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Updated 01/05/2013 07:06 PM

Online group ranks Newburgh ninth most dangerous place to live

By: Eva McKend

The City of Newburgh comes in at number nine on a list of the 100 most dangerous places to live in America. That's according to one online group. Our Eva McKend caught up with local business owners and city residents to get their views on the rankings.

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NEWBURGH, N.Y. -- It's a list no city wants to be on. Neighborhoodscout.com pegs Newburgh as the ninth most dangerous place to live in America.

For city residents, the statistic may be unsettling to say the least. But what about those running a business?

"I open at twelve and I close at four because after dark, I don’t want to be down here. It’s not a good idea," said antique shop owner Brian Ferraro.

Recently, Ferraro was met with a bullet hole one morning when he opened his store. He says he's glad no one was at the shop at the time and that the damage was minimal. As a result, Ferraro says he has to make some changes to his business in order to survive.

"It’s a struggle, but I want to stay but it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen, so I have to just survive. I have to make it to another town and it’s different in other towns. There’s no stress, you can feel it when you come down," Ferraro said.

The local reaction in a nearby barbershop is to not let these lists incite panic or fear.

"I didn’t know there was that much crime going on in Newburgh. I’m not afraid to come out of my house to come to the local barbershops," said Newburgh resident Charles Robinson.

Ferarro agrees, arguing ultimately these type of rankings create a stigma that may do more harm than good.

"Let us work on it to make it better and not even talk about the negative part. We have a problem, we need to fix that problem. Let us fix up the city so we can live ‘cause we do love it here. It’s home, so you just make the best of it," said Ferraro.

Neighborhoodscout.comsays their rankings are based on the crime to population ratio, which may help to explain why much larger cities didn't even make the list.