I remember reading a quote that said something to the effect of "Safety is the most basic task of all. Without safety, no growth can take place."

I would love to give credit to the person who first said or wrote that, but I can't recall who it actually was. Probably Ben Franklin, who really had a knack for the snappy life quote.

Regardless, it makes perfect sense, especially when you're talking about places people live. People want to feel safe in whatever city or town they live in here in Illinois or across the country, and we've seen in this state how hard it is for a crime-ridden city to keep its citizens from leaving.

Let's take a look and see which Illinois cities and towns are doing things right and keeping their people and property safe.

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Not like that. Plus, that kid's clearly out. (Getty Images)
Not that kind of safe. Plus, the kid's clearly out. (Getty Images)
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A Security Product Review Site Crunched The FBI's Crime Numbers From 2022 (The Last Year That Crime Statistics Are Available For), And Here's What They Say About Illinois And Elsewhere

That site, SafeWise.com, is out with their 10th Annual Safest Cities Report, and on their list, the top 100 safest cities in America are spread out among 26 states. The good news, although it is somewhat surprising, is that Illinois has the most safe cities on the list with a total of 10 out of the entire 100.

SafeWise.com, Facebook
SafeWise.com, Facebook
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These are the top 10 Illinois cities that landed on the SafeWise 100 Safest Cities in America list for 2024, along with their national ranking:

  • Naperville (12)
  • Palatine (30)
  • Mount Prospect (31)
  • Berwyn (33)
  • Hoffman Estates (38)
  • Arlington Heights (45)
  • Elgin (52)
  • Tinley Park (59)
  • Bolingbrook (66)
  • Des Plaines (80)
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Beyond Ten Illinois Cities And Where They Rank Overall In Safety In The Nation, The Study Also Ranks The Top 20 Safest Cities Overall In The State Of Illinois

Which you would think would be many of the same cities that made the top 100 in the entire country...but that's not what the study found.

Here are SafeWise's top 20 safest cities and towns in Illinois:

    1. Campton Hills
    2. Libertyville
    3. Wauconda
    4. Pingree Grove
    5. Harrisburg
    6. La Salle
    7. Gilberts
    8. Western Springs
    9. Winfield
    10. Hampshire
    11. Lake in the Hills
    12. Manhattan
    13. Homer Glen
    14. Lindenhurst
    15. Mascoutah
    16. Lemont
    17. Palos Hills
    18. Yorkville
    19. Roscoe
    20. Oswego

LOOK: Major US city skylines in photos, then and now

Stacker consulted photo archives and the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat to see how 15 U.S. city skylines evolved in the past century.

Gallery Credit: Stacker

LOOK: Stunning, historic hotels from every state and the stories behind them

Stacker curated this list of stunning, historic hotels from every state. To be considered for inclusion, the structure must be more than 50 years old. Many of the selected hotels are listed on the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and several are purported to be haunted.

Gallery Credit: Erin Joslyn