The data for crime in the City of Atlanta thus far in 2016 is available to the public and can be viewed in a nifty map form here. Some takeaways from a quick perusal of the numbers:
- Homicide is up in 2016. With 52 homicides through June 30th, that rate is up over 18% from 2015. 90% of those murders took place in zones 1, 3, and 4, which make up South and Southwest Atlanta, the most dangerous parts of the city. Zones 2, 5, and 6, (North Atlanta, Downtown/Midtown, and East Atlanta) have had only 6 murders thus far.
- Overall, crime is down. Aggravated assault, auto theft, larceny, residential burglary, and robbery all have lower rates than in 2015.
- Zone 6 is making strides. Zone 6, made up of East Atlanta’s rapidly gentrifying neighborhoods, (Virginia Highlands, Inman Park, Edgewood, Grant Park) saw the biggest jump in safety. Unsurprising, considering its neighborhoods are among the fastest growing in the city.
So what conclusions can we draw from this information? Overall, Atlanta is getting safer. Most crimes have seen their numbers decrease, with the glaring exception of murder. Most of those homicides though have come in very particular areas which most Atlanta residents are unlikely to find themselves in.
Crime rates in the ‘safe’ parts of the city are growing lower and lower, while in the ‘dangerous’ zones they have ticked upwards, perhaps due to gentrification pricing out much of the criminal element and driving them down to the south of the city.
