LOS ANGELES, June 15 /PRNewswire/ -- We all want to feel secure about where we live, but where are the most secure places in America? According to Farmers Insurance Group's ranking of the Top 25 Most Secure U.S. Places to Live, the most secure location in the U.S. is the Provo-Orem, Utah area.

The rankings, compiled by database experts at http://www.bestplaces.net, took into consideration crime statistics, risk of natural disasters and job loss numbers in 213 U.S. metropolitan areas with populations of 200,000 or more.

"Feeling safe and secure is a basic human instinct," said Jeff Beyer, senior vice-president, corporate communications for Farmers Insurance Group. "To some people, feeling safe against crime is most important. To some, it's financial security. And to others, it may be not worrying about losing their home. We'd all like to find a place to live or work that allows us to feel that security."

Located about 45 miles south/southeast of Salt Lake City, Provo lies in the heart of the Utah Valley between Utah Lake and the Wasatch Mountain Range. Settled by Mormon pioneers in 1849, the region was originally inhabited by the Ute Indians.

Today, it is home to Brigham Young University and Utah Valley State in nearby Orem. The region has a population of 387,817 and, along with ninth- ranked Danbury, Conn., shares the lowest crime rate of the 213 areas studied.

Dutchess County, N.Y., located midway between New York City and Albany in the rolling hills and forests of the Hudson River Valley, ranks second among Farmers Insurance's most secure areas. Crime is low and unemployment even lower in this affluent community of 287,752 of mainly professional and technical workers.

The third-ranked Most Secure Place is Madison, Wis., the state capital of Wisconsin and home to the University of Wisconsin. A cultural center surrounded by dairy farms and cropland, Madison (pop. 437, 110) is often cited as one of the nation's healthiest cities and among the best places to retire.

Rounding out the top five are Lancaster, Pa., located in the heart of the Pennsylvania Dutch Region about 65 miles west of Philadelphia, and the Albany- Troy-Schenectady, N.Y. area, with many activities revolving around the functions of state government and a very low risk of natural disasters.

Among the remaining Most Secure Places, Olympia, Wash (#7) and Honolulu, Hawaii (#15) received the highest ranks for having few natural disasters, while Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, Ark. (#11) and Portland, Me. (#13) have the lowest unemployment rates among the cities studied.

Two seemingly notable "surprises" on the top 25 list are a pair of Nevada cities: Las Vegas (#21) and Reno (#25). In trying to shake its image of "Sin City," Las Vegas has done much in the last five years to remake itself into a family destination. And while crime remains an issue, steady employment and a low risk of natural disasters helped boost its ranking.

Likewise, Reno, despite its plethora of casinos and gaming attractions, has sought to diversify by bringing in new industry and has become one of the fastest-growing areas in the U.S.

Here is the entire list, in order, of Farmers Insurance's Top 25 Most Secure Cities in the United States:

  1) Provo-Orem, Utah
  2) Dutchess County, N.Y.
  3) Madison, Wis.
  4) Lancaster, Pa.
  5) Albany-Troy-Schenectady, N.Y.
  6) Portsmouth-Rochester, N.H.
  7) Olympia, Wash.
  8) Bremerton, Wash.
  9) Danbury, Conn.
  10) Appleton-Oshkosh-Neenah, Wis.
  11) Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, Ark.
  12) Green Bay, Wis.
  13) Portland, Maine
  14) Harrisburg-Lebanon-Carlisle, Pa.
  15) Honolulu, Hawaii
  16) Evansville, Ind.-Henderson, Ky.
  17) Manchester, N.H.
  18) Nassau-Suffolk, N.Y.
  19) Asheville, N.C.
  20) Knoxville, Tenn.
  21) Las Vegas, Nev.
  22) San Luis Obispo-Atascadero-Paso Robles, Calif.
  23) Newburgh, N.Y.
  24) Utica-Rome, N.Y.
  25) Reno, Nev.

Farmers Insurance Group of Companies® is the nation's third-largest Personal Lines Property & Casualty insurance group. Headquartered in Los Angeles and doing business in 41 states, the insurers comprising the Farmers Insurance Group of Companies provide Homeowners, Auto, Business, Life insurance and financial services to more than 10 million households through 17,000 exclusive and independent agents and district managers. For more information about Farmers, visit our Web site at http://www.farmers.com