I think one of the problems when talking about these issues is the frame of reference. I have lived in the most dangerous part of our town (Linköping) for several years. I come from Latvia where a 'dangerous' part of a town meant that you do not go there because you will be robbed / knifed / shot in broad daylight. It was absolutely not the case with the most dangerous part of Linköping, even though people who had not had a direct experience with the place kept talking about it in the same way as I would talk about a true 'no-go' zone in Latvia. The worst thing that happened to me there was that my bicycle got stolen because I had forgotten to lock it overnight. My kid was playing outside unsupervised every day, I was coming home alone in the middle of night etc. Never had a single unpleasant experience.

- - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13723252