The 20 Safest Cities in Georgia — 2016

From producing the nation’s largest supply of juicy peaches to delivering happiness from coast to coast in a Coca-Cola bottle, there’s a lot to love about Georgia. These 20 safest cities represent the best the Peach State has to offer, with 95 percent of them claiming a spot on our list for the second year in a row. It’s not surprising when you consider that, regardless of size or location, the cities on our list were founded with the type of community spirit that calls citizens to look out for one another and encourages neighbors to become friends.

Our number one city, Johns Creek, was a meeting place for peace talks between the Cherokee and Creek tribes long before it topped our list. This city of more than 84,000 stood out with a stellar safety record that included just 28 reports of violent crime in the FBI’s latest data, and zero incidents of murder. In fact, 75 percent of the cities recognized on our list reported no murders during the reporting period, and 80 percent boasted zero incidents of arson.

Southern hospitality is another hallmark of the safe communities on our list. It’s that willingness to lend a helping hand that makes community policing efforts a common thread among all of the safest we’ve recognized. Take a look at our comprehensive Georgia Safety Directory for more information about ways to stay safe in Georgia, no matter which city you live in.

How We Chose the Safest Cities in Georgia

To identify the 20 safest cities in Georgia, we reviewed the most recent FBI Crime Report statistics from 2014, along with population data. We eliminated all cities with fewer than 4,000 residents as well as any cities that failed to submit a complete crime report to the FBI.

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From there, we evaluated the remaining cities. We narrowed it down based on the number of reported violent crimes (aggravated assault, murder, rape, and robbery) and property crimes (burglary, arson, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft) in each city. To further level the playing field, we calculated the likelihood of these crimes occurring out of 1,000 people in each city. Learn more about how we rank our Safest Cities reports.

1. Summerville  Previous Rank: 3 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.23 Property Crimes per 1,000: 7.04

2. Johns Creek Previous Rank: 1 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.33 Property Crimes per 1,000: 7.05

3. Grovetown Previous Rank: 14 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.32 Property Crimes per 1,000: 9.39

4. Milton Previous Rank: 4 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.19
Property Crimes per 1,000: 9.94

5. Flowery Branch Previous Rank: 9 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.00 Property Crimes per 1,000: 12.14

6. Peachtree City  Previous Rank: 5 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.29 Property Crimes per 1,000: 12.66

7. Tyrone  Previous Rank: 8 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.28
Property Crimes per 1,000: 13.23

8. Folkston Previous Rank: 7 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 3.19
Property Crimes per 1,000: 11.17

9. Braselton Previous Rank: 15 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 1.11 Property Crimes per 1,000: 13.51

10. Auburn Previous Rank: Not ranked Violent Crimes per 1,000: 2.22 Property Crimes per 1,000: 14.30

11. Kennesaw  Previous Rank: 13 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 1.14 Property Crimes per 1,000: 15.66

12. McRae Previous Rank: 10 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 3.91 Property Crimes per 1,000: 13.35

13. Jefferson Previous Rank: 11 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 1.53 Property Crimes per 1,000: 16.43

14. Port Wentworth  Previous Rank: 18 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 2.92 Property Crimes per 1,000: 15.79

15. Holly Springs Previous Rank: 2 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 1.01 Property Crimes per 1,000: 17.73

16. Jackson Previous Rank: 22 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 1.43 Property Crimes per 1,000: 17.34

17. Roswell Previous Rank: 23 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 1.15 Property Crimes per 1,000: 18.76

18. Commerce Previous Rank: 21 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 2.44 Property Crimes per 1,000: 17.85

19. Alpharetta Previous Rank: 19 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.60 Property Crimes per 1,000: 19.75

20. Duluth Previous Rank: 26 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.94 Property Crimes per 1,000: 20.69

Didn’t see your city rank in the top 20? Check the remaining cities below, and take a look at the most recent FBI crime data here.

21. Canton	22. Adairsville	23. Loganville
24. Palmetto	25. Woodstock	26. Suwanee
27. Sandy Springs	28. Bremen	29. Fayetteville
30. Brookhaven	31. Acworth	32. Pooler
33. Dallas	34. Byron	35. Smyrna
36. Social Circle	37. Decatur	38. Kingsland
39. Newnan	40. Athens-Clarke County	41. Snellville
42. Temple	43. Statesboro	44. McDonough
45. Dalton	46. Savannah-Chatham	47. Cairo
48. Camilla	49. Milledgeville	50. Manchester
51. Chatsworth	52. Fairburn	53. Jonesboro
54. Winder	55. Adel	56. Gainesville
57. Hinesville	58. Norcross	59. Dunwoody
60. Eatonton	61. Baxley	62. Walthourville
63. Calhoun	64. Marietta	65. Carrollton
66. Nashville	67. Lafayette	68. Thomaston
69. Villa Rica	70. Fort Valley	71. Powder Springs
72. Hazlehurst	73. Swainsboro	74. Lilburn
75. Sandersville	76. Toccoa	77. Cornelia
78. Dublin	79. Valdosta	80. Forsyth
81. Forest Park	82. LaGrange	83. Conyers
84. Centerville	85. Riverdale	86. Albany
87. Warner Robins	88. Locust Grove	89. Fitzgerald
90. Cordele	91. Waynesboro	92. Atlanta
93. Douglasville	94. Columbus	95. Thomasville
96. Cumming	97. Tifton	98. Moultrie
99. Covington	100. Vidalia

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