30 Street-Smart People Share How To Spot The Signs Of A Bad Neighborhood Early Enough To Leave Unharmed
Your safety, and that of your loved ones, is paramount. Whether you always believe in the best of humankind or are overly suspicious of absolutely everyone you meet, the fact of the matter is simple: not everyone will be kind to you as you go through life. Some people may want to hurt you, take your things, and generally turn your life into hell, whether for financial gain or for pleasure.
Naturally, when you’re looking to buy a house or you’re visiting a new location, one of your priorities is staying safe. If you’re planning to take out a huge loan and finally buy a family home, odds are that you want friendly and polite neighbors who respect your boundaries. What you don’t want is fretting that your spouse or kids might get attacked every time they head out to school or work.
Internet users shared their life experiences in an informative r/AskReddit thread, revealing the red flags that indicate that you’ve just found yourself in a bad neighborhood. From bars on windows everywhere to a suspicious lack of joggers, they pointed out the signs—both overt and subtle—that you might not be all that safe in a particular area. Scroll down, upvote the red flags that you found useful, and share your own insights in the comments, Dear Pandas.
Bored Panda got in touch with personal finance expert, investor, traveler, and best-selling author Rick Orford to get his opinion about how to tell if a property is situated in a good or bad neighborhood, as well as how to pick out a great area for real estate. Read on for our full interview with him!
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In Turkey you check the stray cats out. If cats are friendly towards you, approaches you for pets etc. you are in a good district. Means people in the area are seemingly nice towards animals which aren’t even their pets. Whereas if they are afraid of you, you understand that the people around are not to be f****d with. They are not nice towards harmless animals, why would they be nice to strangers?
"When buying property, there’s an adage that says, 'Buy the worst property in the best area.' However, the best area can mean different things to different people," personal finance and travel expert Rick told Bored Panda that a lot depends on an individual's priorities and lifestyle.
"For instance, the 'best area' could have the best schools, libraries, and access to public transportation. Not only that, but the 'best areas' could also include sports facilities such as indoor/outdoor swimming pools, gymnasiums, tennis courts, and so on," he said.
"For example, living by the beach and having access to good schools are desirable factors in California. Other areas might have different requirements that make them more desirable. Suppose you’re living in a historical city such as Rome. In this case, locals value living near famous landmarks such as the Colosseum and quick access to public transportation. The bottom line: properties tend to appreciate more in areas that tick more boxes."
Confederate flags flying at many homes and businesses
Not gonna lie, I burned a few Confederate flags in my time. I hate that flag and anyone who flies it.
Dogs left out all day and night in fenced yards barking their heads off.
Meanwhile, the expert shared his thoughts about some of the indicators that can help you figure out if a certain neighborhood is 'good' or 'bad.'
Some green flags include:
- "Things look beautiful. I.e., architectural structures, buildings, etc.
- Clean streets and lawns (If in suburbia)
- Lots of desirable schools
- New cars
- Desirable for tourism
- Proximity to high-end stores."
On the flip side, here are some signs that you're probably in a bad neighborhood:
- "Run down infrastructure
- Dirty roads
- Old cars
- Visible homeless population
- Lots of check-cashing stores."
I found out I lived in a "bad" neighborhood once when I was told pizza places didn't deliver to our house.
I have read all the posts and understood that there is no safe place in the world...
When the police see me and offer me an escort out of the area. Yep. For real.
Me too, many, many years ago (1980's I as I remember) when me (a young, very white British guy) wandered into an 'interesting' area in Harlem (which at the time was 99% African American and in parts apparently extremely anti white people), got given a lift out of there by 2 of New York's finest policemen who informed me that snipers would often take pot shots at people in that street !!!
People crave certainty and routine, psychologist Lee Chambers explained to Bored Panda during an earlier interview a while ago. These things help us feel safe and help us plan the future in an organized manner.
“When unpredictable situations or accidents impact us, it can be traumatic, and we will likely feel a sense of disappointment, frustration, and loss," he told us. "It is important however that we embrace the fact that the world can be unpredictable and uncertain, and become more tolerant of this being a reality.”
“Understanding that things are sometimes out of our control helps us to accept that not everything goes to plan, and accept when things happen to us that are negative. This acceptance allows us to embrace the change and difference, and manage our expectations so we can become more resilient to the ups and downs that all our lives lead,” the psychologist said that uncertainty is an inseparable part of life. How we deal with this fact is down to us.
Needles on the sidewalk, as well as a bunch of litter in general. It’s a sign that people are so exhausted by living and trying to survive in an oppressive environment that caring about their surroundings mostly falls by wayside.
