Ruckby

That's why you shouldn't be extrapolating danger from homelessness, which you are the only one here doing. Also, you might want to look up the word "tendency", as it has implications in the generality of my questions.

Well now, that's a false dichotomy fallacy. You see, most people on this forum are not public safety experts. Therefore, it is likely that additional information (past merely their personal opinion of public safety) can be gleaned by asking about indicators of public safety in a given city. I hope this clarifies things for you.

Economically depressed cities tend to have higher crime rates than those with more prosperous economies. Homelessness rates are generally indicative of a city's economic state. Therefore, looking at the homelessness rate in Ann Arbor could yield information regarding its general state of public safety. This in no way indicates a belief that all homeless people are criminals.

Forum posts generally don't contain a "central idea" that is then "developed" throughout the post. Especially when they are little more than a series of questions. Furthermore, if all homeless people were criminals, there would have been no need to ask separate questions about homelessness and crime. Hope this helps. Getting back to Ann Arbor, about how far do you have to travel to get to rural or wilderness areas? Is there good hiking nearby?

Yeah, I wasn't saying they are. Those were two different questions, hence being in different sentences.

I am considering going to UM this coming fall for grad school in materials science. I just got back from the recruitment visit and, while the city seemed nice, I have a few reservations about relocating there. I really enjoyed the area around north campus, especially the small-town feel and the forested areas. The problem is, the central campus area seemed like an entirely different city, with its high population density and crowded atmosphere. I definitely prefer more suburban/rural settings (I currently go to UC Davis and consider it to be my ideal city) and am worried about things like safety/crime. I know that the engineering departments are all on north campus, but the professor I am considering as an advisor has his office in central campus, so I would likely be there often. What is your opinion on safety and crime around central campus? If you been to wither place, how would you say it compares to that of Davis, CA or Berkeley, CA? Is it generally safe to walk around the city alone at night, and are muggings common? I noticed quite a few homeless people downtown. Is homelessness a major issue in the city? Also, how easy is it to get around by bike? I didn't see many bike lanes there during the visit weekend. Do people just ride on the side of the street or is biking rare?