Crime Challenges in Maine: A Closer Look at Local Communities
Addressing the Root Causes
According to Southwest Journal, in Maine where people often think of beautiful scenery and friendly neighbors some places struggle with crime. RoadSnacks looked at crime numbers from the FBI for 2024 and found that even though Maine overall has less crime than the national average some areas have more problems. Even a small town with fewer than 6,000 people has high rates of violent crimes like assault and murder. While Maine didn’t make it to the top twenty riskiest places of states in the U.S., these places still need help. They need more jobs, better pay, and programs to help people who get in trouble. Even though these places weren’t considered among the riskiest places in the U.S. in 2022, they show that Maine still has work to do to keep everyone safe and happy.
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Riskiest Places in Maine
Augusta
Augusta, Maine’s capital city is home to landmarks like the University of Maine at Augusta and the Blaine House. But it faces problems with more crime than other parts of the state. Things like robbery, assault, and car theft happen more often here which has caused fewer people to live here over the years. The city is trying to make its downtown area nicer to attract more businesses and people but stopping crime is still a big challenge.
Houlton
Houlton is a small town known for having lots of jobs and cheap places to live. It’s also near the border with Canada which makes it important for trade between the two countries. But even though it’s a nice place to live, it still has more crime than other parts of Maine, like stealing and fights. Because of this, some people have moved away, even though more people came in 2016.
Waterville
Waterville is a city where more people have started living since 2011, but it has a problem with lots of crime. Many people here don’t make much money, but there are also more people with fancy degrees compared to other places in the U.S. There are lots of crimes here like stealing cars and fighting which makes it hard for people to feel safe. Also, there are more women here than men which is different from other places.
Biddeford
Biddeford is a city by the ocean with a university and a big festival every year. But as more people moved here there’s been more crime too. Even though really bad crimes are not as common as in some places stealing is a big problem here. This is something the city needs to work on so it can keep growing and be a nice place to live.
Auburn
Auburn was famous for making lots of shoes a long time ago but now it’s known for having lots of crime. Even though it’s not a big city, it has a lot of fighting and other bad things happening. With more than 23,000 people living here having so much crime is worrying. People in Auburn need help to make their city safer for everyone.