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The 10 Safest Places for You to Live in California
What are you getting ready for? Are you worried about natural disasters? Societal collapse? Nuclear war? How about something really crazy like a huge asteroid impact?
flag of California
As preppers, there’s no end to potential threats to be aware of and prepare for, but so much of the time it is the mundane things that are far more likely to hurt us or the people we care about.
For instance, it’s easy to overlook everyday violent crime when you’re worried about events that can crush cities, regions, or nations. But statistically, it is far more likely that you or someone you love will be victimized by a bad guy than anything we would categorize as a disaster.
Simply living in, or moving to, a safe place that experiences very low rates of violent crime is one of the best things you can do to avoid that fate. To help you, I’m bringing you a list of the 10 safest places to consider living in California.
Metrics
California, unfortunately, has some of the most crime-ridden cities in America, and figuring out which communities are safe and which are decidedly not can be difficult because many institutions of the state apparatus have a known proclivity for cooking the crime stats.
So I didn’t go on a wild goose chase, and send you on one, I looked up verifiable data on violent crime, and violent crime only, for the cities and towns that made this list.
Now, it’s true that some of these cities might have higher rates of property crime compared to others, but violent crime is what will really turn your life upside down, so that’s what I focused on.
For the counties, the data was pulled from the Ventura County 2023 State of the Region report which examined crime rates in California’s 16 most populous counties.
Counties were analyzed based on violent and property crime, and again I only looked at violent crime for this list. What I saw for a violent crime reporting dovetailed neatly with other sources, so I think it’s trustworthy.
With all that in mind, let’s get to the list…
Towns and Cities
French Valley
This charming small town is situated in Riverside County between Murrieta and Temecula and has a population of just 35,000 people.
Known for its friendly, picturesque neighborhoods, breathtaking cultivated landscapes, and abundance of parks, it is just outside the wine country in Temecula proper.
It has a fantastically low violent crime rate, and it’s been low for well over a decade. French Valley averages just 0.8 violent crimes per every 1,000 citizens.
That is fantastically low, and well below the national average even as it has been dipping slightly these past few years. You’ll be about as safe as it gets in French Valley thanks to its good policing and good community cohesion.
Temecula
Temecula, also located in Riverside County and just a hop and a skip away from French Valley, has a much larger population of 115,000 but still superbly low rates of violent crime, averaging just 0.9 for every 1,000 citizens.
Temecula is known and famed for its wine country, consisting of more than 40 wineries along with historic buildings, award-winning restaurants, abundant antique shops, festivals, and a whole lot more.
If you love outdoor adventures or just enjoying the high life, Temecula is one of the best places you could possibly settle in California, though it is expensive even by the standards of the rest of the state.
If you have a family, it should still be high on your list not only because of the low violent crime rate but also the excellent school system.
El Dorado Hills
El Dorado Hills, located in El Dorado County, is just a little ways east of Sacramento but unlike Sacramento, El Dorado Hills enjoys a far lower rate of violent crime, averaging right at one for every 1,000 citizens. This, again, is significantly lower than the national average.
With a population of 45,000, it feels like a modestly sized city, but this is another affluent area that has all the amenities you could possibly want, including tons of parks, golf courses, recreational facilities and activities, and frequent festivals.
If you’re a fan of boating, fishing, water skiing, and the like, Folsom Lake is nearby and a hotspot for all sorts of fun stuff.
Folsom
Better known for Folsom State Prison thanks to Johnny Cash, don’t let that unsavory institution scare you: Folsom, a city of 82,000 residents, is extremely safe with a violent crime rate that is hovering around 1.1 for every 1,000 people.
Hopefully, you can head to Folsom of your own volition, if you know what I mean, and assuming you are you’ll find a lot to like about the town. Unique shops, a huge variety of restaurants, cultural heritage sites, farmers’ markets, and a whole lot more await you.
Orangevale
Also located in Sacramento County, Orangevale might be the destination of choice if you got a rural lifestyle in mind; there are plenty of large lots and horse farms and breeders are found here in abundance, along with lots of hiking trails, parks, and a whole lot more.
Orangevale is notable for its extremely close-knit community and is well regarded among residents and visitors alike as being one of the best and most family-friendly places to live in the state.
With a population of just 35,700, violent crime is truly unheard of in Orangevale, with not even one occurring for every 1,000 residents.
Counties
Ventura
Home to Oxnard, Thousand Oaks, and Ventura, Ventura County has approximately 850,000 residents and an eclectic mix of sparsely populated rural settlements and larger towns and cities.
Agriculture is a big business in the county and there are just 1.9 violent crimes for every 1,000 people. Part of the county borders the Pacific Ocean, so if you want easy access to beautiful beaches or just the potential of bugging out via boat, Ventura Co. is worth investigating.
San Mateo
Located south of San Francisco on the San Francisco Peninsula, San Mateo County is famous for its diverse landscapes and absolutely jaw-dropping coastal views.
Daly City, Redwood City, and San Mateo are the major settlements, and families can enjoy excellent school systems, healthcare, and a booming tech industry thanks to nearby Silicon Valley.
If urban living isn’t your thing, the entire county has tons of outdoor exploration opportunities thanks to parks, trails, and a whole lot more. San Mateo County has a very modest violent crime rate of just 3.1 for every 1,000 people.
Contra Costa
Contra Costa County is home to nearly 1.25 million people and is located in the East Bay region of the greater San Francisco Bay Area.
Whether you want to live in the suburbs, a proper metropolis, or just enjoy a quiet life out in the country, Contra Costa County can supply the lifestyle you want.
Violent crime is a little higher compared to some of the other counties on our list, but still well within the acceptable range at just 4.06 violent crimes for every 1,000 people. Assuming you avoid the more troublesome areas of the larger cities, you won’t have much to worry about.
Riverside
Riverside County is a study in contrast. The home to two and a half million people, it is renowned for the huge variety of biomes contained within its borders, from scorching deserts to awe-inspiring mountains and lush, fertile valleys.
If exploration is your thing, Joshua Tree National Park is a great place to get outside and practice some of your prepper skills.
With a varied countywide economy that includes education, medical tech, and electronics, there are a lot of ways to go if you want to make Riverside County your home. Violent crime rates are definitely acceptable, around 3.3 for every 1,000 residents.
Orange
The last county on our list but certainly not the least, Orange County, located southeast of LA smack in the middle of Southern California, is home to approximately 3.2 million people, but astoundingly has a violent crime rate that is just 2.8 per 1,000 people.
Inside the bounds of Orange County, you’ll have access to world-famous Huntington, Laguna, and Newport beaches, Disneyland, some of the top-rated universities in the country, endless outdoor activities, and a booming economy that is showing no signs of slowing down.
Being well connected to the rest of the state and the country by several major interstates and the Pacific Coast Highway, you have easy routes of ingress and egress to virtually anywhere that you’d want to go.
The post The 10 Safest Places for You to Live in California appeared first on Survival Sullivan.
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