While a series of high-profile crimes around Cornell and Collegetown have been the talk of campus lately, the city as a whole may be becoming safer, according to one insurance company. On Thursday, Farmers Insurance named Ithaca as the “most secure” city in the United States with a population under 150,000.
The annual rankings, which study nearly 400 U.S. municipalities, take into consideration factors such as crime statistics, extreme weather, housing depreciation, foreclosures, air quality, life expectancy, terrorist threats and job losses.
“We’ve been in the running for this award for a number of years, so to finally land the top spot is a very exciting accomplishment,” Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick ’09 said in a prepared statement. “Our enforcement officers and emergency responders work tirelessly day in and day out to keep our community safe and secure. This award is a real credit to their level of dedication.”
This is the first time Ithaca has been awarded the title of safest small town in America, grabbing the top spot thanks to low rates of unemployment, violent crimes, motor vehicle deaths and housing depreciation, according to a Farmers Insurance press release. The city previously placed third in the rankings in 2007 and 2010.
Original Author: David Marten