Discover the most dangerous cities in Kentucky.
Kentucky, a state in the Southeast, is bordered by the Appalachian Mountains to the east and the Ohio River to the north. Like every other state, there are most dangerous cities in Kentucky that get its reputation damaged for the wrong reasons.
Kentucky is a lovely southern state with a rich history and fascinating culture.
It offers a wide variety of sights and activities including world renowned horse racing and mouthwatering cuisines.
But despite the states beauty lies the horrors that the most dangerous cities in Kentucky bring.
The FBI releases statistics of the most dangerous cities in Kentucky in 2019 and the website RoadSnacks analyzes them which is primarily concerns with the number of violent and property rates per 100000 people.
The following is the list of some of the most dangerous cities in Kentucky given in no particular order.
Most Dangerous Cities in Kentucky
Paducah
William Clark of the renowned Lewis and Clark team had any idea Paducah would grow to be one of the most dangerous cities in Kentucky when he established it in 1827. It’s the city’s modern criminals who deserve blame for this horrific title.
The criminality in Paducah is so severe that it ranks sixth in the state for overall crime, a ranking that is greatly impacted by the 993 property crimes registered in 2020 which considers it as one of the most dangerous cities in Kentucky.
In 1997, a deadly school shooting in Paducah, Kentucky horrified the entire country. A group of students at Heath High School were praying when a 14 year old student named Michael Carneal opened fire on them on December 1, 1997. Carneal left five people injured and three students dead.
The shooting was one of several in the United States in the late 1990s that led to a public discussion about gun regulation and school security.
Owensboro
As home to the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame, Owensboro is a haven for music enthusiasts.
This western Kentucky community, which is also referred to as the “Barbecue Capital of the World,” holds an esteemed cuisine festival every year.
The high prevalence of property crime in Owensboro, which includes 284 car thefts and 1,638 burglaries, makes it one of the most dangerous cities in Kentucky.
Four bodies were discovered in a residence in a quadruple homicide that horrified the community in 2019. Four counts of murder were brought against the suspect, Cylar Shemwell.
Shively
The village of Shively, a suburb of Louisville and a well-known stop on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, regrettably experiences a fair share of violent crime. Shively, which has the highest murder rate in Kentucky, is a town plagued by both violent and property crime.
In the year 2020, there are reported 8 rapes, 35 robberies, and 30 aggravated assaults that makes it as one of the most dangerous cities in Kentucky.