I can remember a time growing up in the early 70s in Sioux Falls when crime was basically unheard of in the city. Now it doesn't mean that crimes never happened, it just means they were few and far between back then.

You could literally leave the keys inside your car at night, and the doors unlocked to your home in 1973 living in Sioux Falls, and not lose a wink of sleep at night. You knew your Chevy Nova was still gonna be in the driveway when you woke up in the morning.

In those days, you could get away with things like that, because there were only a little over 70,000 people living in the city.

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Flash forward 50 years, and things have changed just a bit. The Sioux Falls metro has now risen to more than 202,000 people, and along with it, so has crime.

Even though the crime rate in Sioux Falls is still considered to be relatively low comparatively speaking, it has climbed over 5 decades, I mean it's bound to happen, right?

The website CrimeGrade.org has broken down the safest and most dangerous places to live in South Dakota's largest city. Overall, the website gives Sioux Falls a C+ grade when it comes to crime. That grade basically means we are about average for a city that has a population base exceeding over 200,000 people.

According to CrimeGrade.org, Sioux Falls ranks in the 52nd percentile for safety. This means 48% of comparable U.S. cities are safer and 52% of cities are more dangerous.

As I said, we fall into that average category.

So which areas of Sioux Falls are the safest to call home?

Well, if you're looking for a safe neighborhood in Sioux Falls, you should consider buying a home in the southeast part of the city. CrimeGrade.org says you only have a 1 in 69 chance of being a victim of a crime in that region of the city.

Which area of Sioux Falls is considered the sketchiest?

According to the folks at CrimeGrade.org, that would be northern Sioux Falls neighborhoods.

Now before everyone reading this in north Sioux Falls goes into full Three Mile Island mode and starts having a meltdown defending your northside neighborhood, you should know it does not mean that EVERY northside Sioux Falls neighborhood is considered to be sketch. It simply means the crime data reflects a higher crime rate in that area of the city.

Anyone that has lived in Sioux Falls over the years knows there are some very beautiful homes in that region of the city, that are occupied by some very nice, hardworking, law-abiding people.

The data simply states that the chances of you being a victim of a crime increases to 1 in 18 people in certain northern Sioux Falls neighborhoods.

Truth be told if you ignore the population, the majority of crime happens in central Sioux Falls. About 824 crimes per year to be exact.

CrimeGrade.org claims a crime happens on average about every 1 hour and 56 minutes in Sioux Falls right now.

When it comes to crime in Sioux Falls, theft and vandalism lead the way, followed by drug crimes, and vehicle theft. Things like burglary, and assault fall in the middle, and the crime of murder is still at the very bottom, thank God!

You should also know the data shows Sioux Falls is considered to be safer versus other cities of the same size for crime across the nation. And we're safer than the South Dakota state average when it comes to the crime rate.

That does it, where's McGruff the Crime Dog, I wanna give him an old atta-boy for the work he's doing here in Sioux Falls!

Source: CrimeGrade.org

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10 Most Dangerous Cities in South Dakota

Cities on the east and west side of the Missouri River have made the latest list of South Dakota's Most Dangerous Cities for 2021.

Roadsnacks recently released its most 'Dangerous Cities' list and here in The Mount Rushmore state there are a few surprises, especially at the top. To determine the most dangerous cities in the state, Roadsnacks looked at the FBI's report on the latest violent crime, along with property crime statistics.

And surprisingly, the town with the most murders per capita in the state has less than 3,000 residents. Take a look at the list below.

For a look at the detailed list, visit roadsnacks.com Story Source: Roadsncaks

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