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In 2010, a study funded by Underwriters Laboratory, a non-profit safety organization, and conducted by Sperling’s BestPlaces, evaluated the top 50 largest U.S. cities on 20 factors including accident rates, air quality, smoke alarm requirements, fire response times, bike helmet laws, as well as the number of hospitals, police and fire department per capita in the city. Surprisingly the largest city in the country, New York, NY, made the top 5.

According to the study, the top 5 safest U.S. cities were:

1. Boston, MA

Boston has a population of about 650,000. It is famous for its beautiful harbor, history, and numerous excellent colleges and universities such as Harvard, MIT, Tufts, Boston College, Suffolk, Northeastern, and University of Boston. The city is a center for higher education and has many excellent health care facilities. Boston has the highest number of hospitals per capita in the U.S. The city is also noted for its public schools. In 2002, Forbes Magazine ranked the Boston Public Schools as the best large city school system in the country, with a graduation rate of 82%.

2. Columbus, OH

Columbus, with a population of 770,000, is located in central Ohio. It is the capital city of the state and home to Ohio State University. It has a low rate of pedestrian accidents and the lowest incidence of vehicle-related deaths among major cities.

3. Louisville, KY

Louisville is located in northern Kentucky along the Ohio River, just two hours south of Indianapolis, IN. With a population of about 270,000 is largest city in the state and home to the Kentucky Derby, horseracing’s biggest event. Louisville has low pedestrian accident rates, a high number of hospitals per capita, and quick fire response times. In 2003, Louisville merged with Jefferson County giving it technically a total population of about 570,000, which is the reason it is on the top 50 list.

4. Minneapolis, MN

Minneapolis-St. Paul area has long been regarded one of the top metropolitan areas to live in the Midwest. Its metro population is over 3,000,000 and is the headquarters to nearly twenty companies on the Fortune 500 list including UnitedHealth Group, Target, and Best Buy. With its many lakes, it offers an abundance of recreation and has low levels of pedestrian accidents and fires.

5. New York, NY

While many people may not believe New York would be on a safest U.S. city list, the city’s rankings were bolstered by its excellent fire response times, police officers per capita, pool safety laws, low drowning rates, and strict fireworks regulations. With a population of about 8,400,000, the city has the largest fire department-based emergency medical services in the country.

All of these cities have diverse populations, with each having at least a 30% minority population rate. New York is the most diverse city with more than half of its population being either Black or Hispanic. However, suburban areas in Boston, Minneapolis, and Columbus are not as diverse.

These safest U.S. cities are worth considering if you are making a move. The next top 5 safest U.S. cities on the list were Portland, Oregon; San Francisco, California; Seattle, Washington; Tampa, Florida; and Virginia Beach, Virginia. Accident rates and safety are an important factor in the city you live. However, be sure to also evaluate other crime statistics such as robbery and homicide rates. Living in a safe city can help ensure your children’s well being and typically provides an environment for better schools.

In 2010, Las Vegas was once again the city with the most foreclosures, based on the ratio of foreclosures to population. According to data from RealtyTrac, one in 9 homes in Sin City received some kind of default notice in 2010. The good news is that the foreclosure rate is actually down 7% from 2009.

The cities with the most foreclosures were:

1. Las Vegas, Nevada
2. Cape Coral, Florida (near Fort Myers)
3. Modesto, California
4. Phoenix, Arizona

All of the above cities saw a drop in foreclosure rates from 2009, with the largest drop being Cape Coral where filings dropped 28% in 2010. Nevada, Florida, California, and Arizona had numerous bubble markets that saw house prices skyrocket in the 2002-2007 period. Home prices have come down dramatically in the past three years in many areas of these states. Cities in these states account for 19 of the top 20 cities with highest foreclosure rates. While there was better news for the worst hit areas, foreclosure rates rose 72% overall in the 206 U.S. metropolitan areas covered in RealtyTrac’s report.

Even in Houston, Texas, which saw modest gains during the housing boom, and the median home price is currently $144,900, according to Yahoo Real Estate, had a 26% gain in foreclosures from 2009. This was the largest gain among the top 20 largest U.S. The unemployment rate in Houston in November 2010 was 8.6%. Similarly Atlanta, Georgia saw a 21% rise in foreclosure filings. Salt Lake City, Utah experienced a 30% gain in foreclosure rates in 2010.

It is likely the U.S. will experience high levels of foreclosures in the next few years. Many services have been overloaded with the foreclosures and slowed down their actions. There has also been some delay due to evidence of improper handling of foreclosures by banks to expedite foreclosures. Lawsuits have been filed focusing on the dubious practice called ‘Robo-Signing’ by lending institutions on legal documents, in which documents were automatically generated. However, foreclosure rates may again still rise in the worst hit areas, as banks and lending institutions are able to move forward with foreclosure proceedings.