Home Of The Hoff[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJQVlVHsFF8]

That’s right, this international super-star, David Hasselhoff was born right here in lovely Baltimore, Maryland. Hasselhoff known for his awesome role in Baywatch as well as crime stopper Michael Knight, in the 1980′s smash hit Knight Rider, before becoming an international music pop-star.

And while we are on the subject (not really, but kind of) of crime, check out these nice little facts about Baltimore.

City Crime Rankings ranks Baltimore second only to Detroit among the most dangerous American cities over 500,000 in population. According to crime statistics there were 269 murders in Baltimore in 2005. Though this is significantly lower than the record-high 353 murders in 1993, the murder rate in Baltimore is nearly seven times the national rate, six times the rate of New York City, and three times the rate of Los Angeles.

In addition, other categories of crime in Baltimore have also been declining, although overall crime rates are still high compared to the national average. The rate of forcible rapes has fallen below the national average in recent years; however, Baltimore still has much higher-than-average rates of aggravated assault, burglary, robbery, and theft and a local news survey, though unscientific, recorded that over 75% of respondents felt that Baltimore City is no safer.

Where’s Michael Knight when you really need him?