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. (These are America’s richest beach towns.)
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. (These are American beaches that may soon disappear.)
There are other dangers, too, however, and America’s most dangerous beach is Venice Beach, part of Los Angeles.
That’s according to the nature and outdoor resource site Outforia’s recently released report “Dangerous Coasts: The United States’ Most Dangerous Beaches,” which goes well beyond weather considerations. The study considered crime, air pollution, water pollution, “surf zone” fatalities (principally drowning), lightning fatalities, shark attacks, and temperatures. The site used this data to create a composite score for American beaches running 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. Plus, both have long coastlines. Florida’s coastline ranks second in length in the country, 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.
Click here to see America’s most dangerous beaches
Explaining why Venice Beach was ranked the worst in the country, Outforia noted “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.”
25. Cape Henlopen
> City: Delaware Bay, DE
> Danger score: 2.54
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23. Broadkill Beach
> City: Broadkill Beach, DE
> Danger score: 2.56 (tie)
23. Black’s Beach
> City: San Diego, CA
> Danger score: 2.56 (tie)
22. Bethany Beach
> City: Bethany Beach, DE
> Danger score: 2.61
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21. Laguna Beach
> City: Laguna Beach, CA
> Danger score: 2.67
20. Atlantic City Beach
> City: Atlantic City, NJ
> Danger score: 2.81
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19. Hillsboro Beach
> City: Hillsboro Beach, FL
> Danger score: 2.84
18. Boynton Beach
> City: Boynton Beach, FL
> Danger score: 3.00
17. Palm Beach
> City: Palm Beach County, FL
> Danger score: 3.20
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15. Ocean View Beach
> City: Norfolk, VA
> Danger score: 3.39 (tie)
15. Newport Beach
> City: Newport Beach, CA
> Danger score: 3.39 (tie)
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14. North Palm Beach
> City: Palm Beach County, FL
> Danger score: 3.42
13. Atlantic Beach
> City: Atlantic Beach, FL
> Danger score: 3.65
12. Miami Beach
> City: Miami, FL
> Danger score: 3.67
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11. Capistrano Beach
> City: Dana Point, CA
> Danger score: 3.68
10. Hollywood Beach
> City: Hollywood, FL
> Danger score: 3.78
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8. Belleair Beach
> City: Belleair Beach, FL
> Danger score: 4.00 (tie)
8. Malibu Beach
> City: Malibu, CA
> Danger score: 4.00 (tie)
7. Deerfield Beach
> City: Deerfield Beach, FL
> Danger score: 4.16
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6. Emerald Isle
> City: Jacksonville, NC
> Danger score: 4.24
5. Carlsbad Beach
> City: Carlsbad, CA
> Danger score: 4.34
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4. Siesta Beach
> City: Siesta Key, FL
> Danger score: 4.50
3. Waikiki Beach
> City: Honolulu, HI
> Danger score: 4.51
2. Daytona Beach
> City: Daytona, FL
> Danger score: 7.18
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1. Venice Beach
> City: Los Angeles, CA
> Danger score: 7.19
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