Controlling crime and protecting ourselves and our families has become a national priority, ranking number one among 41 quality-of-life factors in a 1996 Money magazine reader poll. The magazine recently named its list of the country's safest and most dangerous cities, and contrary to popular belief, you won't find the usual suspects -- New York or Los Angeles, for example -- anywhere near the top of the "most dangerous" list.

Money found, surprisingly, that Americans fear theft even more than assault, rape, or murder. Sixty-two percent of the survey's 500 respondents ranked burglary as their number-one concern. Car theft (55 percent) ranked second, and robbery (54 percent) ranked third. To rank the cities, Money used FBI statistics released in October. Morgan Quitno, a Lawrenceville, Kan.-based research firm which studies crime statistics, then weighted the FBI figures according to the crimes feared most by Americans and applied them to 207 cities with populations of at least 100,000.

The Money/Morgan Quitno study found that the country's safest cities are: (1) Amherst, N.Y.; (2) Simi Valley, Calif.; (3) Sterling Heights, Mich.; (4) Thousand Oaks, Calif.; (5) Sunnyvale, Calif.; (6) Irvine, Calif.; (7) Livonia, Mich.; (8) Santa Clarita, Calif.; (9) Mesquite, Texas; and (10) Plano, Texas.

U.S. cities ranked as most dangerous were (in descending order): (1) Gary, Ind.; (2) Newark, N.J.; (3) Atlanta; (4) New Orleans; (5) Detroit; (6) Washington, D.C.; (7) Baltimore; (8) St. Louis; (9) Miami; and (10) Memphis, Tenn. Gary, Ind., located 29 miles southeast of Chicago, has high burglary and car-theft rates, as well as the highest murder rate in the survey: 89.6 homicides per 100,000 people, in contrast to a national average of 7.4 murders per 100,000. On the other hand, safe city Amherst, N.Y., a suburb of Buffalo, had no murders in 1996 and the smallest number of burglaries of all 207 cities ranked in the study.

Newark, N.J., located eight miles west of New York City, isn't far behind Gary, Ind. According to 1995 FBI crime statistics, Newark's violent crime rate was six times the national average; approximately one in every 25 residents was a victim of violent crime. The city's car-theft rate was also six times the national average. To illustrate the differences in living conditions between Newark and Amherst, Newark's population (260,000) is more than twice that of Amherst (107,000). Newark's median household income of $21,650 (according to 1995 figures) is 40 percent below the national median, and more than 26 percent of Newark residents live below the poverty line. Despite its high crime rate, Newark maintains a police force of 446 officers per 100,000 -- that's almost twice the national average.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) conducts its own annual study, producing similar results. In the FBI's 1996 crime report, which included crime statistics from 202 U.S. cities with populations of 100,000 or greater, California cities dominated the list of the top 10 safest places to live, and the state takes nine of the following 10 rankings (11 through 20). Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks, respectively, took the #1 and #2 spots. Santa Clarita, Sunnyvale, and Irvine took #4, #5, and #6; Orange took #8; and Huntington Beach ranked #10. Atlanta ranked dead last, with a crime rate of 1,707.4 per 10,000. FBI measured police department reports for eight crimes: murder, rape, robbery, assault, burglary, auto theft, theft, and arson. The crime index is comprised of the total number of crimes committed during the year, minus arson.

This isn't the first time Simi Valley has found itself named the nation's safest city. The city has held the title for the last three years, according to FBI studies. During the years before, Simi Valley was usually in one of the top three slots. Theresa Berenger, broker/owner of Realty Executives in Simi Valley, says a large percentage of her corporate relocation business is generated by Simi Valley's reputation for being tough on crime.

"It's an important draw," Berenger says. "Because we're close to Los Angeles [approximately 40 minutes away], there's a preconception of the area is being high-crime, gang-infested. That's what gets notorized. But I've never had anyone who's come here be disappointed."

Low crime isn't the only factor drawing people to Simi Valley. This city of approximately 106,000 residents sits next to the San Fernando Valley, which has more than 1 million residents. "The appeal of Simi Valley is its small-town feel," Berenger says. "But it's close to other major areas, and it's centrally located -- to the coast, the mountains, and the downtown areas. It's got good climate and good school systems -- Ventura County has strong school systems in general."

Car and housing insurance rates in Simi Valley are cheaper "because it's safer here," Berenger says, adding that the city's sales tax of 7.25 percent and the average cost of homes are comparatively lower than nearby Los Angeles. Single-family homes in Simi Valley range from the "low side" of $150,000 to $1 million-plus. The average single-family home is $185,000.

Simi Valley, surrounded by rolling hills, sits in a nine-mile-long, three-mile-wide basin. And its reputation for being crime-intolerant isn't just hearsay. In addition to a special task force that monitors gang activity in the area, the Simi Valley police department also has an active "graffiti task force." The task force, comprised of seven full-time members, maintains a 24-hour hotline for residents who spot graffiti. Graffiti removal is guaranteed within 48 hours.

Simi Valley continues to carry an association with the infamous Rodney King case (the trial was moved out of Los Angeles and into Simi Valley in order to provide a more objective, less emotionally charged setting). Because of the outcome of that trial, the city has occasionally been scapegoated as being intolerant of racial diversity. Berenger is quick to clarify the circumstances of the case. "They had the venue changed to this area, but only one member of that jury was from Simi Valley," she says. "Simi Valley really didn't 'have' the trial."

Here's a closer look at FBI's 1996 crime report:

Although you won't find New York on the 10 safest list, the city that used to evoke images of crime in minds of many -- particularly those below the Mason-Dixon line -- has cleaned up its act dramatically. In fact, between 1993 and 1996, crime fell 36 percent in the Big Apple, representing the largest decrease of any city in the United States. And New York's violent crime dropped 14 percent, twice the national average rate of decline.

Published: December 19, 1997

Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.