Will My Dogs Be Safe?

[Miss Fixit]

I've lived in Riverside, Avondale, Ortega, San Marco, and now Springfield.

Moved to Avondale in 1989, so have more history than mtrain.  Owned a business in 5 points in the mid '90s.  Riverside and Avondale never had the issues with homeless traffic and panhandling that parts of Springfield still have today, but crime was MUCH worse - both property and personal/violent crimes.  And still is today, based on what my Avondale friends share with me.

I lived in Avondale proper, an area that never declined very far, and had bicycles stolen from my garage, power tools taken out of the yard, and people stopping to ask for money.  My children's babysitter was attacked and raped in her home just a few blocks away.  Several neighbors held up at gun point. Boyfriend's car stolen from in front of his home on Riverside Avenue.

In San Marco (just down the street from our mayor) my front door has been kicked in and all of my electronics stolen; lawn equipment regularly disappears; dozens of cars are broken into on a regular basis.  Last week a neighbor who was jogging in front of our elementary school was flashed by a totally nude guy at 6:30 a.m. At Christmas all of our outdoor decorations were stolen from our front porch and lawn.

During 18 months of owning property in Springfield I have had no thefts and never felt threatened.  Yes, occasionally someone stops and asks me for work.  There IS a lot of questionable foot traffic and some related littering.  But I have never lived anywhere with more interesting, caring neighbors and such incredible cameraderie.

Springfield is not for everyone.  But it is no more dangerous than any other part of town.

[mtraininjax]

To each his/her own. I guess I still believe Springfield to be dangerous, but there are people living in Mandarin who will not go downtown, because they fear for their lives. I've never had an issue in Avondale or Riverside and walk/run through them daily. Never an issue. I know crime exists, but, knock on wood, I have not see it in my neighborhood in Avondale, one of the original 4 streets of Avondale.

[fsujax]

Springfield isn't dangerous. I have lived there since 2005. I grew up in the Murray Hill and Riverside areas. My grandparents lived on Ernest between King and Stockton, now that was dangerous. My uncle actually got shot (armed robbery) one evening walking home from the bus stop on Stockton St. Drug raids across the street were a common thing, the little store on the corner of Stockton and Ernest was robbed all the time. There was no "Brewery District" and Park and King was a dump. I guess it is all relative and what you are used too. I have had nothing bad happen to me, my property (ok stolen plants once), my animals or my neighbors since I moved to Springfield.

[CityLife]

Its usually the bandwagoners in Riverside/Avondale that like to sometimes call out Springfield's negatives, because they weren't in Riverside/Avondale when it was still a little rough.

LOL! I purchased in Dec 1999. I know it was dreaded back then. Shops of Avondale were No where near the destination they are now, 5-points was a ghost town, the old Riverside Hospital was still standing and the Publix was not there yet. Back then, Avondale was not a destination it is now. Perhaps the success of the commercial and retail stores is part of the reason for the crime. More people, brings more opportunity.

If they people stealing my friends stuff on Silver lived in the alleys and back-streets of Avondale, I am sure we would have more of an issue here too. But just the same, the cops in Avondale can be real tools when you show up and don't look like you belong. I am sure they are sweet-hearts as well in Springfield, but my experience with cops in Avondale would rival some of the stories you may have in Springfield.

There are still parts of Riverside that rival Springfield. North Riverside is not a casual place to loiter after dark.

Still got ya by 3 years MTrain, ha. My post was more of a generalization though. I know quite a few people who live in Riverside now that think it is the greatest place on earth, yet would never come hang out there with me in the late 90's when we were in high school.

When did your friend live on Silver? Very few people live in alley's and back streets of Springfield, if any. Most of our issues come from people outside of the Historic District and people passing through. Just like much of Riverside/Avondale's issues come from the other side of Roosevelt.

Another thing I can add about the cops. The original poster probably dealt with cops that primarily focus outside of Springfield. I was once looking to buy someone's house that I know. They gave me their alarm code and key to check the place out. The alarm was on stay and it went off when I opened the door. A young cop came after 5 minutes and asked me and my wife, "why the hell are you looking to buy around here"? He went into a 5 minute tirade about how horrible the area is. Little did he know that I worked at SPAR. So I told the local Police Sgt. Turns out the young cop's area was north of 20th Street. Which doesn't even directly border Springfield. He was reprimanded by superiors and given an education.

Cops all think their area is the worst area on earth. They typically deal with the worst people in those areas. They can probably give juicy gossip to people, but they don't know what its like to live somewhere.