You can see that in expensive neighborhoods also, depends on the homeless people count.
I live in a bad neighborhood in Baltimore, so I'm used to a lot of the things people have already put in the comments.
I live directly next to an abandoned housing project called The Perkins Homes. Many of the old convenience stores that were once open to serve the project residents shuttered when all of the people were moved out of their homes. Though the stores and many of the people are gone, a lot of the graffiti remains. The most striking are the children's paintings of guns with big Xs through them to signify that the store was a neutral zone. There are two such paintings on the sidewalks on my block.
Also, finding shell casings when you're taking the dogs on a walk is a good indicator. Or the bullet you find on your back doorstep the day you move in. Ahhh Baltimore - truly America's charm city.
"Post-traumatic growth isn't always simple to explain or utilize, but often the adversity we face can create a precedent for what we can overcome, help us to see what we need to be grateful for, and give us an understanding of the support we do have. A big part of opening the door to grow from our struggles is finding acceptance and taking ownership over what you can control and finding healthy ways to express the negative emotion that comes with challenges that test us," the expert told us that adversity can often help us see what truly matters in life. Traumatic and unexpected situations can also help us better understand our values and purpose in life.
You never see someone jogging.
Conversely, you see lots of people jogging, and all of them are carrying lots of nice things.
Someone with a car stereo system loud enough to vibrate the dishes in your kitchen cabinets every 10 minutes. Just a little reminder, in case you forgot, that you live in a sh*thole
That's my new neighbor where the cops used to visit nightly. At least the new tenants don't need the police to help solve their disagreements.
An adult man riding a child's BMX bike down the center of the road.
The "bail bonds' billboard next to the "having a problem with your heroin addiction " billboard.
Random grocery cart just chillin on the sidewalk. Bonus for missing wheels.
I once found one while swimming in the ocean. Does this mean I was swimming in a red flag neighborhood?
When you mention to locals where you live and they just have a brief look of pity.
Really worn old beat-up cars right next to brand new extremely expensive cars.
depends where u are because i think it might be a regional thing, but shoes hung up on power lines
In my neighborhood it meant the local kids were bored and just needed something to do.
Your neighbors get raided by the police.
A couple months ago, I was just chilling with my kids, waiting for my husband to be off work. Around 7 or 8pm, I hear what sounds like a semi truck pulling into the neighborhood. We live near a fire station, so I don’t think much about it at first. Within seconds, I see a BUNCH of lights flashing through my curtains, my kids are at the OPEN windows, my camera notifications are going off like crazy, and I hear a policeman over a bullhorn saying “this is the police, come out with your hands up.” Repeatedly. I look out and police cars are parked all over the street and a huge armored swat truck is parked across my driveway. I gathered my kids and took them to the back of the house for fear there would be shooting and stray bullets. Luckily, we think it was a drug bust (there has been LOTS of suspicious activity there) and the people surrendered somewhat peacefully it seemed, but it was still the scariest night of my life.
They were all back like a week later and seem to still be selling drugs.
I was doing geotech work on site for a potential cell tower years ago & had to give directions to a coworker (years before google maps were a thing).
I told him it was across the street from the burglar bar manufacturer and the attack dog training school. -pause- "really???" "Yep."
The fluorescent strip club sign has at least 2 letters unlit - 1 is ok but 2 or more you know s**t goes down around the area
Or maybe just having one strip club sign, lit or not, in your neighborhood is a red flag 🤷♀️
Dead gardens and giant weeds everywhere
That would be my neighbor. She has lots of plants, she's in her 80's, and she thinks she's taking care of the plants properly.
Kids sitting on steps who bolt inside when a cop car rolls by.
Based on the conduct of a lot of police, it's often for good reason.
Empty Swisher Sweets packages strewn around the neighborhood.
Had to use the google for this one...in case anyone else is wondering.. Swisher sweets are little cigars and cigarillos.
Here in England at least, I would say that having a higher than average number of independent and non-mainstream fast food eateries (like kebab shops) are a pretty clear red flag. If an obviously low-income area can sustain that many independent fast food businesses, it’s a sign that the area gets a lot of drunks.
In the UK, lots of betting shops... they are placed in areas of high depreivation as people who can afford to gamble the least usually gamble the most.
Certain fast food restaurants always seem to be an indicator. White Castles and Checkers are two I’ve seen often.
Church’s chicken
R u fking kidding me? Better than Popeyes, KFC. Wow, "stay away from black najbor hoods" is all I'm seeing on this list. 🖕 off with that. And we wonder why the USA is still largely segregated.
