Thinking of moving to a new city? Besides job opportunities, school quality, and outdoor amenities, you probably want to choose your new city based on its safety.
Indeed, some cities are better than others regarding crime likelihood and general public welfare. When thinking about the safest cities, the largest cities don’t often come to mind. Crime data is notoriously grim in places like:
- Chicago (Illinois)
- New York City (New York)
- Detroit (Michigan)
- Boston (Massachusetts)
- Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco, Irvine (California)
- Portland (Oregon)
- Dallas (Texas)
- Miami, Orlando (Florida)
- Seattle (Washington)
- Philadelphia (Pennsylvania)
Fortunately, there are lots of safe cities in the U.S. Unfortunately, it can be tough to choose between them without doing much research beforehand. Let us cut down on your research time and discuss the three safest U.S. cities for you and your family in detail.
What Is a “Safe” City?
Various metrics often measure cities, ranging from public transportation access to employment opportunities.
But for families, safety is often a top priority. Most surveys and official studies determine which cities are safe and which are less than stellar in this regard by looking at two primary things.
Low Crime Rates
A low crime rate, naturally, contributes to whether a city is considered safe or not. Safe cities usually have very few violent and property crimes. Violent crimes are assaults and muggings, while property crimes include burglary, theft, or property damage.
A city isn’t safe if it has high crime rates for either of these two categories. If you move to a place with low crime rates, you’ll have much less likelihood of encountering any criminal individuals or experiencing any crimes in your personal life.
Low crime rates are further important for families with children, as no one wants to worry about their kids walking home from school or their teenagers being out at night.
Crime rate data is usually gathered from local police departments, and crime rates are highly correlated with employment prospects, police activity, and other factors.
Affordable Cost of Living
Safe cities are also usually those that have affordable costs of living. Why?
Simply put, expensive cities require more people to rent, meaning they aren't as economically stable as they would be otherwise. Affordable cities offer more property ownership opportunities, family stability, and better neighborhoods.
Remember, crime is positively correlated with economic instability. So if you want to find the safest city for you and your family, try to find a place with a low crime rate, higher household income per capita, and affordable living. The latter factor may indicate that the crime rate will stay down.
What Are the Safest Cities for Families?
While many cities rank relatively highly regarding overall safety and family security, three cities stand out above the rest: Carmel, Indiana; Mission Viejo, California; and Cary, North Carolina.
Let’s take a closer look at these three cities and explore why they are so great for families like yours.
Carmel, Indiana
Carmel, Indiana, is a popular choice for growing families. According to recent surveys by SafeWise, Carmel is among the safest cities in America and has been for some time, rarely falling out of the top 10, even over the last few years.
Part of this is due to the diligence of the local police department. According to Carmel’s mayor, the police department works with the community to ensure the city stays safe and secure 24/7.
The Carmel Police Department has been a nationally accredited law enforcement agency since 1996.
According to SafeWise’s report, Carmel has the following:
- Fourth lowest property crime rate out of all U.S. cities
- The second lowest violent crime rate of all cities
- 10th lowest rate of registered sex offenders of all U.S. cities
Furthermore, it’s one of only two cities in Indiana to make the top 50 safest cities list (Fishers is the other). Carmel is a good bet if you want to move to a safe city in Indiana.
Mission Vijeo, California
Maybe you prefer sunny California instead of Indiana. In that case, Mission Viejo is a great place to move your family due to its reputation for safety.
According to the same SafeWise report, Mission Viejo is one of the two California cities that make the top 10 list of safest places in the U.S.
Mission Viejo has a meager violent crime rate: the 10th lowest among all cities analyzed annually. There are just 0.75 violent crimes per 1000 people.
Aside from its safety, you may wish to move to Mission Viejo due to its location in beautiful Orange County, California.
This master-planned community has a relatively low population of fewer than 100,000 people and is primarily suburban, making it perfect for small businesses, kids attending school, and growing families.
It’s also notable for its gorgeous tree-lined neighborhoods. The National Arbor Day Foundation has recognized the city's many trees.
Cary, North Carolina
You can alternatively move your family to Cary, North Carolina. This is technically a suburb of aleigh, North Carolina, with under 200,000 people. Since it’s a suburb, it’s also a little safer than an inner-city area.
But Cary is a great place to live in North Carolina, thanks to its abundant coffee shops, parks, and restaurants. Cary’s public schools are also highly rated: a prime concern for parents of one or more kids.
As for crime, Cary has meager violent crime rates across the board for crimes like assault, murder, and robbery. It also has a low property crime rate for burglary, theft, and motor vehicle theft.
In essence, Cary is the perfect place to move your family to if you are looking for the traditional white picket fence American experience. You can buy a property in Cary, commute daily to Raleigh, and take advantage of plentiful job opportunities.
How Can You Make Relocating Easier?
Relocating can be made much easier by contracting a knowledgeable and experienced car hauling service. You’ll likely need to rent a moving van or truck; your family sedan or van still needs to get to wherever you choose to move.
Car hauling takes the stress away from you by picking up your vehicle at your door and delivering it to its final destination. With car hauling, you don’t have to coordinate with multiple drivers or keep an eye on your vehicle on the freeways during your long journey.
Instead, you can hire Carvaygo to pick up and deliver your car to your new home or city. Carvaygo offers affordable rates, fast relocation times, and other benefits like optionally enclosed car hauling.
Relocating is much easier when you don’t have to worry about moving your car in addition to your furniture and kids.
The Bottom Line
Carmel, Indiana; Mission Viejo, California; and Cary, North Carolina, are all phenomenally safe places that offer benefits like outdoor amenities, good schools, and other advantages.
Some other great safe cities to consider include:
- Frisco, Texas
- Colorado Springs, Colorado
- Portland, Maine
- Manchester, New Hampshire
- Worcester, Massachusetts
- Santa Clarita, California
- Gilbert, Arizona
Moving to any of these cities will probably result in significant quality-of-life improvements for you and your family.
Of course, moving to any of those cities or other safe cities in the U.S. is easier said than done. But with Carvaygo, you can rest assured that your family vehicle or work truck will reach its final destination in one piece and on time.
With Carvaygo, you’ll benefit from experienced car-hauling services you can trust. Contact us today to learn how we can help you move your family to a new city.
Sources:
Affordable housing decreases crime, increases property values | School of Social Ecology
News Release: Carmel ranked No. 3 ‘Safest City to Raise a Family’ in America | Carmel, Indiana Government Website
The 50 Safest Cities to Raise a Family in 2022 | SafeWise