[CityLife]

Rode bikes with 4 other guys from 10:30 to 12:30 last night in Springfield. We went up and down just about every street in the area, went in many alley's and even went up to the Warehouse District north of Springfield.

As it usually is, the neighborhood was quiet as can be. Other than the dudes at 8th and Liberty and 8th and Hubbard I think nobody else was even out.

Springfield is safe as can be. Especially in the daytime. Springfield is as safe as a suburban subdivision in the daytime. Unless of course you are scared of the occasional 62 year old homeless guy walking through who is 5'11 137 pounds.

[danno]

I hear of the occasional petty crime like a stolen bike, or stolen yard equipment.

My friend used to live on Silver between 7th and 8th. He had to chain everything in his backyard to the fence for fear of it walking off on its own. That is the only way he knew of keeping his stuff from being stolen. So yeah, that keeps crime down.

So glad I do not have to do this in Avondale.

I probably know who your friend was.

I have lived on Silver between 7th & 8th for 12 years.  It was like that many years back... Now not so much.  I had a charcoal grill stolen out of the back yard with coals in it while we wee eating dinner.

[fsujax]

I would chain my grill even if I lived in Ponte Vedra!

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

I would chain my grill even if I lived in Ponte Vedra!

Most of the HOA's only allow you to chain your personal chef to it.  So be careful.

[ChriswUfGator]

LOL, mtrain.  My buddy in Avondale had his door kicked down while he was at work yesterday.  When he got home, his TVs and computers were gone.  If he had little dogs, they could have been wandering the streets.

It happens everywhere.

Seconded. My mom can't leave her garage doors open anymore since she's had so much taken out of there. And this is in a part of Avondale that barely even has pedestrian traffic.

I really wish all of the bandwagoners who have recently moved to Riverside/Avondale knew what it was like 10 or so years ago. I used to see dudes smoking crack when I was playing ball at Willow Branch Park. I once saw a guy get stabbed there over a basketball game. Once got trapped on a car roof by two stray Rottweilers for 10 minutes until someone could call the cops. Gas station on Park south of Edgewood was shady as hell. And this was just Avondale. I'm sure Riverside west of Park was much worse.

Its usually the bandwagoners in Riverside/Avondale that like to sometimes call out Springfield's negatives, because they weren't in Riverside/Avondale when it was still a little rough.

I have lived in Riverside since since 2000. I bought my first property in Springfield in 2001. I know both neighborhoods.

[mtraininjax]

I would chain my grill even if I lived in Ponte Vedra!

My grill remains unchained in Avondale, so if you really need it, have at it! 

[jagnole04]

If they were serious about looking to buy in Springfield, then hearing wild stories and then hearing the truth, should have raised a red flag about the wild stories and any validity to them. Also, wouldn't this person, if serious, have read through the springfield threads and after doing so, realized that this is actually one of the safest neighborhoods?

Me thinks we were just being poked by a troll  

To the troll remarks.. JagNole is a friend of mine.  He has been looking to move to one of the urban neighborhoods for a while now and has finally reached the point financially to where he can buy.  He has always been a fan of springfield but expressed his concern with crime to me.  I recommended MJ to him and advised him to start a thread asking residents for their honest opinion.  He was not aware of this site/online community until this past sunday.  I recommended the site because not only am I a daily reader but when I was looking to move out of the suburbs two years ago I posted a similar thread concerning Riverside and the members of MJ greatly influenced my decision to move to Riverside.  And now I love where I live and I am hoping that MJ will be able to help JagNole out as much as it did me.

The person may be a friend, but with them making such a snap decision after only a few serious posts (as most on the first page were jokes between regulars) and nothing was negative....but yet they decided that this isn't the neighborhood for them....please....it's more than clear that they weren't serious, if they were, then there would still be dialog between them and the others here...but is there...nope..so what are those sincerely responding to think....which is the conclusion I came to as well

I am not a troll.  I am sorry I did respond and interact as you thought I should.  Thank you A-Finnius for being my friend and sticking up for me.  I apologize too if I have offended anyone.  It was not my intention and I had no ill meaning.  I just want to hear from everyone before I make one of the biggest decisions of my life and that I make a well informed decision.  There is no "snap" decision nor did I ever say it was not the place for me and that I am not interested.  I am trying to make an informed decision. 

I have never purchased a home before.  I have never lived in a urban area.  I live in Mandarin now and I have lived in several cities but always in the burbs.  I agree it is boring and I cannot stand it and I need out and want to be in a real neighborhood.  There is crime where I live to.  It is however different for me to think of place like Springfield as I have never lived in a neighborhood like that.  I fell in the love with the area and have enjoyed meeting all the people I have met.

I simply wanted to know the safety of my dogs while I was not home.  Not about cats killing them and goats.  I am concerned about the break-ins I see on the COJ website.  It is an alarming number so I wanted to hear from more people in Springfield.  While it may be trivial to some, my pets are my children and are treated as such.  I am concerned for their safety and want to know they will be safe before I would purchase a home.  

Thank you to everyone who shared their stories of their life in Springfield and explained to me how it was for them and how they got there.  I really appreciate that and that helped me in many ways.  It was the honest answers I was looking for.  

Again I am sorry if I offended anyone or created drama.  That was not my intention.

 

[wsansewjs]

If they were serious about looking to buy in Springfield, then hearing wild stories and then hearing the truth, should have raised a red flag about the wild stories and any validity to them. Also, wouldn't this person, if serious, have read through the springfield threads and after doing so, realized that this is actually one of the safest neighborhoods?

Me thinks we were just being poked by a troll  

To the troll remarks.. JagNole is a friend of mine.  He has been looking to move to one of the urban neighborhoods for a while now and has finally reached the point financially to where he can buy.  He has always been a fan of springfield but expressed his concern with crime to me.  I recommended MJ to him and advised him to start a thread asking residents for their honest opinion.  He was not aware of this site/online community until this past sunday.  I recommended the site because not only am I a daily reader but when I was looking to move out of the suburbs two years ago I posted a similar thread concerning Riverside and the members of MJ greatly influenced my decision to move to Riverside.  And now I love where I live and I am hoping that MJ will be able to help JagNole out as much as it did me.

The person may be a friend, but with them making such a snap decision after only a few serious posts (as most on the first page were jokes between regulars) and nothing was negative....but yet they decided that this isn't the neighborhood for them....please....it's more than clear that they weren't serious, if they were, then there would still be dialog between them and the others here...but is there...nope..so what are those sincerely responding to think....which is the conclusion I came to as well

I am not a troll.  I am sorry I did respond and interact as you thought I should.  Thank you A-Finnius for being my friend and sticking up for me.  I apologize too if I have offended anyone.  It was not my intention and I had no ill meaning.  I just want to hear from everyone before I make one of the biggest decisions of my life and that I make a well informed decision.  There is no "snap" decision nor did I ever say it was not the place for me and that I am not interested.  I am trying to make an informed decision. 

I have never purchased a home before.  I have never lived in a urban area.  I live in Mandarin now and I have lived in several cities but always in the burbs.  I agree it is boring and I cannot stand it and I need out and want to be in a real neighborhood.  There is crime where I live to.  It is however different for me to think of place like Springfield as I have never lived in a neighborhood like that.  I fell in the love with the area and have enjoyed meeting all the people I have met.

I simply wanted to know the safety of my dogs while I was not home.  Not about cats killing them and goats.  I am concerned about the break-ins I see on the COJ website.  It is an alarming number so I wanted to hear from more people in Springfield.  While it may be trivial to some, my pets are my children and are treated as such.  I am concerned for their safety and want to know they will be safe before I would purchase a home.  

Thank you to everyone who shared their stories of their life in Springfield and explained to me how it was for them and how they got there.  I really appreciate that and that helped me in many ways.  It was the honest answers I was looking for.  

Again I am sorry if I offended anyone or created drama.  That was not my intention.

You might want to see this link. http://www.myspringfield.org/General/springfields-perception-vs-reality-part-1-of-3-crime.html

It explains the statistics of Springfield and its crime.

-Josh

[fsujax]

you didnt offend anyone. MJ loves drama! you should move to Springfield, it truly is a great place.

[jagnole04]

you didnt offend anyone. MJ loves drama! you should move to Springfield, it truly is a great place.

I can tell that it is.  I have looked at other areas, but I don't get excited like I do in Springfield.  I really like it there, but I was concerned about the crime (I think that is a valid concern), but I am getting a better feel for it and more comfortable.  The first house I looked at I did fall in love with.  I still think about it a lot.  W 12th just has a different feel than the rest of Springfield.  I think I would rather be in the mix. 

Go Noles!

[John P]

Gentrifiying neighborhoods breathe potential and excitement. It is palpable. Riverside and Springfield are exciting communities because they have not reached their potential and things are constantly changing.