The street you’re on is called “Martin Luther King Blvd”.
Not "pretty racist" EXTREMELY racist. I think Chris Rock did a bit on this BTW.
Load More Replies...This is absurdly racist. In Manhattan, MLK Blvd is the old 125th Street and used to be the Main Street of Harlem. It gave us the Harlem Renaissance and the Apollo Theater, which is still there. During the 90s, the neighborhood started to become gentrified and is quite clean and charming now. There's a MAC Cosmetics store on MLK Blvd FFS. It's also one of the main access points to both service roads along either side of the city, making it an important and highly trafficked roadway. Whoever wrote this can fūck right off into the East River.
In Des Moines, IA it's one of the nicest streets in an affluent neighborhood - at least it was the last time I was there is 2009ish
Live near here and can confirm it’s still a pretty good area :)
Load More Replies...There is one in every city in America. In a lot of smaller towns too. For a reason. He was a great man.
San Francisco CA. MLK Blvd is a lovely, well maintained road in Golden Gate Park, surrounded by some of the most expensive real estate in the country.
WOW, your racism is showing! I live in King County, named for MLK, which has some of the highest-income and safest cities in it.
This does sound racist, but it also true in the US where I live (Chicago and the surrounding areas). This is due to the US's wealth disparity and institutionalized racism. MLK streets are predominantly in African American areas here. The US, our cities and local governments have done nothing to vitalize these areas, support economic development, provide necessary social services or pro-community policing, which has led to African American communities being impoverished, blighted and marginalized with high crime rates. The fact that this statement is true here is just one of the many reasons that this country needs to be torn down and completely overhauled and reimagined.
yeah, I've read this whole list and over half just seem to be leftover tropes from the eighties and the Reagan years. but of course, thays the point, the neighborhoods have been pushed in that direction for land investors to buy it up cheap.
Well that's horrible. I took a nice walk in MLK park the other night, in one of the nicer neighborhoods in my area
Wow, Bored Panda. You'll censor the word boobs, but open, flagrant racism is totes cool?
Actually, I would NOT move into a neighborhood with a "Jeffrey Dahmer Street" or "Adolf Hitler Blvd." or "Trump Plaza".
This list seems to confuse prejudiced opinions with red flags. While some of these are indicative of a bad neighborhood, others would appear to just be tired old stereotypes. Dilapidated houses and terrible lawns red flag, MLK Blvd being inherently bad is just a racist trope.
Really? In my city it’s one of the two main roads through our Golden Gate Park.
What the heck is wrong with you? If you're ever in Harlem, check out Martin Luther King Blvd. I dare you to change your mind.
Because it's usually white politicians who change the street names. To show how they feel about King they find the worst street they can find and change it to "honor" him.
Load More Replies...I think this one is wrong. Most of the Martin Luther King streets/avenues/and whatevers that I have seen are fairly well designed, big streets that would be considered major thoroughfares and not your local junkie hangouts. The city means to honor the people for whom the street is named and doesn't choose the worst place in the "hood".
You need a reality check Martin Luther King is a name of honor, I'd be proud to live on a street named after him. It does not indicate that it's a bad neighborhood.
I know the next city over has that name, and while yes, it's a fairly bad neighborhood, there are plenty of others that are too. And race has nothing to do with it. People are who they are. There are good and bad everywhere. It's funny how people actually judge based on skin color among other things, rather than what kind of person they are.
this is actually a modification of a malcolm x quote about knowing you are in a low income black neighborhood b/c that's where cities always put a lincoln high school...today's modern version is MLK blvd....the next iteration may be BLM Blvd....sad that we still have this mess.
This street is in my state, which is sadly overrun by red hats at this time. If you look at the statistics over the last five years, these guys have run out entire corporations, industries, and employable people because they don't connect how their political policies are behind these losses.
Is this supposed to be sarcasm or a reflection of where you, specifically, live?
Load More Replies...Let's look at it from the other end. Why do we not find Martin Luther King Boulevards in rich white neighborhoods?
Not only is this racist but the cities that make these street names are as well. MLK Blvd, in most U.S cities Mena's it is run down and there is a high poverty rate along with copious amounts of crime.
Fun fact, Coast Guard Headquarters is on Martin Luther King Jr Blvd in Washington, DC. And yes, it is in a bad part of town.
Whoever listed this one must've had a bad experience on said blvd. and just wants to blanket all MLK Jr blvds. as "bad." So not true. Racist statement if there ever was one.
