Contact
Palo Alto enjoys a very low crime rate, although visitors should take basic precautions against petty crime as with any tourist hotspot. Palo Alto's downtown is home to a small number of homeless people and beggars, but they are much less visible than their counterparts in Berkeley. To the north of Palo Alto, the city of East Palo Alto and the unincorporated area of North Fair Oaks suffer from high crime rates and should be avoided or traversed quickly.
Be careful to check for ticks after hiking in fields in the Bay Area. There is a high rate of Lyme disease transmission in the Bay Area. If a bull's eye rash develops at the tick bite site, immediately seek medical assistance and treatment with antibiotics.