The 10 Safest Places for You To Live in Arizona Leave a comment

As preppers, it’s easy to focus on natural disasters, societal upheaval, and other catastrophes and lose sight of the everyday dangers that are far more likely to befall us and our loved ones.

Sure, a tornado or hurricane might level your town, and a city-wide riot is certainly terrifying, but statistically speaking, you’re far more likely to have a run-in with one or two violent criminals that have targeted you specifically or as a victim of opportunity.

Knowing how to get yourself out of such a sticky situation is one thing, but you’re far better off avoiding it in the first place by living in a safe community where such things rarely, if ever, happen.

If you live in, or heading to, Arizona, I’m here to help with a list of the 10 safest places you can live.

What Crimes Were Considered On This List?

We’ll get right to our list of towns, cities, and counties, but before we do, I want to tell you how I arrived at my selections.

Looking at the crime data, I only considered actual violent crime: I’m talking about things like murder, aggravated battery, home invasion, robbery, carjacking, arson, and so forth.

I’m not saying crimes like thievery and shoplifting aren’t issues—they are—but they aren’t crimes that are likely to immediately imperil the safety of you and your family…

Also, I didn’t look at tiny settlements that have a few dozen people living in them, or ghost towns with just one or two diehard residents: all of the places on the list below are places where you could actually settle down and live with all of the trappings of society we know today.

With that in mind, let’s check them out.

Towns and Cities

Rio Rico

Rio Rico is a small settlement with a population just over 20,000 people, and it lies in Santa Cruz County near the US-Mexico border.

Despite that simmering hotspot, this sleepy community sees very little in the way of crime and has actually been growing surprisingly steadily over the past eight years or so.

A popular home and destination for outdoor enthusiasts, Patagonia Lake State Park will be right in your backyard.

Violent crime in Rio Rico is vanishingly rare, with just 0.1 violent crimes being committed for every 1,000 people. Truly, any such happenings are topics of some conversation here!

Marana

This rapidly growing town of 50,000 lies partially in Pinal and Pima counties. Northwest of the far larger Tucson, Marana is known for excellent schools, tons of recreational opportunities, and many events and activities, including festivals, parades, sports, and more.

A popular town for families and increasingly for retirees, locals and visitors alike note how strong the sense of community is in Marana.

You’ll have plenty of choices for suburban or rural living around the town, and the violent crime rate is quite low in any case; right at 1.1 violent crimes for every 1,000 residents.

Page

A tiny town in Coconino County with a population of just 7,400, Page is right next door to Lake Powell, the Colorado River, and the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.

With truly astounding natural beauty and endless opportunities for outdoor fun like hiking, fishing, boating, kayaking, and more, you’re just a hop and a skip away from both Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend.

Violent crime is historically quite low in Page, well below both Arizona and US averages, though it has seen a small increase in recent years: presently there are just 2.2 violent crimes committed for every 1,000 residents.

If you don’t mind small-town living and lots of nature-loving tourists coming through, Page is a great place to settle down.

Benson

Originally founded as a rail terminal for the greater region southeast of Tucson, Benson is located in Cochise County and one of the smallest villages on our list with just 5,355 full-time residents. Despite its small size, Benson is a town of significant historical significance.

That’s a subject for another article, but today it remains known for its natural beauty in the form of the extensive limestone cave system found in Kartchner Caverns State Park.

Amazingly, there have been many years on end where no violent crimes were committed, or at least recorded, in Benson, specifically in 2014.

Today, though, violent crime is still incredibly rare, with the incorporated area averaging just 1.8 violent crimes total for every 1,000 people.

Buckeye

A sprawling suburban city on the westernmost edge of the Phoenix Metro area, Buckeye is home to about 91,000 people, and is notably the largest city in Arizona if you’re going by area alone: it covers an astounding 393 square miles!

It is also one of the sunniest places in an already sunny state.

Consisting of multiple planned communities, Buckeye is orderly with a wide variety of housing options, excellent schools, and every amenity that a city dweller might want, and of course, you’ll be just a short drive from the heart of Phoenix if you need more.

It’s something of a boomtown in Arizona right now and it remains to be seen what the future holds, but Buckeye has shockingly low violent crime considering its proximity to Phoenix; just 1.8 violent crimes committed per 1,000 citizens. Very impressive!

Counties

Pinal

Historically, Pinal County has been a diverse but predominantly rural part of Arizona, notable only for its proximity to both Phoenix and Tucson. Like so many parts of Arizona, it enjoys a steady flow of tourists thanks to the Superstition Mountains and various historical sites.

Though recently there has been a spike in violent crimes, historically Pinal County has enjoyed a low crime rate on par with the rest of Arizona, around 4.5 violent crimes per 1,000 residents.

Pima

The county where Tucson is located, Pima County still has a surprisingly low violent crime rate of 4.5 per 1,000.

Boasting many outdoor activities, gorgeous natural parks, and settlements ranging from quiet towns to bustling metropolises, there is truly something for every prepper in Pima County.

Coconino

Home to Flagstaff and its very own part of the Grand Canyon, Coconino County is yet another destination for outdoor enthusiasts, nature lovers, and everyone who wants to have fun under the blazing, remorseless Arizona sun.

Notably, Coconino is the second largest county by area in the lower 48, with an astounding 18,660 square miles to its name. It’s larger than the nine smallest states elsewhere in the US!

Shrinking slightly over the past few years, the population of the county is still a modest 144,000, plus or minus a few hundred.

With an average population density of just eight people per square mile, there are huge, wide-open tracts in Coconino County that are perfect if you want to get away from Flagstaff or other heavily settled areas.

Regardless, the violent crime rate is right around 5 for every 1,000 people, not bad at all.

Yavapai

Located right in the middle of Arizona, Yavapai is a populous and affluent part of the state, home to towns like Prescott and Sedona.

One of the most beautiful regions in the entire state, it is packed full of picturesque scenery since it transitions from the Sonoran Desert to the Coconino Plateau and Mogollon Rim, giving it a diverse natural beauty that must be seen to be believed. Yavapwith is dotted with many historical sites, too.

No doubt all of that money brings with it highly effective policing because the violent crime rate is quite low, just 3.5 per 1,000 residents.

Gila

A large and centrally located county in Arizona, Gila has a population of just around 53,000. Home to several Indian reservations and the historic location of brutal range wars, luckily all of the troubles from eras past are long gone.

Currently, the violent crime rate is around 5.3 for every 1,000 residents, somewhat higher than most of the other places we have covered on our tour of Arizona, but still very respectable and well below the national average.

The county seat of Gila, Globe, was originally founded as a mining camp and today is a popular retiree destination and home to many historic buildings. With a population of just 7,200, it has plenty of small-town appeal.

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