This posts mostly is just hating on poor neighbourhoods. Yeah, things are tough in many of these places but it’s a bit shitty to put them all here without the context of why they exist… from the point of view of this article bad neighbourhood=poor neighbourhood
I was going to say the same thing. These are just stereo types. Poor does not equal bad
Load More Replies...Bad neighborhood apparently means "not wealthy and shiny". Well, I'm rural to my very DNA, and we're allergic to huge wasteful lawns, oversized houses, bragging vehicles (e.g., Mercedes instead of a Toyota or Subaru), and being told we're bad by people who *buy our produce to brag about buying local/organic*. I'm a farm kid, and I object to this whole post. :-)
Am I the only one who thinks this list got a lil racist and stereotypical the more it went on...
If you spot me walking around, you know that you've taken a turn onto a bad neighborhood.
Wow. Whether intentional or not this article is racist af. And classist.
Almost all of these are classist. A few of them are straight up racist. Edit to say they are intentionally racist, the people who posted them knew exactly what they were doing. This entire post didn't need to happen, but those last two in particular should never have seen the light of day.
So many of these, like food carts serving foreign food, are just indicators of people of color simply existing in the neighborhood. I don't think that's an indicator of bad neighborhoods, but some of these posts are good indicators that many people think the presence of different races indicates a bad neighborhood. Lots of racism here in this article. I've lived in very affluent neighborhoods I considered bad because the people were assholes. And I've lived in poor neighborhoods where everyone cared and looked out for each other. Half these OPs need to take a hard look at themselves and their priorities.
Is it just me or is most of this s**t just thinly veiled racist/classist stereotypes? I grew up rural in the country, most of my first apartments were in "bad neighborhoods" and now I live in middle upper class suburb - and some of those "bad neighborhoods" were some of my favorite places to live! Everything within walking distance, friendly neighbors, beautiful homes for lower cost rent... Yeah, sounds awful 🙄
When we moved to Kingston, NY we knew we were going to be right on the border of nice and seedy - I called the police and asked their opinion. Got an honest answer and that sealed our decision. We've had issues but that can happen in any city and our neighbors are some really outstanding people
That's a great idea! Wow, hadn't even thought of doing that, need to remember if I move to an unfamiliar area, thanks!
Load More Replies...Dog poop, litter (used condoms and drug paraphernalia!) and broken glass on the sidewalks. This is my neighborhood, so I drive to the next city's nice park to walk my dogs.
The 7/11 stores, which are normally open 24/7, close for the night. Very young kids are playing outside, bare-foot, past sunset, unsupervised. Fireworks are being set off every night as a diversion to the gunshots, so if people call in gunshot reports the police are not as quick to believe they're gunshots. (Seriously, I did this before and it was a bit of a battle and I was questioning myself what I was hearing in the end.). Police don't care if someone goes missing, especially a man. "He's a grown man. He can take care of himself. Why wouldn't he come home? What's going on there?" Like, geez.
In Sweden, BIG grey soviet looking buildings in the suburbs next to the train station= bad area
I lived in Fittja on the 10th floor. It was fantastic as my angle didn't look over to any buildings and all I saw was lush green. But yeah they're terrible. The guys in the supermarket that sold 1/4, 1/2 or whole goats kept asking if my wife was Greek or Eastern European because they couldn't believe a Swede lived out there. That was back nearly 20 years back, I don't know how it is now, probably worse.
Load More Replies...Broken glass on the street. Lots of very skinny people who are badly dressed. Badly maintained housing. People shouting up to windows..
F**k you!!... die yuppie scum! I love my hood, and the people in it are absolutely lovely. Regards from Durham, North Carolina!
I'd add that lots of non-winning scratch and lottery tickets littered around. Not necessarily a bad neighborhood but always a sign of a poor one.
I’m from Baltimore. I don’t like this- mostly good people in “bad” neighborhoods. But I have one to add- When you see a memorial for someone on a corner. In Baltimore, it’s common to put out stuff the person liked (sometimes liquor bottles, etc). The person was shot and killed there. Sad.
Love how BoredPanda has to use content from Reddit to make their own. Like, why not just make it a question here? Oh, wait, I forgot. BoredPanda is just filled with people who have never experienced a poor neighborhood. Seriously. Stop using Reddit! Make your own dang content!
I was looking for an apartment with my wife, and in one location, noticed the crowbar scars on the doors, with occasional screw-on metal door protectors.
Of course your idiotic comment completely ignores the fact that crime is higher in red states/red cities than blue ones. But then again what can we expect from people stupid enough to vote for a traitor.
