Why San Francisco Is Nearly The Most Crime-Ridden City In The US

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Hoover.Org

San Franciscans face about a 1-in-16 chance each year of being a victim of property or violent crime, which makes the city more dangerous than 98 percent of US cities, both small and large. To put this in perspective, Compton, California, the infamous home of drug gang turf wars, and which today remains more dangerous than 90 percent of all US cities, is almost twice as safe as San Francisco.

Who would have thought that San Francisco would have twice the crime rate of Compton, the latter still a major clearing house for cocaine distribution? This seeming impossibility is what happens when city governance fails spectacularly on just about every important dimension. Welcome to the world of crime in San Francisco, why it is so bad, and why it won’t get better.

Now, it is important to note that interpreting crime statistics is difficult, as some crime may be very concentrated in a few neighborhoods, with many other neighborhoods being safe; and some incidents are small, such as minor property crimes, while others are horrific, including violent crime. But taking note of these interpretation challenges doesn’t change the point that San Francisco is a dangerous city. Consider Presidio Heights, perhaps the most expensive zip code in the United States. Presidio Heights is the chichi neighborhood that is home to Nancy Pelosi, best-selling novelist Danielle Steele, and several members of the Getty family, who funded some of Governor Gavin Newsom’s private businesses.

How expensive? Well, first check out what $2.5 buys you. That is $2.5 million, of course. As the brokers say, if you don’t know that, then don’t bother them. But we can still be online lookie-loos. Take a gander.

This home has about 1,600 square feet, with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. There is no listing for lot square footage, but since this two-level home shares common exterior walls with its neighbors (including what appears to be a commercial building on one side), I am guessing that you would own only about 1,000 square feet or so of terra firma. Views? Don’t expect to see the Golden Gate at the $2.5 million price point. But you will see plenty of your neighbors when you gaze out the windows. Backyard? Don’t expect one. Just be happy that you get to live in Presidio Heights at the bargain price of $2.5.