| Being in a safe community is one of the most | | | | 19. Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, Connecticut. |
| important factors that buyers consider when | | | | |
| purchasing a home, condo or any other type of | | | | 20. New Haven-Milford, Connecticut. |
| real estate. So where are America's most | | | | |
| secure places to live? The Farmers Insurance | | | | The top 20 safest places to live among |
| Group of Companies has released its third | | | | mid-size cities are: |
| annual ranking of top 20 'Most Secure U.S. | | | | |
| Places to Live'. | | | | 1. Las Cruces, New Mexico |
| | | | |
| Bert Sperling, a database expert with | | | | 2. Rockingham County-Strafford County, New |
| compiled the Farmers rankings based on data | | | | Hampshire |
| from 379 U.S. municipalities. Factors such as | | | | |
| crime statistics, unemployment rates and | | | | 3. Huntington, West Virginia.-Ashland, |
| risks of environmental hazards, terrorism | | | | Kentucky |
| threats, natural disasters and extreme | | | | |
| weather conditions, were taken into | | | | 4. Bellingham, Washington |
| consideration. | | | | |
| | | | 5. Burlington-South Burlington, Vermont |
| The communities were divided into three | | | | |
| groups - large metropolitan areas (above | | | | 6. Lynchburg, Virginia |
| 500,000 residents), mid-size cities (between | | | | |
| 150,000 and 500,000 residents), and small | | | | 7. Medford, Oregon |
| towns (fewer than 150,000 residents). | | | | |
| | | | 8. Prescott, Arizona |
| According to the survey, the most secure | | | | |
| community to live in the U.S. among large | | | | 9. San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, California |
| metropolitan areas are the adjacent | | | | |
| communities of Boise City and Nampa (both in | | | | 10. Binghamton, New York |
| Idaho), which topped all large metro areas. | | | | |
| Located among the foothills of the Rocky | | | | 11. Provo-Orem, Utah |
| Mountains, the area has one of the lowest | | | | |
| unemployment rates and enjoys a wonderful | | | | 12. St. Cloud, Minnesota |
| climate. | | | | |
| | | | 13. Fargo, North Dakota |
| Among the Mid-size cities, those with a | | | | |
| population between 150,000 and 500,000, the | | | | 14. Hagerstown, Maryland -Martinsburg, West |
| safest community to live is Las Cruces, New | | | | Virginia |
| Mexico. Las Cruces was the first among | | | | |
| mid-size cities in low unemployment rate and | | | | 15. Olympia, Washington |
| favorable climate categories. | | | | |
| | | | 16. Charlottesville, Virginia |
| St. George in Utah topped all small cities | | | | |
| with populations of 150,000 or fewer in the | | | | 17. Chico, California |
| survey. The city has 110,515 residents who | | | | |
| enjoy a mild climate, clean air and low | | | | 18. Richland-Kennewick-Pasco, Washington |
| annual precipitation. It also has the lowest | | | | |
| crime rates of all the 379 communities | | | | 19. Manchester-Nashua, New Hampshire |
| surveyed. St. George stands first in | | | | |
| employment rate among the 138 small towns in | | | | 20. Duluth, Minnesota |
| the Farmers study. | | | | |
| | | | The top 20 safest communities to live among |
| The following are top 20 communities of | | | | the small towns are: |
| America's most secure places to live among | | | | |
| large metropolitan areas, mid-size cities and | | | | 1. St. George, Utah |
| small towns: | | | | |
| | | | 2. Bend, Oregon |
| The top 20 safest communities to live among | | | | |
| the large metro areas are: | | | | 3. Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, |
| | | | Virginia |
| 1. Boise City-Nampa, Idaho | | | | |
| | | | 4. Coeur d'Alene, Idaho |
| 2. Portland-South Portland-Biddeford, Maine | | | | |
| | | | 5. Ithaca, New York |
| 3. Las Vegas-Paradise, Nevada | | | | |
| | | | 6. Morgantown, West Virginia |
| 4. Honolulu, Hawaii | | | | |
| | | | 7. Logan, Utah |
| 5. Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Roseville, | | | | |
| California | | | | 8. Winchester, Virginia |
| | | | |
| 6. Scranton-Wilkes-Barre-Hazelton, | | | | 9. Harrisonburg, Virginia |
| Pennsylvania | | | | |
| | | | 10. Idaho Falls, Idaho |
| 7. San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, California | | | | |
| | | | 11. Madera, California |
| 8. Bethesda-Gaithersburg-Frederick, Maryland | | | | |
| | | | 12. Glens Falls, New York |
| 9. Syracuse, New York | | | | |
| | | | 13. Wenatchee, Washington |
| 10. Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, California | | | | |
| | | | 14. Bangor, Maine |
| 11. El Paso, Texas | | | | |
| | | | 15. Lewiston-Auburn, Maine |
| 12. Albany-Troy-Schenectady, New York | | | | |
| | | | 16. State College, Pennsylvania |
| 13. Rochester, New York | | | | |
| | | | 17. Billings, Montana |
| 14. Buffalo-Niagara Falls, New York | | | | |
| | | | 18. Cumberland, Maryland |
| 15. Oxnard-Thousand Oaks- Ventura, California | | | | |
| | | | 19. Lewiston, Idaho |
| 16. Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown, New | | | | |
| York | | | | 20. Pocatello, Idaho |
| | | | |
| 17. Nassau-Suffolk, New York | | | | If you are looking to settle down in any of |
| | | | these great cities, contact a good real |
| 18. Harrisburg-Carlisle, Pennsylvania | | | | estate agent who will help you purchase the |
| | | | home or condo of your choice. |