Load More Replies...This posts mostly is just hating on poor neighbourhoods. Yeah, things are tough in many of these places but it’s a bit shitty to put them all here without the context of why they exist… from the point of view of this article bad neighbourhood=poor neighbourhood
I was going to say the same thing. These are just stereo types. Poor does not equal bad
Load More Replies...Bad neighborhood apparently means "not wealthy and shiny". Well, I'm rural to my very DNA, and we're allergic to huge wasteful lawns, oversized houses, bragging vehicles (e.g., Mercedes instead of a Toyota or Subaru), and being told we're bad by people who *buy our produce to brag about buying local/organic*. I'm a farm kid, and I object to this whole post. :-)
Am I the only one who thinks this list got a lil racist and stereotypical the more it went on...
If you spot me walking around, you know that you've taken a turn onto a bad neighborhood.
Wow. Whether intentional or not this article is racist af. And classist.
Almost all of these are classist. A few of them are straight up racist. Edit to say they are intentionally racist, the people who posted them knew exactly what they were doing. This entire post didn't need to happen, but those last two in particular should never have seen the light of day.
So many of these, like food carts serving foreign food, are just indicators of people of color simply existing in the neighborhood. I don't think that's an indicator of bad neighborhoods, but some of these posts are good indicators that many people think the presence of different races indicates a bad neighborhood. Lots of racism here in this article. I've lived in very affluent neighborhoods I considered bad because the people were assholes. And I've lived in poor neighborhoods where everyone cared and looked out for each other. Half these OPs need to take a hard look at themselves and their priorities.
Is it just me or is most of this s**t just thinly veiled racist/classist stereotypes? I grew up rural in the country, most of my first apartments were in "bad neighborhoods" and now I live in middle upper class suburb - and some of those "bad neighborhoods" were some of my favorite places to live! Everything within walking distance, friendly neighbors, beautiful homes for lower cost rent... Yeah, sounds awful 🙄
When we moved to Kingston, NY we knew we were going to be right on the border of nice and seedy - I called the police and asked their opinion. Got an honest answer and that sealed our decision. We've had issues but that can happen in any city and our neighbors are some really outstanding people
That's a great idea! Wow, hadn't even thought of doing that, need to remember if I move to an unfamiliar area, thanks!
Load More Replies...Dog poop, litter (used condoms and drug paraphernalia!) and broken glass on the sidewalks. This is my neighborhood, so I drive to the next city's nice park to walk my dogs.
The 7/11 stores, which are normally open 24/7, close for the night. Very young kids are playing outside, bare-foot, past sunset, unsupervised. Fireworks are being set off every night as a diversion to the gunshots, so if people call in gunshot reports the police are not as quick to believe they're gunshots. (Seriously, I did this before and it was a bit of a battle and I was questioning myself what I was hearing in the end.). Police don't care if someone goes missing, especially a man. "He's a grown man. He can take care of himself. Why wouldn't he come home? What's going on there?" Like, geez.
In Sweden, BIG grey soviet looking buildings in the suburbs next to the train station= bad area
I lived in Fittja on the 10th floor. It was fantastic as my angle didn't look over to any buildings and all I saw was lush green. But yeah they're terrible. The guys in the supermarket that sold 1/4, 1/2 or whole goats kept asking if my wife was Greek or Eastern European because they couldn't believe a Swede lived out there. That was back nearly 20 years back, I don't know how it is now, probably worse.
Load More Replies...Broken glass on the street. Lots of very skinny people who are badly dressed. Badly maintained housing. People shouting up to windows..
F**k you!!... die yuppie scum! I love my hood, and the people in it are absolutely lovely. Regards from Durham, North Carolina!
I'd add that lots of non-winning scratch and lottery tickets littered around. Not necessarily a bad neighborhood but always a sign of a poor one.
I’m from Baltimore. I don’t like this- mostly good people in “bad” neighborhoods. But I have one to add- When you see a memorial for someone on a corner. In Baltimore, it’s common to put out stuff the person liked (sometimes liquor bottles, etc). The person was shot and killed there. Sad.
Love how BoredPanda has to use content from Reddit to make their own. Like, why not just make it a question here? Oh, wait, I forgot. BoredPanda is just filled with people who have never experienced a poor neighborhood. Seriously. Stop using Reddit! Make your own dang content!
I was looking for an apartment with my wife, and in one location, noticed the crowbar scars on the doors, with occasional screw-on metal door protectors.
Of course your idiotic comment completely ignores the fact that crime is higher in red states/red cities than blue ones. But then again what can we expect from people stupid enough to vote for a traitor.
Load More Replies...