Most Dangerous vs. Safest Cities in United States
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Rank Score
Green-- 1-50 (49.35)+
Turqouise-- 51-92 (49.35)-(33.00)
Purple-- 93-130 (33.00)-(15.00)
Blue-- 131-193 (15)-15
Pink-- 194-272 15-58
Yellow-- 273-350 58-126.5
Red-- 351-400 126.5+
Data Source : http://os.cqpress.com/citycrime/2010/City_crime_rate_2010-2011_hightolow.pdf
This map shows the distribution of cities in the United States based on safeness. The data provided by cqpress lists cities of populations of 75,000 or more in order of rank of crime index. Crime indexes calculated using the number of reported crimes per year per 100,000 people in the city. The crime index is compared to the national average. A score with parentheses is below the national average (safer than average), and a score without parentheses is above the national average. The 50 safest cities are represented by a green point and the 50 most dangerous cities are represented by red points. The remaining colors correspond to the other 300 cities. From safest to most dangerous: turquoise, purple, blue, pink, yellow (blue being the closest to the national average).
This map shows us several patterns. The most notable pattern is that the red and yellow points (the most dangerous cities) are clustered mostly on the eastern side of the country. The safest cities cluster in Southern California, parts of Texas, and the northeastern states. In he western half of the country, we see clusters of cities in California, but empty space in the rest of the areas. This is because most of these cities have populations less than 75,000. California has its share of dangerous and safe cities. Looking at the top 10 safest and top 10 dangerous cities, there are 3 California cities in each. However, looking in the top 50, California has 7 of the most dangerous and 11 of the safest.
Neogeography
In recent years, people have had more access to geography. This includes both the ability to read maps and the ability to create maps. neogeography has increased the importance of geography to the average person. With more access to map making, geography has much greater potential. Anyone is able to make their own maps, therefore more maps will be made. Being able to make maps easily allows the average person to feel connected to geography. People also have more understanding of geography and how to read maps after they have created their own. Neogeography has made geography much more important to the average person.
However, there are also consequences to neogeography. Though everyone is now able to make a map, we should only rely on them to an extent. Just because everyone can make a map, does't mean everyone should. A lot of the time, these maps have no purpose and are inaccurate. For example, people may wish to make a personal make that lists their favorite places to go or the route they take to work in the morning. This could be useful to that person, however, what purpose does it serve for the rest of the world. Many maps that are being made can only serve individuals or small groups who made the maps. The average person also cannot be trusted to create an accurate and reliable map. People without a background in geography are not knowledgable enough to make an accurate and useful map. We still need geographers to create maps that have a purpose and that are accurate. Though neogeography has made geography more important in society, it still cannot replace the work of geographers.
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