Can Birds fans wear green in Brazil? What to know about tourist safety

SÃO PAULO (WPVI) -- Perhaps you heard a rumor circulating pretty widely on social media in recent weeks that Eagles fans coming here should not wear their green because green is the color of this city's principal rival in soccer.

Well, it's not true. The State Department and the NFL both disavow that, saying if you're coming, let your Eagles fandom fly.

But the fact that it persisted speaks to one of the city's most pressing issues: crime. But they've seen great progress by attacking it head-on.

READ MORE: Eagles take on Packers in Brazil: What to know before historic NFL game in São Paulo

In the neighborhoods that dot this sprawling city, the chasm becomes immediately clear in so many ways how São Paulo has two distinct groups: the haves and the have-nots, and there's little in between.

The richest 1% here owns a staggering 49% of the property, many of them choosing to fly over São Paulo's notorious traffic.

But on the ground, the poorest are largely relegated to places like favelas, where conditions are cramped. Luxuries are few in these areas, and crime, especially targeting tourists, is high.

Angela Kerwin, the State Department's Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Overseas Citizen Services, said it is important to be alert.

São Paulo is a big city. So you need to have your kind of big city radar and antenna on.

But the crime that's long been associated with this place has changed in many ways remarkably so.

Despite this being the sixth largest city on the planet, violent crime has dropped significantly. Officials say it just reached its lowest homicide rate in 24 years.