most "dangerous" city you've been to?

[D-Dey65]

North Philly and West Philly (west of 40th St)

I've been to both during my Philly Trolley photo crusade, and though many neighborhoods along SEPTA Routes 34, 36, and even 10 look kind of run down, I still felt safer there than in Baltimore.

[CapeCodder]

Then you shouldn't have had to figure it out.

I knew the cities dude.  You just were not specific enough.

Oh really? Are you aware that there are several Englewoods around the country? Since you claim to know  all the places that Adam was referring to, can you tell me which Englewood in what State was he referring to?

New Jersey

He probably was referring to the Englewood neighborhood in Chicago's south side (Ashland/63rd).  Englewood NJ is actually a relatively nice suburb.

That being said, I think it is obvious from implication that the thread is referring to dangerous due to normal crime, not warzones.

Then how about Carcas?

Carcass? Yeah, the flies are pretty thug.  Unless you mean Caracas, Venezuela. Funny, someone I live with used to live there. He got out when Maduro became leader.

[Chris19001]

North Philly and West Philly (west of 40th St)

I've been to both during my Philly Trolley photo crusade, and though many neighborhoods along SEPTA Routes 34, 36, and even 10 look kind of run down, I still felt safer there than in Baltimore.

West Philly is fine until west of 50th, and really its the school kids you have to lookout for.  Also, North Philly only has a few bad sections, as the drug trade accounts for most of the crime.  Now Southwest Philly is another story.  If you're in a neighborhood around that refinery after dark, hopefully you have a good sized dog with you. 
I'm from the greater area, so I wouldn't consider any city areas overly dangerous as I am familiar with the city layout.
My vote goes to Trenton.  It has some nice areas, and some really bad areas..

[Desert Man]

Someone said Englewood, NJ? That person said it's "bad", the other (a reply) said it's "good". What makes a community "bad"...in contrast to "good"? Low-income/ working poor majorities... or I guess, can be seen as racist. I read Trenton (NJ's state capital - 80,000 people) is one of the nation's largest Italian-American communities (if not the city, the surrounding), same with New Haven, CT.  New Jersey, New York (esp. the city) and Connecticut (urban areas) are portrayed as blue-collar/working-class (non affluent) "ethnic" communities in the media, like movies about the mafia and Italian or Sicilian themes. Large South Asian communities are in northern NJ and southern CT, portrayed in contradictory images or stereotypes: are they richer...or poorer than white Americans? Trenton is nowadays majority Black (50-55%), Latino (15-20%) and Asian, esp. Nepalis.

Northern San Bernardino (40th st. and Kendall Dr. not far from CSU campus) - partially unincorporated and Eastern Riverside (around the UC campus) - also unincorporated areas, are actually not the "ghetto". It might be falsely labelled as such because of large African-American, Hispanic/Latino or East/South Asian populations, even the presence of Apache Indians, Iranians and Samoans, these are ethnically diverse areas but middle or upper-middle class, and there are college students living on fixed income situations.

And Locally, there are parts of Desert Hot Springs where it's not completely impoverished and dangerous - I've known people who lived on Angel Vista street and Bubbling Wells Road, and 8th Street and Cholla Drive areas - both unincorporated sections. However, Desert View Ave. and El Cajon Drives, both west of Palm Drive is horrible, terrible and to avoid at all costs. Near 8th and Cholla Dr. is the Mission Creek Indian Band reservation, as well the section has many Koreans, Filipinos and Sikhs, as well Desert Hot Springs is 60% Latino, 10-15% Black and you noticed many Whites in the outskirts have "Southern/ Texan/ okie" drawls - descendants of people who came to CA in the dust bowl in the 1930s/WW2 era.

[Desert Man]

The word in quotes is subjective...

I lived in St. Louis for 16 years and never had a problem. Hell, people up in the north end of the city knew me by my first name. I do not understand why STL city is rated most dangerous in the USA. North St. Louis County, on the other hand is more dangerous than the city itself. Yes, the latest rash of violence within the city limits doesn't look good, but it's not like that throughout the city.

