California is famous for glamor and movie stars, beautiful beaches sunny weather, and large cities. But at the same time, many regions of the Golden State also contain pleasantly quiet refuges for those who are tired of the urban environment. Therefore, as you plan to relocate to California’ safety is one area that must be of interest to you. This guide seeks to outline some of the most secure cities to reside in in California depending on the latest crime rate.
Key factors that determine the safety of a city in California:
In setting the criteria for identifying the safest cities, we considered the findings of the latest FBI Uniform Crime Reports. It includes both property crimes including burglaries, Motor vehicle thefts, and violent crimes including murders, rapes, Robberies, aggravated assaults, etc. Places having a slight crime risk, in general, are depicted to be situated in areas with fewer people per square mile.
Other factors that affect livability also impact on safety of the public. Some of the measures that have the potential to prevent crimes include effective neighborhood watch, community policing, adequate lighting, and youth programs. Nevertheless, the concentration on raw crime numbers provides the most unprejudiced numerical picture concerning safety levels.
Best safe cities in California for 2024
1. Danville
Housing this East Bay Area township guarantees remarkably low crime rates which places it at the top of our list. And, it is a matter of fact that Danville’s violent crime rate in actuality is 91% lower than the national average. Its property crime rate is even lower and is 63% less than that of California’s average. Due to its size of town, Danville boasts a safe community and kid-friendly attractions like the Eugene O’Neill National Historic Site.
2. Rancho Santa Margarita
Located in Southern California’s Orange County, this city is sure to captivate its residents with such facilities as highly-rated public schools for kids. Apart from its family orientation, this new urbanism community’s most significant strength is safety. Actual violent crime rate here is less than 82% compared to the average rate. It also shows that you are at a very small risk of being a victim of property theft, 222:1. Such statistics are not surprising given that, a few years ago, Money Magazine labeled Rancho Santa Margarita as the safest city in America.
3. Moorpark
Drivers who are driving from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara normally tend to ignore Moorpark while driving on Highway 118, and simply move on. They are not going to miss onion fields and strawberry stands if they don’t stop but a lot more of it. It boasts very high safety, reflected by very low crime rates; rates of violent crimes are 77% below the state average. One of the safest cities in the US, Moorpark is also a family-oriented community with a retirement population; over 37% of the city area is covered with parks and open spaces.
4. Laguna Niguel
The following will detail why Laguna Niguel is the city that is most responsible for Orange County’s safety in our rankings: Being home to beautiful parks and well-developed trails, Laguna Niguel is free from the hassles of the bust of big city life. But it is not only the attractiveness that is at play; not only does violent crime occur here 75% less than the state average, but property crimes are committed 61% less here too. This pattern of public safety assists in the enhancement of the populace density and escalating house costs in Laguna Niguel.
5. Santa Clarita
Santa Clarita today has a population of almost two hundred and fifty thousand people, making it one of the larger safer cities that is easily accessible from Los Angeles. Santa Clarita has the unique feature of having a shared police force consisting of the LA County Sheriff and city police, which keeps crime rates low and response time short. In the figure, residents have one chance of 487 that they stand to be attacked by violent criminals and one chance of 63 for them to be victims of property crimes. Remarkable statistics for a magazine that is small and based in such a region.
6. Wildomar
It may have only been officially incorporated as a city in 2008, but Wildomar has a history that predates that by several years as a community focused on ranching and farming. Thus, the family foundation in this family that settled in rural Riverside County is expressed today in a relatively low incidence of crime. The violent crime in Wildomar stands at 71% less than the state average, making the likelihood of a person in Wildomar experiencing this type of crime per year as rare as 1 in 871. In the list of family-friendly cities of Southern California, Wildomar is a city that has improved a lot over recent years, with both the fire and the police department actively engaging their communities to foster public safety.
7. San Ramon
Large IT companies like Chevron and AT&T are based in San Ramon but at the same time, it has some features of the suburban town with annual celebrations and trees lining the streets. And, it is a matter of fact that you cannot find here typical “big city” issues like crime rates, etc. Established in this East Bay area, rates for violent crimes risk remaining 70% below California averages. Property crime is even less common and happens to not more than 1 of every 117 individuals in any given calendar year. Lastly, the safety of San Ramon is further complemented by some of the best schools, city services that are family-oriented, and existing plans for the development of more parks and trails.
8. Los Alamitos
Despite the size, Los Alamitos is rather compact in its provision of safety to the populace of Orange County occupying merely 4.5 square kilometers. There are also local police and fire stations to maintain the constant response time and patrol presence despite the lack of members. Numbers speak for crime reduction – for instance, Los Alamitos has experienced 81% lower rates of violent crime compared to the overall state rates as well as 59% lower rates of property crime. For this level of assurance, Los Alamitos stands strategically to take you close to Long Beach and the coastal region at reasonable prices.
9. Thousand Oaks
Located in the southern part of the state of California within Ventura County, just a few miles from the Pacific coastline, Thousand Oaks boasts of the beautiful natural landscape of green rolling hills. Low local crime volumes are also instances that reflect statistical beauty. Strikingly, violent crime is 76% lower than the state average and the reports of property crime come to nearly 50% less than the state average. This is further enhanced by special victim services programs, and community policing where police officers have social interactions with the residents and fast response to 911 calls.
10. Murrieta
Last but not least on our list, Murrieta resides in Riverside County suburbs and boasts low crime rates as well as high livability ratings. The element of violence is not a frequent feature of this community, where only 1 of 703 residents is an annual victim. And property crime also tumbles, failing to keep pace with the averages recorded in California. In addition to the numbers, Murrieta ensures safety by encouraging the neighborhood watch, businesses taking security measures, and the community awareness of the issue. Altogether, these parameters suggest a simple reason behind the influx of newcomers to Murrieta: the prospect of safety.
