# Are there any cities where the north side is the rough part of town? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 13, 2009, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-cities-where-the-north-side-is-the-rough-part-of-town/489336 "2009-03-13T15:45:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![lost4life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@lost4life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lost4life)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2009, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-cities-where-the-north-side-is-the-rough-part-of-town/489336/21 "2009-03-13T17:57:30Z")
If you stay within the city limits, Detroit probably qualifies. The north side is Highland Park, the south side is a place called Canada. Knoxville also. All sides get seedy except for west. ---
**Author:** ![CCYMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/87869e/32.png) [@CCYMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CCYMan)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2009, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-cities-where-the-north-side-is-the-rough-part-of-town/489336/22 "2009-03-13T18:00:03Z")
I’ve never been to Vegas, but almost every episode of “Cops” I’ve seen includes a segment filmed in North Las Vegas. Though that may be a separate jurisdiction and not just the northern part of town… ---
**Author:** ![Whiteknight](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whiteknight/32/4962_2.png) [@Whiteknight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whiteknight)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2009, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-cities-where-the-north-side-is-the-rough-part-of-town/489336/23 "2009-03-13T18:05:00Z")
Baltimore, along with the south, east, and west sides. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2009, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-cities-where-the-north-side-is-the-rough-part-of-town/489336/24 "2009-03-13T18:05:55Z")
Indianapolis. If you look at the “where the murders were” map, there’s quite a cluster in the near northeast side. Farther north, it’s pretty calm. ---
**Author:** ![Critical\_Mass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@Critical\_Mass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical_Mass)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2009, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-cities-where-the-north-side-is-the-rough-part-of-town/489336/25 "2009-03-13T18:06:38Z")
Winnipeg’s “North End” has traditionally been home to immigrants to the city. It’s always had a colourful reputation. ---
**Author:** ![Sauron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Sauron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sauron)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2009, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-cities-where-the-north-side-is-the-rough-part-of-town/489336/26 "2009-03-13T18:08:12Z")
Birmingham, Alabama. North and west are the worst areas. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2009, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-cities-where-the-north-side-is-the-rough-part-of-town/489336/27 "2009-03-13T18:09:34Z")
> [@CCYMan](#): > > I’ve never been to Vegas, but almost every episode of “Cops” I’ve seen includes a segment filmed in North Las Vegas. > > Though that may be a separate jurisdiction and not just the northern part of town… [North Las Vegas](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Las_Vegas) is a separate city. Getting back to the topic, in Spokane the South Hill is considered the ritzier area of town while the rougher neighborhoods are to the north and to the east. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2009, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-cities-where-the-north-side-is-the-rough-part-of-town/489336/28 "2009-03-13T18:15:57Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > [North Las Vegas](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Las_Vegas) is a separate city. Not to mention [Paradise](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradise,_Nevada). ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2009, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-cities-where-the-north-side-is-the-rough-part-of-town/489336/29 "2009-03-13T18:22:02Z")
North Fort Myers used to be very bad but I haven’t been there in quite a while. I moved out the same day a guy three houses down from me walked out into the street and began firing at random. No one was hurt but it was scary as hell. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2009, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-cities-where-the-north-side-is-the-rough-part-of-town/489336/30 "2009-03-13T18:26:00Z")
> [@MikeS](#): > > Isn’t the area of the Bronx just across the Harlem River from Manhattan still pretty rough? That could still be considered the “north side” of NYC. Yeah, but it’s the south side of the Bronx. The north side of the Bronx is mostly either middle class (Eastchester, Woodlawn, Pelham) or upper class (Riverdale), though there are some lower class enclaves like Wakefield. In general, the northernmost part of New York, the North Bronx, can’t be considered the “rough part of town.” ---
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2009, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-cities-where-the-north-side-is-the-rough-part-of-town/489336/31 "2009-03-13T18:42:25Z")
Houston. Houston has a number of rough parts, but I’d say the northern areas like Greenspoint and Acres Homes have the worst reps. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2009, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-cities-where-the-north-side-is-the-rough-part-of-town/489336/32 "2009-03-13T19:08:05Z")
My beloved St. Louis has a number of areas that are considered rough. The north side seems to see the most shootings. ---
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2009, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-cities-where-the-north-side-is-the-rough-part-of-town/489336/33 "2009-03-13T22:26:35Z")
Pittsburgh’s North Side has it’s good points and bad points, but generally speaking most people would claim that they wouldn’t want to live there. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2009, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-cities-where-the-north-side-is-the-rough-part-of-town/489336/34 "2009-03-13T23:42:01Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > Aren’t the areas north of Toronto “rough”? The areas that ARE rough are in the north parts of the city. The south part of the city is the lake, which is prime real estate. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Batman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/22d042/32.png) [@The\_Batman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Batman)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2009, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-cities-where-the-north-side-is-the-rough-part-of-town/489336/35 "2009-03-14T00:03:31Z")
Tijuana’s north and eastern sides have always been the rougher part of it. Tepito, the worst part of Mexico City, is on the northern end of it also. It’s technically more closer to the center but its considered the northern end by most. ---
**Author:** ![Bruce\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bruce\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bruce_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2009, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-cities-where-the-north-side-is-the-rough-part-of-town/489336/36 "2009-03-14T00:11:42Z")
Flint Michigan as well ---
**Author:** ![Civil\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d78d45/32.png) [@Civil\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Civil_Guy)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2009, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-cities-where-the-north-side-is-the-rough-part-of-town/489336/37 "2009-03-14T00:55:35Z")
In L.A. it’s probably as confused as it gets because of all the cities jumbled into one population center. Ah, let’s put it this way: L.A. definitely is the rough part of Orange County. (Come to that, the northern side of O.C. is probably the rough part of O.C.) ---
**Author:** ![PeskiPiksi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e495f1/32.png) [@PeskiPiksi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PeskiPiksi)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2009, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-cities-where-the-north-side-is-the-rough-part-of-town/489336/38 "2009-03-14T01:12:56Z")
Count Tulsa, OK in this category, too…the city’s growing south and east. ---
**Author:** ![vandal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/858c86/32.png) [@vandal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vandal)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2009, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-cities-where-the-north-side-is-the-rough-part-of-town/489336/39 "2009-03-14T01:19:35Z")
> [@Civil\_Guy](#): > > In L.A. it’s probably as confused as it gets because of all the cities jumbled into one population center. Ah, let’s put it this way: L.A. definitely is the rough part of Orange County. (Come to that, the northern side of O.C. is probably the rough part of O.C.) The north side of Orange County consists of Brea, La Habra, and Yorba Linda. All of which are by no means “rough.” If anything, the rougher parts of Orange County are the central cities like Santa Ana and Anaheim, with some parts of Garden Grove, mostly the eastern end. In L.A. County, the north side of Long Beach would be considered the rough side because it borders the south end of Compton. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2009, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-cities-where-the-north-side-is-the-rough-part-of-town/489336/40 "2009-03-14T01:20:10Z")
> [@Sauron](#): > > Birmingham, Alabama. North and west are the worst areas. +1 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-cities-where-the-north-side-is-the-rough-part-of-town/489336.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-cities-where-the-north-side-is-the-rough-part-of-town/489336.md?page=3)