Enjoy Syracuse, 9th safest place in nation

I was glad to hear about this story on WAER 88.3 this morning, and it is sourced from the Post Standard below. In the wake of Syracuse's mention in a book titled "The Absolutely Worst Places to Live in America" (Thomas Dunne Books, $14.95), we see just how varied and unreliable these lists can be by the publishing of another list, cited in the article below.

I think some lists and statistics about a particular area can be helpful, but if raw data is taken out of context or looked at in a vacuum, you don't get the whole picture. The bottom line is that any place in America is a good place to live, depending on your perspective and outlook. If you enjoy where you live, your quality of life is high, and for you and your family, it's one of the best places to live in America. Farmers Insurance is pointing out one aspect that contributes to quality of life: security. Both from natural disasters and crime.

So read these lists with care, and remember it's all about perception. My perception is that Syracuse is a great place to live, and I don't need any list to prove me right.

Tuesday, December 05, 2006
By Charley Hannagan
Staff writer

Farmers Insurance on Monday ranked the Syracuse area the ninth most secure place to live in the United States.

The ranking was based on crime statistics, extreme weather, risk of natural disasters, environmental hazards, terrorist threats and job loss numbers in 114 metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.

It was the top listing for any place in New York state, but other Upstate cities weren't far behind: Albany was 12, Rochester was 13 and Buffalo 14.

"To me this just reinforces what we've said all along: that we do enjoy a high quality of life in Syracuse," said David Duerr, executive vice president of the Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce.

The Farmers list, compiled by Sperling's Best Places, comes on the heels of Syracuse's appearance in "The Absolutely Worst Places to Live in America," a highly subjective book by New Jersey native Dave Gilmartin.

In October, a list by Morgan Quitno Press, based on FBI statistics, placed Syracuse 305 out of 371 safest cities.

Our snowy weather apparently isn't all that extreme compared with hurricanes, tornadoes or hailstorms that hit other parts of the country, said Bert Sperling, president of Sperling's Best Places. There aren't any terrorist targets, either.

And "although the economy is not that great, it's coming back a bit. There's no booms or busts. It's pretty stable," Sperling said.

Charley Hannagan can be reached at 470-2161 or channagan@syracuse.com