Here Are The 10 Most Dangerous Places In Alaska After Dark
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Courtney
Author
Alaska is not for the faint of heart. This massive state is the largest in the nation and yet again, it has been ranked as the #1 most dangerous state to live in. You might be thinking that it’s the frost bite from living in igloos or the massive grizzly bears attacking anyone who walks down the road eating a reindeer dog. Unfortunately, the cold hard truth is that both violent crime and property crime are on the rise in Alaska. In fact, in just the city of Anchorage alone, there have be 25 murders to date in 2016. No matter what you do, be sure to lock your doors before going to bed at night.
It is no surprise that the most populated place in the state would end up being the most dangerous. More people means more opportunities for crime and violence. Anchorage has become a scary place to be at dark with increasing drug related issues, break-ins and domestic violence. Most shockingly however is the amount of murders that the city has experienced this year. To date there have been 25 in total in 2016. In fact, just within the last month there were three consecutive murders in three days, which sent locals into a state of shock and tremendous fear. Going back just two decades, the only year where the murder rate was higher was 1995 when the year ended with 29 murders. Let's hope this year doesn't end up breaking that record.
With less that 3,500 people making up the population of this town, 85 violent crimes in one year is a whole lot. That statistic alone is around three times as many reported crimes than any other city in the state with similar population size.
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Alaska's Emerald Isle is stunningly beautiful, but unfortunately that does not stop criminals from going to work doing what they do best. Of approximately 6,400 residents living in Kodiak, about 1 in 75 have the chance of being the victim of violence. Kodiak continues to rank as one of the top 3 most dangerous cities in Alaska.
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With a population of roughly 8,630, this small town is probably most famous for being Sarah Palin's hometown. But in recent years, property crime has continued to surge at a growing rate of roughly 33%. In the last few years there has been a steady 1 in 14 chance of being burnt by property crime. So, beware of arsonists!
With a population around 33,000, this city is the second largest in Alaska. Again, with more people seems to come more crime. As the largest city in Interior Alaska, violent crime has continued to steadily rise in recent years. Roughly 1 in 26 residents have the chance of falling victim to a property crime. The 'Golden Heart City' has a lot of wonderful features, but the crime rate is certainly not one of them.
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The 'halibut capital of the world' is a fishing community of roughly 5,500 people. Many residents 'snowbird' in this town which leaves it a sleepy, desolate place during the cold winter months. This cute little town is also known as the 'end of the road' which can often times attract a wide variety of crowds. Locals will say that people sometimes come to Homer to escape the rest of the world. Approximately 1 in 83 people in Homer have a chance of falling victim to a violent crime. Your best bet is to find a charter and set sail into the beautiful Kachemak Bay, away from all the rowdiness.
The population of Bethel is around 6,500. Located near the western coast on the Kuskokwim River, this community is very isolated from the outside world and in fact, it is only accessible via boat or plane. In this community you have approximately a 1 in 115 chance of falling victim to a violent crime.
The North Slope Borough is just under 10,000 residents living throughout roughly eight villages. In they year 2013 alone there were 79 reports of violent crime, 9 reports of rape, and 121 reports of property crime. Given the population, these seem to be alarmingly high numbers. The remote locations and long, dark, cold days during the winter months might have something to do with people acting out of the norm.
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The term "north roader" is known to the locals on the Kenai Peninsula, and unfortunately the association isn't usually a good thing. This area is known for high crime and drug related issues. The motto of Kenai is "Village with a Past – City with a Future" and since 1960 the population has increased by over 1000%. With more people comes more crime. In recent years the viloent crime has increased by around 30% and the property crime is right around that same percentile.
Alaska's state capital city of Juneau is undeniably a breathtakingly beautiful place. In 2013, the violent crime rate ranked 10 in the state whereas the property crime rate ranked 11. The good news is that in recent years this number has said to dropped by roughly 15%.
Stay safe out there, folks. Or better yet, just stay inside (with the doors locked) anytime after dark. Now that we got that over with, let’s focus on some happy stuff. After reading about all those scary crime statistics, you will probably want to escape to one of these 12 small towns in Alaska that offer nothing but peace and quiet.
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