As for most dangerous I've been to? Joliet, IL. I stayed at a no name motel there and as I stated in a post in the road trip forum, the place was infested with brown recluse spiders. About halfway through the night, some man came up to the door and he started pounding it and screaming that I "better have the fucking money" Luckily for me, I was in my truck, sleeping as I didn't want a brown recluse bite to ruin my day. He went at it for a good forty-five minutes. The lot was unlit so he couldn't see me. Gunshots rang through the night. People watching was pretty good as there were all sorts of "Ladies of the Night" I guess entering and exiting the rooms. That night was wild and I shall never forget it.

My wife is originally from St. Charles with family in O' Fallon, St. peters and Lake St. Louis, she's of Mexican and some Filipino and Italian descent, due to family roots in Northern Cal. she also grew up in San Mateo 30 miles south of San Francisco. She lived in areas where the locals are multicultural, working-class and nowadays threatened by higher housing costs and gentrification. She told me "the Hill" in St. Louis, as well Cherokee Street in the south side, the suburb of Ferguson and east of the river-East St. Louis, IL have negative reputations. Well, they happen to have Black, Mexican, Italian and Bosnian residents, there are also Filipinos and Samoans, and not surprisingly, Cherokee Indians as well Missouri's Osage tribe and the city's history of French, German, Polish and Irish cultures. The crime rate in St. Louis is among the highest, poverty rate also among the highest... and economic performance among the lowest and average credit scores also among the lowest in the country. The most troubled part of the St. Louis area has to be Ferguson, known for racial tension and civil unrest in 2014 and 2015. Actually, if Ferguson is so troubled, why is there a Wal-mart and a Dollar Tree? Oh wait, it is "kinda" troubled.

[D-Dey65]

When I went to Hollis to get some pics of the LIRR station there, I got a cell phone call from my mother, and I lied and told her I was in Jamaica. I didn't want my relatives to freak out over the phone before I could get a shot of the station.

A bit of an update; I recently confessed to her about the lie, and as it turned out she was unaware of Hollis' reputation.

[kphoger]

When I went to Hollis to get some pics of the LIRR station there, I got a cell phone call from my mother, and I lied and told her I was in Jamaica. I didn't want my relatives to freak out over the phone before I could get a shot of the station.

A bit of an update; I recently confessed to her about the lie, and as it turned out she was unaware of Hollis' reputation.

Jamaica as a nation has a fairly high violent crime rate...

[ftballfan]

I've been to a few areas perceived as dangerous (Detroit, parts of Grand Rapids, Muskegon Heights, Ypsilanti east of the Huron River, west Tampa) and I've never really had any bad experiences. The closest had to be the time my family and I stopped at a somewhat shady gas station in Chattanooga, TN that was right next to a pay-by-the-hour motel (and also very close to I-24).

My dad once stayed at a pay-by-the-hour motel in the Flint area for some classes he had to take (he only went there because the rate was much cheaper than other hotels). He would never go back to that motel!

[Flint1979]

I think the most dangerous part of Detroit is the Northeast side within the 48205 zip code.

[Hurricane Rex]

Serious: Chicago

Not Serious: My High School as there is a lot of idiots that do really questionable stuff there and in class.

[Roadgeekteen]

Serious: Chicago

Not Serious: My High School as there is a lot of idiots that do really questionable stuff there and in class.

My high school is good but there are some mean people on it.

[SectorZ]

Serious: Chicago

Not Serious: My High School as there is a lot of idiots that do really questionable stuff there and in class.

My high school is good but there are some mean people on it.

Is it the Thomas M Menino High School, because he too loved confusing the use of 'in' and 'on'.

[slorydn1]

I think Chicago gets kind of a bad rap overall. Although I grew up in the NW suburbs, my high school was near the John Hancock bldg and Water Tower Place, in a really nice neighborhood. I never felt unsafe there, nor downtown in the Loop, nor near any of the North and Northwest neighborhoods of Chciago where most of my classmates lived.

I did have one classmate that lived near the intersection of 26th and Kedvale, which is not that far from the Cook County Jail which is at 26th and California. We got shot at leaving his house one evening, luckily for us the pricks that were shooting at us were lousy shots.

