The top 10 safest cities in Alabama
Every state has its fair share of crime, but when it comes to pinpointing the safest city in the Yellowhammer State — Helena, Ala. takes the top spot. That’s according to a new report by the National Council for Home Safety and Security (NCHSS) of the Safest Cities in Alabama for 2018. The small Birmingham suburb finds itself in good company of nearby neighbors as Vestavia Hills, Mountain Brook and Alabaster, following in the no. 2, 3 and 4 spots respectively The top ten safest cities in Alabama are: 1. Helena Vestavia Hills Mountain Brook Alabaster Daphne Moody Auburn Pleasant Grove Pelham Hartselle To identify the safest cities, NCHSS reviewed the most recent FBI Uniform Crime Report statistics along with their own population data and internal research. They eliminated any cities that failed to submit a complete crime report to the FBI and removed cities with populations under 10,000. Then, the cities were ranked based on the number of reported violent crimes (aggravated assault, murder, rape, and robbery) and property crimes (burglary, arson, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft) per 1,000 people. These variables were then weighted, with violent crimes assigned a value 1.5 times (due to their severity) that of property crimes.
Safest cities in Alabama: 50 safest spots in the Yellowhammer State
Safety has always been an important factor when searching for a new place to call home, but a contentious national political system combined with an increase in violent crime across the country, has made safety the number one priority for many Americans. Since navigating through crime statistics can be a difficult and time-consuming process, Alarms.org, part of the National Council for Home Safety and Security, took it upon themselves to crunch the numbers and rank the safest places to live in Alabama. Their experts analyzed FBI Uniform Crime Report statistics in conjunction with their own population data and internal research to find which communities across the Yellowhammer State are the most secure, eliminating any cities that failed to submit a complete crime report to the FBI and removing cities with populations under 5,000. Taking home the top spot is Helena. Made up of 17 square miles, 18,109 residents, the city has the lowest crime rates in the state with the average violent crime rate five times lower than the state average. And the average property crime rate is 4.7 times lower than the state average. “Helena residents enjoy movies in the park, citywide softball competitions, an annual Christmas parade, and everything else that pairs nicely with a white picket fence,” reads the report. As the city motto suggests, “it’s where you want to be.” Following Helena, three of the remaining top five cities also come from affluent Birmingham suburbs. With Vestavia Hills, Mountain Brook and Fultondale taking the second, third and fourth spots on the list. Here’s a look at the 50 safest cities in Alabama:
