What Are the Most Dangerous Parts of New York City?

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If you’re thinking about a trip to New York City, or even if you might move there, you may only envision the borough of Manhattan. Manhattan is one of the wealthiest places in the world, and there are amazing restaurants, Broadway shows, and great shops. While that’s what most of us think of first when we think New York City, there’s much more to it than that.

There are five boroughs, and many of them have some of the country’s most dangerous neighborhoods.

There are different ways to calculate the risks of these boroughs and neighborhoods too. For example, if you’re looking at car accidents, the risk is greatest in Queens. In June 2019, there were more accidents in Queens than anywhere else in New York City, and following behind closely was Brooklyn. There were significantly fewer accidents in Manhattan.

There are also issues like violent crime, petty crimes like thefts, and even health-related risks, which many of us are thinking a lot about right now with the coronavirus pandemic.

The following are some things to know about the most dangerous areas of New York City.

Brownsville

Brownsville is a neighborhood in East Brooklyn, and it’s often named as one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in New York City.

Brownsville is also called the deadliest New York City neighborhood, with a low life expectancy due to violence, drug-related deaths, and a high infant mortality rate.

In Brownsville, in 2017, there were 809.4 deaths per 100,000 residents, with a citywide average of only 545.7.

Brownsville had the highest homicide rate in the city from 2013 to 2017, and the neighborhood has the highest number of drug-related deaths in Brooklyn and among the highest in the city.

The Bronx

As far as entire boroughs, The Bronx may be considered one of the most dangerous. It has the second-highest rate of major crimes in the city.

The Bronx is New York’s northernmost borough, and it’s the only part of New York City that’s part of North America’s mainland.

Mott Haven is one Brooklyn neighborhood that’s among the poorest areas in the country.

According to Area Vibes, Mott Haven gets an F for the crime.

The total crime rate is 154% higher than the whole of New York, and the chance of being a victim of crime in Mott Haven is 1 in 23. The income per capita is 55% lower than the U.S. average, as is the median household income.

East Harlem

Many of New York’s housing projects are plagued by crime, including in the East Harlem neighborhood.

For example, in NYC Housing Authority complexes, there was a 17% increase in murders in 2018.

The Wagner Houses in East Harlem has become known as a hotbed of gang activity in the city, with a 15% crime increase in 2018.

Wagner Houses ranked in the top five for four violent crime categories which include murder, rape, robbery, and assault.

The Wagner Houses was somewhat ironically where Mayor Bill DeBlasio made the announcement that was putting hundreds of millions of dollars into making the New York City Housing Authority complexes safer throughout the city.

Long-time residents of the Wagner Houses say crime in the area is the worst they’ve ever seen it right now.

Astoria

Astoria as a whole isn’t necessarily among the most dangerous parts of New York City, but certain parts are including the Queensbridge Houses which is also a New York City Housing Authority complex.

Much of the violence here also comes from gang activity.

Queensbridge is the largest public housing development in the country, with almost 7,000 residents.

The development is located along the East River.

Where Has the Coronavirus Been Most Dangerous?

A topic of much discussion and concern right now is the coronavirus, which has also been most dangerous in some of New York’s already suffering neighborhoods.

Public health officials believe some of this comes from the fact that people who live in poorer neighborhoods in New York don’t have the option to telecommute for work, and more people may live in the same household.

Elmhurst, Corona and Jackson Heights have seen an influx of coronavirus cases and deaths in Queens, which is located to the south of LaGuardia airport.

Unfortunately, the risk of crime is often linked to poverty, and poverty can be associated with health care disparities, which creates a myriad of difficult-to-overcome obstacles for residents of some of New York’s more dangerous communities.

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Professor Mike

Professor Mike is a left-leaning, dog loving, political junkie. He has written dozens of articles for Substack, Medium, Simily, and Tribel. Professor Mike has been published at Smerconish.com, among others. He is a strong proponent of the environment, and a passionate protector of animals. In addition he is a fierce anti-Trumper. Take a moment and share his work.

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