First, the geography of Connecticut has rolling hills, beautiful shoreline towns, and boasts of a New England feel. When it comes to safety, the opportunities are also diversified and depend on the town, although the overall living quality in most of the state is good. Maybe it is in the Constitution State that you hope to put down roots for your family, so safety is an important factor when choosing a city or town.
Thus, to identify the safest municipalities in New Jersey and select only cities and towns with a population of over 20 thousand people, we used the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report data. The violent crime rates and the property crime rates for each region were considered for our study. They comprise murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault, among other categories of crimes. Property crimes include theft from buildings, theft of items within structures, and stealing motor vehicles. The rates of these types of offenses were inversely proportional to the overall safety ranking with the areas having lower rates for the types of offenses having a higher ranking in terms of safety.
Connecticut’s Safest Big Cities
1. Danbury
In just 50 miles northeast of New York City, Danbury ranks as the biggest and safest city in Connecticut. It has impressive public education systems and an active business district complete with eateries, markets, and green spaces. Thus, getting established in the city is equally easy thanks to low taxes, cheap housing, and economic development. In the past year, Danbury has experienced roughly 137.8 violent incidences and 1,521.9 property offenses per 100,000 inhabitants.
2. Bristol
Located alongside the Pequabuck River approximately 20 miles southwest of the capital city of Hartford, Bristol has grown to become a significant source of commerce in central Connecticut. The most recent data reveals that twenty-four-hour incidents of violent and property crimes per 100,000 population in Bristol were about 161 and 1,617 respectively, which put Bristol as the second safest big city in the state. Similarly, crime rates in Bristol have also reduced over the decade, as the police force has expanded its community policing measures.
3. Wallingford
Wallingford, which has historic roots, is located only a few minutes south of Meriden and approximately twenty minutes north of New Haven. This is one of the New Haven County towns characterized by low incidence of crimes, affluence with high median income, and economic stability, thus attracting new suburbanites. Vividly, Wallingford recorded approximately one hundred and sixty-two violent crimes and one thousand, seven hundred and eighty-eight property crimes per one hundred thousand residents in the year before.
4. Shelton
It is located at the southern end of the Housatonic Valley and occupies parts of Fairfield and New Haven counties. Just within an hour's drive from New York City, Shelton is an ideal place for residents to get the feel of a small town while being able to get most of the New York amenities. As a suburb with some commercial and industrial functions, as well as residential or ‘bedroom community,’ characteristics, Shelton recorded 164.6 violent crimes and 1991.8 property crimes per 100,000 people in the most recent year.
5. Norwich
Norwich is one of the safest big cities in Connecticut and it boasts a rich history, creative arts and cultural center, and a revitalized downtown area. Some other residents for notable mentions are Benedict Arnold, Prescott Bush, and Prudence Crandall. For the most recent year of available data, Norwich had 171.6 per population of 100,000 violent crimes and 2059.6 per population of 100,000 property crimes.
The Most Safe Smaller Cities in Connecticut
When comparing the largest Connecticut municipalities with other CT regions, we can state that the former presented lower average incidence rates of all types of crime; at the same time, several of the tiniest CT regions are among the safest in the state. Below, we listed the five safest Connecticut towns with less than 20,000 residents categorized by the rates of violent and property crimes according to the FBI data of 2020. All of these communities have had less than 90 violent crimes per hundred thousand inhabitants and less than 500 property crimes per hundred thousand.
1. Glastonbury
With an excellent public school system and a respectable median income, Glastonbury thus takes the honors as the safest small town in Connecticut. Situated in the Connecticut River some 10 miles east of Hartford, Glastonbury is an easily accessible suburban town with a distinctly countryside feel. The level of overall crime, including violent and property crime, was recorded at approximately 52/100,000 and 306/100,000 respectively in the last year.
2. Newington
Newington, a town located on the banks of the Connecticut River in Hartford County was once listed among Connecticut’s “All-America Cities” awarded by the National Civic League during the 1990s as one of the Safest Cities. For having quality schools and facilities, proximity to Hartford, and low taxes, Newington remains today on the safety list. Violent crime occurred in Newington at a rate of 67.77 per 100,000 residents, and property crime at a rate of 434.06 per 100,000 residents this past year.
3. Monroe
Monroe is located in the southwestern part of Connecticut approximately 55 miles away from Midtown Manhattan, New York. Monroe also has a good location for residents and tourists since Lake Zoar which offers services such as boating and water activities is found within the town. The violent criminal rate was approximately 71 cases, while property crimes were 436 per 100,000 people for the last year reported.
4. New Milford
New Milford is a town in Litchfield County, located on the Housatonic River, between Danbury and Torrington. A rich heritage and geographical features characterize the region, backed by a strong school system and a highly-ranked hospital. Out of every 100,000 population, the latest data year recorded a total of 79 violent crimes and 447 property offenses in New Milford.
5. Simsbury
This Hartford County community is committed to both commerce and leisure through features such as bike trails, parks, and other field facilities. Of course, this is only natural due to its outstanding schools and well–maintained home values for families. This was about 87 violent crimes and 472 property crimes per 100000 people for the prior year ending in the most recently completed calendar year.
Searching for safety in the constitution state
Various reasons may compel people to live in a specific place but one of the most important considerations that every family has is security. When comparing Connecticut cities and towns in crime rate, certain patterns are noticeable. Comparing the crime statistics of the state, it can be stated that the state’s big cities are characterized by somewhat lower average rates of crime in general. However, even small towns can have a very low rate of safety violations. Regardless of this, one’s preference for an urban or rural setting or a large or small town Connecticut has much to offer for a safe place to live, work, and raise children. Bear these safest CT cities, towns, and suburbs with you when you opt for house hunting in the Constitution State!
