Madison Wisconsin Real Estate News

In times of economic uncertainty, identifying a safe and secure environment in which to live, work and raise a family has undoubtedly become a much bigger priority for many Americans than before. In a survey released by Farmers Insurance Group in late December 2009, Madison Wisconsin ranked the third most secure place to live in the United States compared to the largest U.S. metropolitan areas.

The rankings used in the study considered factors ranging from crime statistics, extreme weather, risk of natural disasters, threat of terrorism, housing market depreciation, foreclosure rates, air quality, life expectancy, and job loss numbers. In total, 379 U.S. municipalities were evaluated for the study.

The survey ranked the top 20 cities (or metropolitan areas) in three population categories: 1.) large metropolitan areas with populations totaling 500,000 or more, 2.) midsized cities with populations ranging from 150,000 to 500,000, and 3.) small towns with populations under 150,000.

Results for the cities with the largest populations (500,000 or more residents) were:

1. Austin-Round Rock, Tex.
2. Des Moines-West Des Moines, Iowa
3. Madison, Wis.
4. Bethesda-Gaithersburg-Frederick, Md.
5. Rochester, N.Y.
6. Honolulu, Hawaii
7. Syracuse, N.Y.
8. El Paso, Tex.
9. Portland-South Portland-Biddeford, Me.
10. Nassau-Suffolk Counties, N.Y.
11. Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, Minn.
12. McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Tex.
13. Portland-Beaverton, Ore.-Vancouver, Wash.
14. New Haven-Milford, Conn.
15. Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, Conn.
16. Pittsburgh, Pa.
17. Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, Wash.
18. Colorado Springs, Colo.
19. Denver, Colo.
20. Scranton-Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

Two other Wisconsin cities ranked in the top 20 for midsized cities: Green Bay (16) and Duluth, Minn.-Superior, Wis. (9). Three other Wisconsin cities made the list for small towns: Eau Claire (9), Wausau (18), and La Crosse, Wis.-Winona, Minn (20).

If you or someone you care about is looking to relocate to Madison Wisconsin, please contact top Madison Realtor and Lake & City Homes broker|owner Jolenta Averill at 608.628.9701 or register at LakeandCityHomes.com for free access to every Madison real estate listing available in the South Central Wisconsin MLS, updated every three hours, 24 hours a day!