Is there something in the air in San Luis Obispo? The number of violent crimes including rapes, robberies, aggravated assaults, and murders, spiked 58% in the metropolitan area from 2010 to 2014, making it home to the fastest-rising crime rate of any US city. Interestingly, the crime rate 30 miles away in Santa Maria fell 35% during the same time period, reports 24/7 Wall St. Other areas where violent crimes have jumped, per 100,000 people: