Alarms, Security Systems

Since Sept. 11, more and more Americans have pushed safety and security high on their list of requirements for the community where they might buy a home.

Some are reconsidering the allure of big city urban living, especially when a greater use of technology can permit them to live virtually anywhere and telecommute to the city for work.

Based on largely anecdotal evidence obtained from real estate agent interviews Forbes.com recently produced "The Best Houses in the Safest Places," a survey for luxury homes off the beaten path. The magazine found 16 cities in 11 states it deemed as "conceivably" safer than big cities.

Proclaiming to offer "uncompromising commentary" and "concise analysis" the New York City-based Forbes found multi-million dollar homes for sale in communities that often do not have direct air service and could require several connections before reaching the destination.

"They offer a place of escape and a sense of serenity and calm not found in metropolitan areas," according to Forbes, which targets the "world's business and investment leaders".

Forbes places the cities in alphabetical order by the cities' state and reported some of the towns claim such low crime rates that it's unnecessary to lock the doors of your home or car -- something law enforcement officials never advise no matter how safe you consider your community.

On the other hand, "Which State is Safest?" and "America's Safest Cities" are more scientific reports available from Lawrence, KS-based Morgan Quitno Press an independent private research and publishing company that compares states and communities based on a variety of factors.

To determine each city or state's level of safety, the researcher examined Federal Bureau of Investigation's statistics for murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary and motor vehicle theft and measured how a particular city or metro area compared to the national average for a given crime category.

Among the safest cites selected by Forbes and Morgan Quitno, none appeared on both lists, largely due to the distinctly different measuring criteria.

The chart below uses the first two columns to list Morgan Quitno's 16 safest cities by rank and by name. The third column contains Forbes Magazine's 16 safest cities listed in alphabetical order by the state in which the city is located.

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