On the whole, the Mississippi safety picture is somewhat murkier. It has a higher-than-average violent and property crime rate compared to the remaining states in the nation. However, there are still many lovely, harmless areas to reside within the state if one will simply take his or her time and effort to look for them.
When I was searching for the cities in Mississippi where I should move to, I aimed at identifying the place that has the lowest statistically calculated risk, and which would make me, my family, and our things feel secure. After thorough research on the crime rates for the current year and interviewing residents, I think I found the current safest city in Mississippi, that is Madison.
Evaluating Crime Statistics
When seeking the safest city, I focused my analysis on the most recent FBI uniform crime report statistics of MS cities with over 10,000 residents. This data is comprised of the rates of violent crime, which comprises murder, rape, robbery, and assault as well as property crime rates inclusive of burglary, theft, vehicle theft, and arson.
In these statistics, Madison has remained low on crime compared to the state and national averages in comparison. However, they point to the fact that the violent crime rate in Madison is only one-third of the national average, and the property crime rate is one-half of the national average.
Now if we are to compare it only in Mississippi, Madison remains the safest statistically. The violent crime rate in the city is considerably much lower than in the most violent city in Mississippi – Greenwood. And its property crime rate is nearly 3 times less than the overall property crime of Gulfport, the most infamous city in the state for property crime rate.
Going further in the exploration of safety in Madison
But let us not forget that statistics can only tell us so much. However, I was still in a position to ascertain whether the residents of the city felt safe and what it was that led to the improvement of safety in Madison compared to other cities in Mississippi.
From social media groups and personal interactions with people of Madison, it can be seen that the majority of them when asked will confirm that safety is one of the most important advantages of living in Madison. Some said they can stroll at night even alone, leave their doors open, or even let their kids play outside without much concern for their safety.
Most attribute Madison's high safety to a few critical factors:
1. Low Population Density
While Madison does fall under the greater metro Jackson region, the city itself is rather small with a population of only about 27000 people over a total area of 36 square miles of land. This creates a situation of low population density as compared to crowded cities hence possessing lesser opportunity for crime-related interactions.
2. High Home Values
Madison also ranks very high among cities in Mississippi in terms of fairly high home values compared to the rest of the communities in the state. The median of homes was $235k; this is 2.5 times the state’s median value. Houses situated in good, and more affluent areas, in theory, are more likely to be less affected by criminal activities than their counterparts in ‘bad’ areas.
3. Proactive Policing Strategies
Local police in Madison have also adopted practical and positive approaches to community policing. Some of them are: Juvenile and community policing; policing of the neighborhood watch; and community policing through the development of positive and close police-citizen cooperation. This fosters a partnership approach to reduce crime levels.
Coping and Hope: Finding the Right Safe Haven
Following the search on crime statistics, the opinions of people who live there, as well as all the information concerning Madison as one of the safest cities in the United States, I am ready to make the final decision to move there. A safe community offers a sense of comfort and protection – something that is very significant to me, my family, and everyone else. And, from what I can discern, Madison seems to hold the rank of being the best bet for a secure home within Mississippi at present.
To anyone interested in some other statistically most secure locations in Mississippi, I would like to begin by suggesting to consider Madison. Meet its people, and their values, and most of all, learn more about the specifics of how it excels in the goal of protecting individuals and their possessions safely. Safety is not the ultimate goal but for my move, it is the single best factor that I need to consider.
