Report: Grove is one of the safest neighborhoods in nation

Coconut Grove is one of the safest big city neighborhoods in the nation with the zip code 33133 having only 11.39 crimes out of 1,000, according to NeighborhoodScout.com.

The NeighborhoodScout realty website, as reported by the WalletPop.com blog, crunched FBI crime statistics from around the nation to come up with conclusions that will surprise many: Like some other neighborhoods in large metropolitan areas, Coconut Grove is safer than many other communities in rural areas or small cities. In fact, the Grove is in the top 10 percent of the safest U.S. urban neighborhoods.

A Groveite has a one out of 88 chance of being a crime victim in a year. That compares favorably to even other “safe communities” in large cities. Coconut Grove, for example, has fewer crimes per 1,000 residents than “safe” neighborhoods in Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Detroit, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Memphis and others.

The Grove is the safest neighborhood in Miami.

Police recently have been touting the Grove’s low crime numbers.

While there were four stolen tags, five stolen cars, eight retail thefts and 10 low-profile assaults in September, the Grove had no robberies — or any other kind of violent crime.

“To have a report of zero robberies is an anomaly. It’s almost freakish,” Miami Lt. Daniel Kerr said in an earlier Grand Avenue News story. “We have searched as far back as the 1981 and have yet to find a month like this one.”

The last time Coconut Grove had a case of rape was in November 2009, according to the story. With the arrest of a suspect in January there have been no other cases, police said. The only murder case for the 2010 calendar year up to October occurred in May. It involved two homeless men under the influence of drugs.

September’s record is indicative of a decline of overall crime in Coconut Grove, the officers say. Over the past year, Coconut Grove has had fewer than 100 robberies. This year Coconut Grove was averaging five to six robberies a month between January and April. Since then, the number has dropped even more, with the community averaging two to three robberies a month from May until now.

Erica DelRiego also contributed to this Article.