Comment of the Day: 'Is Monument Really As Bad As People Say?'

A future Concordian posted on the City-Data.com forum recently, asking whether or not the Monument area is "really as bad" as people say it is.

"I found a bit too late to avoid the Monument/Detriot areas," said the commenter. "I am from Boston, so 'bad areas' may mean something different to me, but nothing I see looks 'bad'. I do not have children so am not concerned about the poor schools that I keep reading about, but definitely do not want to live somewhere where I am scared to go out at night. Is this area really as bad as it is sounding in these forums? Like, is it worth breaking my lease, paying the penalty and looking elsewhere?"

A quick online search reveals that Monument's bad reputation spreads far and wide. Commenters on Topix.com freely advise would-be Concordians to "stay away from Detroit ave, Meadow Ln , Virginia Ln all off Monument Blvd." So too do those on Trulia.com and Yahoo Answers, all echoing the same sentiment — stay away from the Monument area.

But according to data compiled by NeighborhoodScout.com, the Monument Boulevard/Detroit Avenue area has a lower crime rate than Four Corners, the Cowell Road/Davis Avenue area, the city center and the area around Red Oak Drive/Black Oak Road. 

So, is Monument really a neighborhood to be avoided? Or is it just misunderstood? Share your thoughts in the comments below.