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dEn_of_asyD t1_j54cl6z wrote

Everyone's gonna say Camden, I'm actually going to say Atlantic City.

  1. First, Camden actually contributes worthwhile things. Its economy is pretty much "eds and meds". Atlantic City's economy is gambling and tourism, and not only are both very unproductive but it was only five years ago they were on the decline to the point of the city being bankrupt. While we're also talking about declines/progress, even now Campbell's (which is based in Camden) is bringing jobs from its acquisition from Snyder-Lance to Camden.

  2. Second, on crime Camden is by far most dangerous for violent crime. But AC has a higher rate of property crime per capita than Camden does. A big reason why AC is "safer" is just because Camden has twice the people (AC: 38k Camden:71k) in a smaller area (AC: 10.76 sq miles of land Camden: 8.92 sq miles of land). More interactions + more people --> more chances something goes shitty.

  3. Third, and most importantly, Camden is much safer than the people who have never been and don't live there will make it out to be. The problem with Camden is that you make one wrong turn and you're not safe anymore. The difference is night and day. Having needed to go to Camden to meet my freeholders, make trips to to Cooper University Hospital, attend jury duty, having gone to the aquarium and battleship NJ for school field trips, if you stay where you're supposed to Camden is fine. That's diametrically opposed to AC, where both you and the trouble are going to be in the same places.

I think most people are going to say Camden because of three reasons.

  1. Violent Crime. Which, honestly fair, though again AC isn't exactly a shining beacon of civil society.

  2. History of police corruption, which is a bit unfair considering they disbanded and replaced the former corrupt police department with a new one and that has seen dramatically improved results.

  3. Prejudice. People still associate AC with being a ritzy/glamorous hotspot. People associate Camden with drug use, violence, gangs, and negative stereotypes of people of color.

Only one of those is a decent reason, and it's a pretty simplistic reason that doesn't look towards the future and looks the other way on a lot of AC's bullshit.

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ceeyell t1_j54uqnj wrote

Atlantic City is the most depressing place I’ve ever been. The desolate parts and the casinos.

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sirzoop t1_j55gajt wrote

My first thought was Atlantic City too. So much wasted potential...

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AnNJgal t1_j55qo0r wrote

If only they could get their shit together...I find the area so depressing, like why would I want to go there for relaxation? lol

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sirzoop t1_j55w0qc wrote

The sad reality is that they need to gentrify the city. They had their chance over the last few decades but instead chose to launder money and bankrupt most of the revenue generating casinos.

With casinos opening literally in NYC times square and throughout other states, I don't ever see a real reason to go to AC anymore. Sad because I actually really like it there and the whole concept but it just doesn't work

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AnNJgal t1_j561ybn wrote

True. For the price of a room, dinner, gambling etc, I can almost fly to Vegas and spend just about the same amount of money.

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miked5122 t1_j58trvz wrote

I haven't been to Camden yet, but I don't remember AC being rough at all. Granted I visited about 8 years ago, so had it gone down hill recently? Or is this just a case of people not know what rough areas really are? I grew up in Detroit. Most of it was labeled rough from suburbanites and country dwellers. Truth is, it just wasn't as nice looking in a lot of places. Not maintaining a beautiful aesthetic, doesn't mean bad area.

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[deleted] t1_j569e6z wrote

[removed]

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Ok_Raisin_8796 t1_j56ndsh wrote

sorry, you’re still wrong. I have undeniable proof Camden is better 😎

Camden = big aquarium

Atlantic City = tiny sad aquarium

in all seriousness Camden has been improving in the past few years. Homicides have dropped to a 30 year low, and other violent and property crimes have been decreasing for years now, going against national trends.

Also the downtown and fairview are nice neighborhoods. The city’s got a long way to go, but it’s getting there.

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AshingtonDC t1_j5783ko wrote

this statement is completely ignorant of the history of Camden and cities like it as well as the hard earned progress made to bring it out of the depths of poverty. how shameful to speak in such a way without referencing any context. read a book sometime. most of the big cities in NJ are post-industrial and were fucked by redlining leading to generational poverty. Crime in Camden is down 74 percent from 50 years ago. Progress is slow but happening. I've visited Newark and Camden recently for work and concerts and had perfectly pleasant experiences.

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