Crime statistics don't tell the whole story. A new way to find quality neighborhoods

[Sean Ploskina]

After reading several posts from the blogs here about finding a 'good' neighborhood I realized I never posted the way I do it.  

I ask the firefighters.

Full disclosure I am one.  However I use the local station as a resource to scout areas and streets.  Firefighters spend all their time in a fairly small area of service and know which streets are 'good' and 'bad'.  I have never found a street that I or my fellow firefighters go to regularly that wasn't a bad area.  We may not go to every crime that happens but the areas with the most incidents of fire and ems calls are not the places you want to buy.  But if you can stump them on the street in their area that is a great sign!  

So take a dozen donuts to the nearest station to the area you are considering and ask the crew. You will be surprised how much they will help you.