Fast forward to the last few years and the large number of murders and shootings in general in Chicago, if you were to subtract the totals from a box roughly 100 blocks deep and 30 blocks wide of the south side the violent crime rate would drop to next to nothing.

FWIW I feel less safe visiting little itty bitty Kinston or Greenville NC than I ever did in Chicago.

[kphoger]

↑ Chicago is like any other large city:  There are places to stay away from, and there are places that are just fine.  I agree that it gets a bad rap.

[webny99]

The city of Rochester's northeast quadrant is notoriously dangerous. Dangerous enough that I've lived here 18 years and have never been to that part of the city. Honestly, I would be scared. Especially at night.

Anything south of Norton St. and west of Culver Rd. is generally considered an area to avoid.

[kphoger]

The city of Rochester's northeast quadrant is notoriously dangerous. Dangerous enough that I've lived here 18 years and have never been to that part of the city. Honestly, I would be scared. Especially at night.

Anything south of Norton St. and west of Culver Rd. is generally considered an area to avoid.

Living too close to an area can also give one a skewed impression of an area.  This can work both ways.  I'm saying that area of Rochester isn't dangerous, I'm just saying I've heard that kind of thing said about neighborhoods that aren't very dangerous by people who've lived a short distance away for years.

[webny99]

The city of Rochester's northeast quadrant is notoriously dangerous. Dangerous enough that I've lived here 18 years and have never been to that part of the city. Honestly, I would be scared. Especially at night.

Anything south of Norton St. and west of Culver Rd. is generally considered an area to avoid.

Living too close to an area can also give one a skewed impression of an area.  This can work both ways.  I'm not saying that area of Rochester isn't dangerous, I'm just saying I've heard that kind of thing said about neighborhoods that aren't very dangerous by people who've lived a short distance away for years.

Think you missed a "not" there 

Of course, you should take my judgement with a grain of salt. However, I live around ~10 miles from this area, and it's pretty widely accepted as the most dangerous area of the city. How that compares in turn with the "dangerous areas" of other cities, I have no idea. I do know that Rochester has a higher violent crime rate, whereas neighboring Buffalo and Syracuse tend to have more petty crimes.

[Flint1979]

I think Chicago gets kind of a bad rap overall. Although I grew up in the NW suburbs, my high school was near the John Hancock bldg and Water Tower Place, in a really nice neighborhood. I never felt unsafe there, nor downtown in the Loop, nor near any of the North and Northwest neighborhoods of Chciago where most of my classmates lived.

I did have one classmate that lived near the intersection of 26th and Kedvale, which is not that far from the Cook County Jail which is at 26th and California. We got shot at leaving his house one evening, luckily for us the pricks that were shooting at us were lousy shots.

Fast forward to the last few years and the large number of murders and shootings in general in Chicago, if you were to subtract the totals from a box roughly 100 blocks deep and 30 blocks wide of the south side the violent crime rate would drop to next to nothing.

FWIW I feel less safe visiting little itty bitty Kinston or Greenville NC than I ever did in Chicago.

The Northside of Chicago does have some higher crime areas like Uptown, Edgewater, Rogers Park, basically anything along the Red Line north of Irving Park.

On the Southside it's basically anything south of 47th Street that's bad, some sections of Bronzeville aren't the greatest but that's about the only exception north of 47th. Westside is bad starting around the United Center going all the way to Austin.

[vdeane]

The city of Rochester's northeast quadrant is notoriously dangerous. Dangerous enough that I've lived here 18 years and have never been to that part of the city. Honestly, I would be scared. Especially at night.

Anything south of Norton St. and west of Culver Rd. is generally considered an area to avoid.

Living too close to an area can also give one a skewed impression of an area.  This can work both ways.  I'm not saying that area of Rochester isn't dangerous, I'm just saying I've heard that kind of thing said about neighborhoods that aren't very dangerous by people who've lived a short distance away for years.

Think you missed a "not" there 

Of course, you should take my judgement with a grain of salt. However, I live around ~10 miles from this area, and it's pretty widely accepted as the most dangerous area of the city. How that compares in turn with the "dangerous areas" of other cities, I have no idea. I do know that Rochester has a higher violent crime rate, whereas neighboring Buffalo and Syracuse tend to have more petty crimes.

