Athens, Rainsville, Muscle Shoals among state’s ‘safest’

A trio of North Alabama cities, stretching from the northeast to the northwest, have been ranked among the 15 safest cities in Alabama.

Muscle Shoals, Rainsville and Athens were on the list released recently by uphomes.com.

Muscle Shoals is No. 6 and the publication says, “Whether you’re looking to rock out or live a quieter riverside life, there’s a place in Muscle Shoals for you.”

At No. 8 is Rainsville, “a scenic arena boasting mountain biking, cavern and canyon exploring, and other unique outdoor activities.”

Athens, a place to “experience some classic Southern culture,” is 12th.

Here’s what uphomes.com wrote about the three cities:

• Muscle Shoals –

  County: Colbert County
  Population: 17,222
  Violent crime rate: 35 per 100,000
  FEMA score: 71.91
  Just south of the Tennessee River, you’ll find the city of Muscle Shoals. This city is a great place for music lovers. It’s known as home to the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio — though the studio is technically located in a neighboring town. The studio offers tours and is still a working recording studio where bands such as The Black Keys have recorded their hits. When it comes to safety, Muscle Shoals has the eighth lowest violent crime and 10th lowest nonviolent crime rates on our list. Colbert County itself is also very safe, with the ninth lowest violent crime and fifth lowest nonviolent crime rate on our list, making Muscle Shoals the sixth safest city overall. Whether you’re looking to rock out or live a quieter riverside life, there’s a place in Muscle Shoals for you.

• Rainsville –

  County: DeKalb County
  Population: 5,767
  Violent crime rate: 121 per 100,000
  FEMA score: 69.42
  Rainsville is a unique city in Alabama that’s located on top of Sand Mountain, a large sandstone plateau spanning areas in northeast Alabama, northwest Georgia, and southeast Tennessee. This makes Rainsville a scenic arena boasting mountain biking, cavern and canyon exploring, and other unique outdoor activities. Rainsville has the 23rd lowest violent crime rate, 13th lowest nonviolent crime rate, 20th lowest FEMA index, and 17th lowest cost of living on our list. These factors make it a solid choice for your next home and the eighth safest city in Alabama.

• Athens –

  County: Limestone County
  Population: 29,923
  Violent crime rate: 30 per 100,000
  FEMA score: 73.59
  Athens is just north of the Tennessee River and 36 minutes west of Huntsville. Looking to experience some classic Southern culture? The Limestone Sheriff’s Rodeo has been running for 41 years and takes place each May, with contestants competing for a $50,000 prize. You might also recognize Athens from our roundup of the best places to live in Alabama. Athens has the sixth lowest violent crime rate in Alabama, though the nonviolent crime rate is higher, coming in 31st. The cost of living in Athens is 13.8% below the national average, which is one of the reasons Athens is the 12th safest city in Alabama.

The top 15 are: Headland, Pell City, Rainbow City, Southside, Monroeville, Muscle Shoals, Gardendale, Rainsville, Mountain Brook, Glencoe, Margaret, Athens, Pelham, Satsuma, and Helena.

Uphomes.com said its methodology included indirect factors like poverty rates to broaden our scale. However, these factors are weighted less than crime rates because poverty rates and income alone don’t determine whether or not a city is safe. They break down how each element was weighted in our methodology section.