Columbia City Rant (for Seattle area folks)

[DOHC Outback]

http://www.columbiacityseattle.com/

My personal experiences with Columbia City are very different from this website's rosy description. About two months ago, my girlfriend and I drove down to get dinner at La Medusa (first time having ever been there). I'll never go back again.

Why? My car (which is a used Japanese wagon, completely nondescript in Seattle) with nothing of value visible, got ransacked in broad daylight one block off CC's main drag, Rainier Avenue.

The only really valuable thing the thieves stole was my portable GPS unit. They took a 6 year old North Face backpack I got for $20 at an REI sale and a stereo faceplate (didn't take the stereo!).

However, ALL this stuff was hidden. Which means that the thieves broke into my car just to see if anything was hidden in it.

And I wouldn't be writing this if Columbia City wasn't trying to market itself as the next Ballard. Columbia City is NOT Ballard, Fremont or Wallingford. It is a high crime neighborhood with a few pockets of gentrification.

Sure, artsy little homes and stylish townhouses are cheap there, but do I feel like being robbed at gunpoint? No. Moreover, I always complained about the lack of hipness of the Eastside until this episode. Now, I'm thankful for the efficiency of the Bellevue & Kirkland PDs in keeping both cities clean. You don't see drugged-out gangsters walking through downtown Bellevue or Kirkland.

"With an authenticity that's hard to match, Columbia City is the commercial center for the surrounding neighborhoods of Mount Baker, Lakewood-Seward Park, and the rest of the Rainier Valley."

WHAT authenticity? Authentically dangerous and full of people looking for their next fix on authentic drugs? Shameless.

Some more good hyperbole about CC here.

http://www.realestategals.com/commun...ood.php?hood=5

[Boxxerace]

Marked for future discussion... Sorry to hear of your losses DOHC! Bummer.

[DOHC Outback]

It was okay, I replaced the GPS less than 12 hours later from Wal-Mart.

Was still pissed, though.

Don't go to CC with anything valuable in your car, or otherwise.

[Boxxerace]

While I agree that the police do little in the way of "petty crime", as in theft, I believe that Columbia City, White Center and other areas of the like do not have any more crime of this nature than does Bellevue, Lynnwood, etc. I want to say there are certain Park and Rides on the North and East side that have more cars stolen than anywhere else.

That said, White Center (and I suppose Columbia City, having never been there) is full of seedy, wannabe thugs and real thugs just looking for an easy mark. As you said, Bellevue is somewhat protected (perhaps by wealth and lack of disparity) from the grunge you see in Seattle and beyond. Some might cite a lack of culture, but I disagree. It is just different and people will fall into a neighborhood of they're taste.

Either way, theft and petty crime is annoying and damaging to a community.

P.S. Fremont does have it's occasional share of pimps, hoe's and drug traffickers. I know, I'm there now!

[DOHC Outback]

Do said seedy park and rides include Northgate, by any chance? I'd think so - that has to be one of the seediest places in North Seattle outside of Aurora & Lake City

[ccc]

I looked through the crime data for the various neighborhoods you mentioned, and Columbia City actually suffers from quite a bit less theft. Check it out for yourself at http://www.captaincolumbiacity.com/2...hat-crime.html

[DOHC Outback]

Originally posted by ccc
I looked through the crime data for the various neighborhoods you mentioned, and Columbia City actually suffers from quite a bit less theft. Check it out for yourself at http://www.captaincolumbiacity.com/2...hat-crime.html

That may be the case, but I've parked my car in Ballard & Fremont and Wallingford overnight many times (lived near there in college only a few years ago) and NEVER had anything stolen. And yes, I had things worth stealing (stereo, laptop, etc) in my car.

A better comparison would have been to my zip code of residence.

Check out these crime statistics.

Columbia City's zip code:

http://www6.onboardnavigator.com/web...sactionType=-1

My zip code:

http://www6.onboardnavigator.com/web...sactionType=-1