help in the future, take care!

Kind Regards, Jeremy