Beachfront property is among the most expensive in the country. Among the highest priced homes in America are in places like Nantucket; the Hamptons on Long Island; Palm Beach, Florida; and Malibu in California. Owning homes in these places does involve a level of risk. Among them are storms that can create flooding and do substantial water damage or destroy homes completely. Climate change has made this an even larger threat.
Outforia’s recently released “Dangerous Coasts: The United States’ Most Dangerous Beaches” goes well beyond weather considerations. The study considered crime, air pollution, water pollution, “surf zone” fatalities, lightning fatalities, shark attacks and temperatures. The outdoor adventures website used this data to create a composite score that runs from 1 to 10, with 10 as the worst possible score.
There is no geographic pattern to the most dangerous beaches. Many are in states with large populations, particularly California and Florida. California has the largest population among all states, and Florida is third. Plus, both have long coastlines. Florida’s coastline ranks second in length, behind Alaska, and California ranks fifth, behind Louisiana and Maine.
Most of the other most dangerous beaches are along the east coast, in states that include Delaware, New Jersey, North Carolina and Virginia.
The study found that Venice Beach, which is part of Los Angeles, was the most dangerous. The summary about the beach reads:
One of LA’s most well-known beaches tops the list as the most dangerous beach in the USA. With historical ties to gang activity and a particularly large homeless population, there is a high rate of crimes in the local area, contributing largely to the high danger score.
Daytona Beach was a very close second.
These are the scores of the 10 most dangerous beaches in America:
- Venice Beach (Calif.): 7.19
- Daytona Beach (Fla.): 7.18
- Waikiki Beach (Hawaii): 4.51
- Siesta Beach (Fla.): 4.50
- Carlsbad Beach (Calif.): 4.34
- Emerald Isle (N.C.): 4.24
- Deerfield Beach (Fla.): 4.16
- Belleair Beach (Fla.): 4.00
- Malibu Beach (Calif.): 4.00
- Hollywood Beach (Fla.): 3.78
Click here to read about America’s most dangerous cities.
The #1 Thing to Do Before You Claim Social Security (Sponsor)
Choosing the right (or wrong) time to claim Social Security can dramatically change your retirement. So, before making one of the biggest decisions of your financial life, it’s a smart idea to get an extra set of eyes on your complete financial situation.
A financial advisor can help you decide the right Social Security option for you and your family. Finding a qualified financial advisor doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to three financial advisors who serve your area, and you can interview your advisor matches at no cost to decide which one is right for you.
Click here to match with up to 3 financial pros who would be excited to help you optimize your Social Security outcomes.
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.
Latest from 24/7
