With Halloween just around the corner, it seems only natural to focus on America's spookiest locales. Though the five cities featured here aren't exactly bursting with haunted houses or paranormal activity, they are, in fact, the country's most dangerous. Forbes compiled the data, which is a mashup of the FBI's violent crimes records and traffic fatalities numbers. So if you want a fright on Halloween night that involves, say, handing over your purse—not candy—and to a mugger—not a child—let this be your guide. (And if not—that is, if lamesauce is your middle name—please consult our primer on living in America's safest cities.) Herein, one prime property per city...mwah-ha-ha.
#5 Miami, Fla. | Price: $11,900,000 (above)
Apparently, the South Florida crime rate hasn't depressed prices. This brand-spankin'-new waterfront pad sprawls over 12,000 square feet and features a dock capable of berthing two 60-foot yachts. If you can afford the near $12M price tag, a couple of solid escape vehicles shouldn't be much of a stretch.
#4 Detroit, Mich. | Price: $2,500,000 (above)
Poor Detroit. The national whipping boy for crime and urban degradation. Why not drop $2.5M on an inn in this fair city? Well, sadly, there are plenty of reasons, but start by asking: "Who vacations in Detroit?" Exactly. The saving grace might have been in the short walk to Comerica Park and Ford Field, but no one wants to walk here after dark.
#3 Kansas City, Mo. | Price: $4,300,000 (above)
This is where things get a li'l weird. The house is decent enough looking, if a bit uninspired, but the outlandish price tag suggests the seller might be trying to up white collar crime in KC. $4.3M is a hefty asking price in a neighborhood where larger, more architecturally interesting numbers from the same era usually fetch less than $2M. And no, there's no vast expanse of lawn in exchange for all that green—just 1.26 acres, in fact.
#2 St. Louis, Mo. | Price: $2,350,000 (above)
Things haven't been going Missouri's way recently when it comes to crime, and with St. Louis finishing runner-up to the dubious honor of most dangerous city, it's no surprise that residents might abandon even prime property like this. Built for Dwight Davis, founder of tennis' Davis Cup and later for Calvin Coolidge's Secretary of War, this Georgian manse features an ivy-covered gatehouse. Surely, that's been seeing more than ornamental use recently.
#1 Memphis, Tenn. | Price: $5,000,000 (above)
Memphis's own John Grisham will have plenty more to write about if the city keeps this up. Between a surge in gang violence and a poor driving record, Memphis has surged to the top—or is it bottom?—of the list. The designer of the converted warehouse pictured above seems to have found a solution: don't leave. The home comprises 20,000 square feet of living space, including a roof lawn with swimming pool, five bedrooms, and a fully equipped, commercial-style bar. All one needs to hide out.
· 3590 Crystal View Ct, Miami [Zillow]
· 97 Winder St, Detroit [Zillow]
· 5650 Ward Pkwy, Kansas City [Zillow]
· 16 Portland Place, St. Louis [Weichert]
· 89 South Front St, Memphis [Zillow]
· The Country's Most Dangerous Cities [Forbes]
· No One Ever Gets Killed in These Five American Cities: Buy Now! [CurbedNational]