Perhaps because of freak crimes like the Ronni Chasen murder, Americans perceive Los Angeles as being much more dangerous than it is.
For 2010, the murder total in Los Angeles has [dropped below 300](http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-la-crime-20101217,0,1871598.story), its lowest number since 1967. ((And one should note that the population of LA grew 35% from 1967 to 2010, so the per capita is even lower.)) Yes, that is still a lot of dead folks. But keep in mind that Los Angeles has 3.8 million people:
> The city’s total translates into roughly 7.5 killings per 100,000 people and puts it in league with New York City and Phoenix as having among the lowest homicide rates among major U.S. cities.
In fact, the murder rate is lower than Memphis, Pittsburgh, or Oklahoma City. Or [twenty other cities](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_cities_by_crime_rate) you wouldn’t have guessed.
So if your parents are worried about you moving to Los Angeles, point them to the data. Maybe they’re the ones living in a comparative crime alley.