St. Louis is No. 1 in baseball – but also tops in crime, according to a report released today.
According to a list compiled by Morgan Quitno Press, St. Louis is the nation’s “Most Dangerous City.”
Violent crime surged nearly 20 percent there this year, when the rate of such crimes rose much faster in the Midwest than in the rest of nation, according to FBI figures released in June.
The ranking comes as the city celebrates its World Series victory over Detroit.
Detroit, as in the World Series, finished second to St. Louis in crime.
The national FBI figures released in June showed the murder rate in St. Louis jumped 16 percent in 2005, compared with 4.8 percent nationally. The overall violent crime rate increased nearly 20 percent, compared with 2.5 percent nationally.
Rounding out the Top Five most dangerous cities are Flint, Mich., Compton, Calif., and Camden, N.J.
This year’s ranking was good news for Camden, N.J., which in 2005 was named the most dangerous city for the second year in a row.
Camden Mayor Gwendolyn Faison said Sunday she was thrilled to learn that her city no longer topped the most-dangerous list.
“You made my day!” said Faison.