A historic Southwestern town once known for its wine festival and spectacular sunsets has been named the most dangerous suburb in the United States, according to a new study.
Bernalillo, New Mexico, established as a center of trade and agriculture during the Spanish colonial period, was given the unwanted title by Smart asset while battling sky-high crime rates and excessive alcohol consumption.
The personal finance website ranked 360 satellite cities to help property seekers find the best neighborhood, with safety being a key factor for many families looking for their suburban dream home.
Bernalillo, about 15 miles north of Albuquerque, scored particularly low for violent and property crime rates.
Using data from the FBI and neighborhoodscout.com, SmartAsset found that the city of about 9,000 residents has a violent crime rate more than three times that of any of the other 360 suburbs included in the study.
The town of Bernalillo, nestled against New Mexico’s Sandia Mountains, is the most dangerous suburb in the United States, according to a new study by personal finance website SmartAsset.
Its property crime rate per capita was also nearly twice as bad as the next worst place, Capitola, California.
The rankings also took into account traffic deaths, excessive alcohol consumption among adults and drug poisonings based on county health rankings.
The report defined a suburb as a community located between 15 and 45 minutes by car from one of the 100 largest cities in the United States and with a population of at least 5,000.
The safest suburbs were found primarily in the Mountain West, Midwest and East Coast, while the most dangerous areas were predominantly in the South, according to SmartAsset’s analysis.
Rounding out the five worst suburbs were: Lumberton, North Carolina; Scottsburg, Indiana; Petersburg, Virginia; and Asheboro, North Carolina.
New Mexico has long struggled with a high crime rate. In 2022, the rate of reported violent crimes per 100,000 people was 781, compared to the U.S. average of 381, according to FBI data.
The same goes for property crimes, where the state averages nearly 3,000, compared with the national average of about 2,000.
The city of Albuquerque has acknowledged the problem and added $13 million to its police department budget this year.
However, a recent report by New Mexico’s Legislative Finance Committee concluded that city police “were not effectively deterring or solving crime.”
The problem has apparently spread to the suburbs, with neighborhoods like Bernalillo plagued by rising crime.
Bernalillo is the historic center of New Mexico, with settlement dating back nearly a thousand years. Its historic railroad station is a prominent cultural landmark.
This year, WorldAtlas.com named it one of the seven “most charming river towns” in the state and cited the “iconic” Our Lady of Sorrows Church as a top attraction.
House prices in Bernalillo have plummeted by a quarter to below $300,000 in the past year. But its history and nature continue to attract wealthy buyers, and this luxurious three-bedroom property is currently on the market for nearly $2 million.
But the city may feel it still has something to offer, given its history and spectacular surroundings.
Bernalillo is located on the northwest slope of the Sandia Mountains and borders the state’s main river, the Rio Grande.
It is the historic center of New Mexico, whose occupation dates back almost a thousand years.
This year, WorldAtlas.com named it one of the seven “most charming river towns” in the state and cited the “iconic” Our Lady of Sorrows Church and Historic Railroad Depot as notable cultural landmarks.
For 27 years, it hosted the celebrated New Mexico Wine Festival over Labor Day weekend.
But the event had to be suspended in 2014 due to declining attendance.
The Fiestas de San Lorenzo, a celebration of the Mexican Matachines dance, continue to be celebrated every August.
Despite its cultural attractions, high crime rates appear to have affected the local property market.
The median home sales price fell below $300,000 last month, down nearly a quarter from the same period last year, according to real estate website RedFin.
FBI crime data for Bernalillo only goes through 2020, and SmartAsset relies on recent data from neighborhoodscout.com for its report.
Lumberton, North Carolina, is the second most dangerous suburb in the US, according to SmartAsset
The rankings took into account violent and property crime rates, as well as traffic deaths and drug poisonings from County Health Rankings. Petersburg, Virginia (pictured) ranked fourth as the most dangerous county
The website, which analyzes data on crime and safety in communities across the United States, found that Bernalillo was among the 10 percent of most dangerous cities in the country.
The chance of becoming a victim of a violent or property crime in Bernalillo is said to be 1 in 33, one of the highest in the country.
Even in New Mexico, where crime is a serious problem, the crime rate is higher than in 87 percent of other cities and towns in the state.
DailyMail.com has contacted the city’s mayor, Jack Torres, and its police chief, Chris Stoyell, for comment.
SmartAsset declared Lehi, Utah, the safest suburb in the U.S. Located about 30 miles south of Salt Lake City, it had the lowest rate of binge drinking, as well as low rates of violent and property crime.
The other safest suburbs were: Bethesda, Maryland; Layton, Utah; Rockville, Maryland; and Great Falls, Virginia.
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