I remember hearing the term "fatal crescent" to describe that area when I was in high school, particularly around Avenue A and Clifford.

[slorydn1]

I think Chicago gets kind of a bad rap overall. Although I grew up in the NW suburbs, my high school was near the John Hancock bldg and Water Tower Place, in a really nice neighborhood. I never felt unsafe there, nor downtown in the Loop, nor near any of the North and Northwest neighborhoods of Chciago where most of my classmates lived.

I did have one classmate that lived near the intersection of 26th and Kedvale, which is not that far from the Cook County Jail which is at 26th and California. We got shot at leaving his house one evening, luckily for us the pricks that were shooting at us were lousy shots.

Fast forward to the last few years and the large number of murders and shootings in general in Chicago, if you were to subtract the totals from a box roughly 100 blocks deep and 30 blocks wide of the south side the violent crime rate would drop to next to nothing.

FWIW I feel less safe visiting little itty bitty Kinston or Greenville NC than I ever did in Chicago.

The Northside of Chicago does have some higher crime areas like Uptown, Edgewater, Rogers Park, basically anything along the Red Line north of Irving Park.

On the Southside it's basically anything south of 47th Street that's bad, some sections of Bronzeville aren't the greatest but that's about the only exception north of 47th. Westside is bad starting around the United Center going all the way to Austin.

I guess time does skew things some too. My freshman and sophomore years of high school I lived in a dorm that was on the campus of the old Angel Guardian orphanage (it was called St John Vianney Residence Hall then) at 2000 W Devon in Rogers Park (mid 1980's). I never felt unsafe in that neighborhood, waiting for the 155 Bus to take me to the Loyola University CTA stop to ride the train into school in the morning (I guess that's what y'all call the Red Line now-It was the Englewood (A) or Jackson (B) /Howard Line back in my day).

[Flint1979]

I think Chicago gets kind of a bad rap overall. Although I grew up in the NW suburbs, my high school was near the John Hancock bldg and Water Tower Place, in a really nice neighborhood. I never felt unsafe there, nor downtown in the Loop, nor near any of the North and Northwest neighborhoods of Chciago where most of my classmates lived.

I did have one classmate that lived near the intersection of 26th and Kedvale, which is not that far from the Cook County Jail which is at 26th and California. We got shot at leaving his house one evening, luckily for us the pricks that were shooting at us were lousy shots.

Fast forward to the last few years and the large number of murders and shootings in general in Chicago, if you were to subtract the totals from a box roughly 100 blocks deep and 30 blocks wide of the south side the violent crime rate would drop to next to nothing.

FWIW I feel less safe visiting little itty bitty Kinston or Greenville NC than I ever did in Chicago.

The Northside of Chicago does have some higher crime areas like Uptown, Edgewater, Rogers Park, basically anything along the Red Line north of Irving Park.

On the Southside it's basically anything south of 47th Street that's bad, some sections of Bronzeville aren't the greatest but that's about the only exception north of 47th. Westside is bad starting around the United Center going all the way to Austin.

I guess time does skew things some too. My freshman and sophomore years of high school I lived in a dorm that was on the campus of the old Angel Guardian orphanage (it was called St John Vianney Residence Hall then) at 2000 W Devon in Rogers Park (mid 1980's). I never felt unsafe in that neighborhood, waiting for the 155 Bus to take me to the Loyola University CTA stop to ride the train into school in the morning (I guess that's what y'all call the Red Line now-It was the Englewood (A) or Jackson (B) /Howard Line back in my day).

The Red Line is the Howard-Dan Ryan Line. The Green Line does the Englewood-Jackson Park Line now but it doesn't go to University or Dorchester anymore it terminates at Cottage Grove on that branch. The Dan Ryan branch of the Red Line was just reconstructed in 2013 and used the Englewood branch instead of the Dan Ryan branch when it was under construction and the Green Line went to Cottage Grove. Green Line is also the Lake Street Elevated.