Oregon Public Broadcasting

The Pacific Northwest is apparently a pretty safe and secure place to live.  The region dominates an annual ranking of secure cities put out by an insurance company.  Salem correspondent Chris Lehman reports.

Seattle, Olympia and Corvallis are the most secure large, midsize and small cities respectively in the country.  That’s according to a new study from Farmers Insurance.

For this ranking, “secure” refers to more than just crime statistics.  Things like weather, life expectancy and a diversified economy are also factors.  

Burt Sperling of Sperling’s Best Places compiled the list.  He says one reason why the Northwest did so well this year was a relatively stable housing market.

Burt Sperling:  “Housing prices are tapering off a bit, but they’re not falling through the floor like they are other places. Generally, people recognize the Northwest is a great place to live and that’s reflected in the stable housing prices.”

Portland, Bellingham and Wenatchee also make the top five of their respective categories, and Salem was ranked the nation’s third most secure mid-size city.

Online:

To see the full list, click here