East Texas Has One of the Safest Cities in Texas

The website Safewise put out a list of the safest cities in Texas, and only one of our East Texas neighbors made the top fifty.  Does that mean we're not safe?

Do you worry about crime in East Texas?  We're not crime-free, but overall I'd say I feel pretty safe.  My kids ride their bikes around our neighborhood and I run at 5 am when it's dark sometimes and I don't worry.  Should I?

Overall, a new study says East Texas has a little work to do.  SafeWise used FBI crime data to come up with violent and property crime rates and found 84% of safe cities that made the list have less than one violent crime per 1,000 residents.  Only one East Texas city ranked in the top fifty.

The Top Ten Safest Cities in Texas, according to Safewise

1.  Kermit
2.  Memorial Village
3.  Fairview
4.  Trophy Club
5.  Colleyville
6.  Murphy
7.  Fair Oaks Ranch
8.  Anna
9.  Melissa
10. Highland Park

Texarkana is the least safe when it comes to violent crimes and property crimes, coming in last at number 287.  Several of the safe cities in the top two hundred were in metro areas like Dallas, and Houston, and in the Hill Country outside of Austin.  So maybe bigger cities don't always have the most crime.

In East Texas, White Oak is our safest city, coming in at #41 on the list.  White Oak averages less than one violent crime per one thousand people each year, and under sixteen property crimes (burglaries and thefts, arsons, etc.)  Only three East Texas cities made the top one hundred.

Here are some other highlights from the safe city rankings.

81. Woodway

98.  Sulphur Springs

120.  Gun Barrel City

142. Pharr

152.  Nacogdoches

170.  Athens

178.  Haltom City

181.  Ennis

183.  Kilgore

198.  Lufkin

202.  Lindale

208.  Carthage

209.  Whitehouse

211.  Gladewater

219.  Tyler

228.  Longview

Overall, Safewise said digital security is the top safety concern in Texas, with 58% naming it number one.

All of this might make me look over my shoulder a little bit more when I run in the dark at 5 am.  But East Texas is still a great place, and we're not going to let crime worries stress us out, right?  Have a great weekend, and well, be safe.