The counter at every business has bullet proof glass

Dogs left out all day and night in fenced yards barking their heads off.

Bars on the windows everywhere. Even the church.

I found out I lived in a "bad" neighborhood once when I was told pizza places didn't deliver to our house.

Needles on the sidewalk, as well as a bunch of litter in general. It’s a sign that people are so exhausted by living and trying to survive in an oppressive environment that caring about their surroundings mostly falls by wayside.

An adult man riding a child's BMX bike down the center of the road.

Really worn old beat-up cars right next to brand new extremely expensive cars.

When the police see me and offer me an escort out of the area. Yep. For real.

Hearing gunshots

I live in a bad neighborhood in Baltimore, so I'm used to a lot of the things people have already put in the comments. I live directly next to an abandoned housing project called The Perkins Homes. Many of the old convenience stores that were once open to serve the project residents shuttered when all of the people were moved out of their homes. Though the stores and many of the people are gone, a lot of the graffiti remains. The most striking are the children's paintings of guns with big Xs through them to signify that the store was a neutral zone. There are two such paintings on the sidewalks on my block. Also, finding shell casings when you're taking the dogs on a walk is a good indicator. Or the bullet you find on your back doorstep the day you move in. Ahhh Baltimore - truly America's charm city.

When you mention to locals where you live and they just have a brief look of pity.

In Turkey you check the stray cats out. If cats are friendly towards you, approaches you for pets etc. you are in a good district. Means people in the area are seemingly nice towards animals which aren’t even their pets. Whereas if they are afraid of you, you understand that the people around are not to be f****d with. They are not nice towards harmless animals, why would they be nice to strangers?

You never see someone jogging.

Someone with a car stereo system loud enough to vibrate the dishes in your kitchen cabinets every 10 minutes. Just a little reminder, in case you forgot, that you live in a sh*thole

The "bail bonds' billboard next to the "having a problem with your heroin addiction " billboard.

Your neighbors get raided by the police. A couple months ago, I was just chilling with my kids, waiting for my husband to be off work. Around 7 or 8pm, I hear what sounds like a semi truck pulling into the neighborhood. We live near a fire station, so I don’t think much about it at first. Within seconds, I see a BUNCH of lights flashing through my curtains, my kids are at the OPEN windows, my camera notifications are going off like crazy, and I hear a policeman over a bullhorn saying “this is the police, come out with your hands up.” Repeatedly. I look out and police cars are parked all over the street and a huge armored swat truck is parked across my driveway. I gathered my kids and took them to the back of the house for fear there would be shooting and stray bullets. Luckily, we think it was a drug bust (there has been LOTS of suspicious activity there) and the people surrendered somewhat peacefully it seemed, but it was still the scariest night of my life. They were all back like a week later and seem to still be selling drugs.

Random grocery cart just chillin on the sidewalk. Bonus for missing wheels.

depends where u are because i think it might be a regional thing, but shoes hung up on power lines

Dead gardens and giant weeds everywhere

Cash Advance Business close by

Armed security guard at the strip mall Foot Locker.

I was doing geotech work on site for a potential cell tower years ago & had to give directions to a coworker (years before google maps were a thing). I told him it was across the street from the burglar bar manufacturer and the attack dog training school. -pause- "really???" "Yep."

The fluorescent strip club sign has at least 2 letters unlit - 1 is ok but 2 or more you know s**t goes down around the area

Kids sitting on steps who bolt inside when a cop car rolls by.

Here in England at least, I would say that having a higher than average number of independent and non-mainstream fast food eateries (like kebab shops) are a pretty clear red flag. If an obviously low-income area can sustain that many independent fast food businesses, it’s a sign that the area gets a lot of drunks.

Empty Swisher Sweets packages strewn around the neighborhood.

Certain fast food restaurants always seem to be an indicator. White Castles and Checkers are two I’ve seen often.

Church’s chicken

The street you’re on is called “Martin Luther King Blvd”.