Is crime more rampant now?

Yesterday morning I went to get in my car for work and everything that I had tucked away in the glovebox and cubbys was all over my car seats! Makeup, hair ties, coupons, mileage book, maps chargers All. Over. The. Place.!!

Now we don't live in the exclusive parts of town,  no gated community here. But this part of town was the up and coming fashionable place to be in the early 60's when the neigborhood was built. You see I live in a city by the sea and by the rivers - both the Intercoastal and the St. Johns River snake through our fair city so there are alot of bridges. Back then they had finally built the Mathews bridge to connect downtown with the side of the river towards the beach and our area- called Arlington grew in leaps and bounds.

But now it's an aging area, and crime and blight is quite prevalent. It's a shame and I have hopes that the area will come back into being a fashionable place to live but I am not sure that will happen;

Mike and I worry that the house we own will go down in value instead of up. Now it's worth about $135-145,000 - we paid $117,000 in 2000. At one time during the bubble the house was worth $225,000 or so but we all know now that was a false value.

Is crime more prevalent where you live? Are we going to h*ll in a handbasket or is there hope for renewal and revival?