In many ways, what constitutes a “bad” neighborhood is in the eye of the beholder. For example, some may fear the hustle, bustle, and traffic in crowded neighborhoods, and vice versa. One standard remains for determining a “bad” neighborhood that never fails: its crime rate.
Safety should be the top concern for any Jacksonville resident. Not many studies have been done to determine neighborhood-specific crime rates, but some have been done.
In 2010, First Coast News set out to find the most dangerous neighborhood in Jacksonville by analyzing crime data collected from the JSO.
According to the results of his investigation, the most dangerous area in Jacksonville is on the north side of Jacksonville, around the 1000 block of Kings Rd. This area is near Edward Waters College.
Another study listing America’s most dangerous neighborhoods found different results. According to the DailyFinance.com study, the area between Broad St. and Beaver St. (between downtown Jacksonville and Springfield) is the fourth most dangerous “neighborhood”, not just in Jacksonville, but in all of America.
After browsing through local message boards and forums, I discovered that the prevailing belief for Jacksonville residents is that the majority of Northside and Westside are riddled with crime. This, according to the data, is simply not true. All areas of Jacksonville, be it Southside, Arlington, Mandarin or Intracoastal, have pockets of crime infested areas – certain blocks in all areas of the city simply have high crime rates.
