Question about Reading

[Arrdy]

I may be starting a new job in Reading shortly and during my research I hear Reading has a rather high crime rate. The job is in the Hancock Blvd. area by the public housing.

The question I have: which areas of Reading are best to stay out of? The most I'd probably do is catch a meal before the drive home or do some sight seeing and picture taking.

TIA

[PracticalMagicX]

Reading's crime rate is only "high" because it goes by the population, which is fairly small but Franklin St. and Cherry St. are the worst that i can remember. There really isn't too much that happens during the day mostly late at night.

[QUADZILLA]

Hancock Blvd is actually outside of the "city". Even though it's a Reading address. That area is closer to Shillington which is a pretty sleepy little town. No worries about the public housing projects there....just don't drive directly into them and you'll be fine.

The city itself is a shithole even during the day. I unfortunately have to travel into there almost every night (in the middle of the night no less) for work. Leave your wallet and watches and nice clothing in your hotel (or wherever you are staying)....and carry a big gun...with lots of capacity...lol.

A few months back, there was a guy that came ut of an alley next to the place at work...we were all standing outside talking before work...and the dude just started shooting at random. One of our truck drivers came rolling out of his truck and I thought he was hit, but he was merely trying to escape the gunfire. I tell you, almost EVERY single night we hear some asshole cranking rounds off. One guy decided to shoot out the 2nd floor plate glass window of our building with a .40..."because he thought it would be fun". Cops were around the corner and caught him.

Then you get the homeless people shitting in our shrubs, having sex in the stairway of a parking garage across the street for all to see....then there was the Friday morning homeless guy standing on Court St. with his junk hanging out....and the one whack job who jerks off almost every morning in the window of the Marvel Ranch restaurant (but they have great food BTW). Stay away from Maria's on Penn St unless you enjoy being stabbed, punched or robbed at random (same goes with the other bars on that block)...although I can highly reccomend the Peanut Bar and Judy's on Cherry.

If you're coming to the area take a drive up to the Pagoda, but only during daylight hours...

But yes, the city should be nuked and made into a parking lot....there are some super nice people for sure that live in there, but that is the exception...

[XavierBK]

My buddy used to live just outside Reading. He was robbed at gun point three times in the span of two months. Needless to say, he no longer lives in Reading.

[QUADZILLA]

Reading's crime rate is only "high" because it goes by the population, which is fairly small but Franklin St. and Cherry St. are the worst that i can remember. There really isn't too much that happens during the day mostly late at night.

Yep... the hookers are on Franklin and all the dope slingers on Cherry...

[Shodan]

Reading is fundamental.

[Arrdy]

Thanks for the feedback, which is basicly "get outta town before nightfall".

Don't have a need to go downtown (even less now) and I never get out of the car without at least my BUG and my head on a swivel.

[kommando]

Baldwin or Reading Body Works? Hancock blvd is very much located in the City of Reading and yes this is where the Oakbrook housing project is located. Yes, Reading has a high crime rate, not just total crimes but crimes per 100,000 residents. Most of the crime in Reading is targeted. Unless you're in the drug trade you really have little to worry about. Any place you'd be working on Hancock will have fenced in lighted and guarded parking. I wouldn't worry much about the housing project. It's been pretty well cleaned up in the past few years and residents around the project do not see any increase in crime. The Reading PD always has an officer assigned to the project, so there is a constant police presence. As far as what areas to stay out of? Between the river and Mt. Penn - this is what you want to avoid. Unless you're rolling around at 3am looking for a hooker or heroin you really have little to worry about. You're going to find that there is little the city offers that you might be interesting in. I lived in city, just north of Penn, for 19 years. The worst crime I experienced was some drink hooligan breaking my car window. None of my neighbors were every victims of anything more than petty vandalism. Then again, none of us were in a gang or involved in the drug trade.

[Arrdy]

It's RBW. Have a face to face on Tues. and start Wed.

Nice to know someone will be watching my BMW besides people with low hanging baggy pants.

[kommando]

It's RBW. Have a face to face on Tues. and start Wed.

Nice to know someone will be watching my BMW besides people with low hanging baggy pants.

Fenced lot with few problem there. If you drove a Civic or Accord you'd have something to worry about. The Ricans don't steal German cars. Also, if you're working day shift, the project dweller are sleeping while you're working to pay for their gov't housing and gov't food.