The most dangerous city to live in North America is Camden, NJ followed by St. Louis, MO. Rounding up the top 5 include Oakland, Detroit and Flint MI. The safest city in the nation is Colonis, New York.
Camden was named the most dangerous city for 2009 based on a CQ press which keeps a tab on violent crimes on close to 400 cities in America.
Camden located just across the Delaware River from Philadelphia has always been a city with many troubles. This city has a population of nearly 80,000 with a racial makeup of 53% African Americans, 17% Caucasians and the rest made up of Latinos, Asians, Pacific islanders, Native Americans and other races.
The city is also poor and the average per capita income is only $9,815 with close to 44% of the population living below the poverty line- the highest in the nation.
Camden, unfortunately has been passed over for redevelopment for decades. Most Major Corporations have moved out and the downtown is practically devoid of any major businesses.
In 2002, Camden was ranked as the 3rd most dangerous city in America- the chief reason for the crime has been linked to high unemployment and poverty. In 2007, the city had a homicide rate of 53.2 per 100,000 population and this is lightly below the national average.
The city is continuing to struggle with the economic recession and unless state and federal authorities step in and introduce some type of economic package, Camden’s infamous number one ranking will be there for some time to come.