It's always a question you get asked by someone considering moving to Amarillo. Maybe it's a question you ask yourself when deciding to move within the city.

Is Amarillo a safe place to live? Look, we know about all the crimes we've heard of. Drug busts, murders, theft. We seem to hear about it all the time. Sometimes it can feel like the entire city is just a wreck and no matter where you go, you'll be a victim of SOME sort of crime before it's all said and done.

We have numerous different things we can look at when deciding to move, whether into the city or within the city. The police have several different types of maps available to them so they can figure out where they need to focus the most when it comes to crimes and what types of crimes.

While we may not have access to THEIR reports, there are maps and other things we DO have access to. Crime Grade has a great website that breaks down a lot of similar stuff that the police maps do, and it really allows you to make a great decision.

According to Crime Grade, Amarillo has a rate of crime that is slightly higher than the average in the country. 33% of cities are more dangerous than Amarillo as a whole, but that doesn't mean it's not safe. It just means you need to be selective about where you live.

OVERALL CRIME

Crime Grade screenshot
Crime Grade screenshot
loading...

Here's a look at the overall crime in Amarillo broken down by area. The darker the green, the safer the area is. When you see red, it means that crime, in general, is high in that particular area. The first thing we notice is that the red really starts north of I-40 with the northwest area of the city being one of the highest crime spots.

PROPERTY CRIME

Crime Grade screenshot
Crime Grade screenshot
loading...

As you take a look at the property crime map and compare it to the overall map, you'll notice some changes. Some of the red turns to a lighter orange and some areas that were dark green get a bit lighter. This map shows us that the crimes in some of those green areas are more property-related crimes than they are violent crimes. If you live in these areas, you'll want to do what you can to protect your vehicles and also your homes. Property-related crimes will be more theft and vandalism in nature.

VIOLENT CRIME

Crime Grade screenshot
Crime Grade screenshot
loading...

This is the map that was most alarming to me. We saw all the red north of I-40 and it would appear that the majority of these crimes in those areas are violent-type crimes. Assaults, murders, etc. are high in these areas. If you look out towards the northeast part of the city near the airport, you see a LOT of red. These are areas you probably want to avoid if you're not looking to commit any crimes or potentially become a statistic in a crime.

In conclusion, it would appear you want to be living south of I-40 if possible, and to be more specific, the southwest part of the city. Just because you live in an area that is either red or a shade of red, it doesn't mean something WILL happen where you live, it just means there's a higher possibility that it does.

Amarillo Criminals On Death Row

Amarillo's Biggest Drug Busts in 2021.....So Far

Amarillo can be a rowdy place with some lawless characters. Here's some of the biggest drug busts made in Amarillo for 2021 so far....and a little bit of the backstory.

Let's just say that these folks are in t-r-o-u-b-l-e.

Note from editor: An indictment is not a conviction. All individuals shown below who have not appeared in court for a judgement are to be presumed innocent until proven guilty.

More From NewsTalk 940 AM