The Safest Cities in Nebraska

Safety is a selling point in America, and understandably, it can be the main priority for homebuyers.

In recent years Nebraska has worked hard to reduce its crime. For example, there was a 24% decrease in property crime between 2010 and 2019. This outcome and attractive grants and programs for first home buyers in Nebraska including HBA and HSB are turning heads with the safest cities growing in popularity.

Safest Cities in Nebraska

Omaha is the largest city, with a population getting close to 500,000. However, Omaha hasn’t made the top safest 10 cities.  Let’s look at some of the safest cities.

Seward

Seward, however, is in the top 10, and on some lists, it ranks as the second safest city in the state. It is often cited as the best place for first-time homebuyers in Nebraska who want to stay safe and enjoy a peaceful, relaxing lifestyle with modest living costs and a great local community.

Part of the reason for the low levels of crime here is that it has a population of just over 7,000. In such a small city, you can expect that there is more neighborliness and the fact that most people will know one another, which helps to discourage criminal acts.

Another advantage of Seward is that, despite its compact size, it is not too far from much larger cities like Lincoln. It could make a great location to live if you want to commute while benefiting from 60 percent less crime than the national average.

Schuyler

Smaller still than Seward, the city of Schuyler is a bastion of safety which is within an hour’s drive of the big city of Omaha. It has plenty of amenities in its own right, of course, including a range of restaurants, bars, public buildings, and retail outlets to fulfill all of your needs as a resident.

Once again, living costs are also impressively low. The average house price according to Zillow is $238,339; however, there are plenty of homes under $200,000, and you get a lot more for your money here than you would in a more built-up area. As such, first-time buyers can stretch their budgets a lot further.

Columbus

More than three times the size of either Seward or Schuyler, Columbus is a buzzing metropolis in comparison and yet still manages to provide residents with the safety they crave thanks to its low crime rates.

Columbus sits on the banks of Loup River and is close to where this forks into Platte River to the south, while to the north sits Lake Babcock. As such, it’s an excellent place for fans of things like fishing and water sports.

Add to that the presence of the Pawnee Plunge Water Park, along with a host of other local attractions, and you can get a lot out of life in this small yet thriving Nebraskan city.

La Vista

While technically a city in its own right, La Vista is also effectively encompassed within the much larger Omaha, sitting on its southwest fringes and providing a safe suburban escape from the more extensive urban sprawl nearby.

With a population of a little over 17,000 and a median household income that sits at close to $68,000, it is very much a middle-class enclave and comes with all the benefits that this brings. Golf courses, well-maintained parks, excellent transport links, and large plots with great plots are here.

Again, it’s about balancing what you need and what you can compromise in terms of safety. There may be slightly more crime in La Vista than in Schuyler, but the perks of being attached to Omaha could make up for this depending on your wish list for your next move.

Norfolk

Equivalent in size to Columbus and sitting almost directly due north from it, Norfolk is well-named. Its nearest major city is Sioux City, which straddles the border with Iowa, although there is probably more than enough in Norfolk itself to satisfy most people on a week-to-week basis.

Like La Vista, it has golf courses, country clubs, and parks, and it also benefits from the nearby Norfolk Regional Airport and the large local hospital. Safety is a given in this well-heeled setting, and yet once again, the affordability of property means that it is not out of reach for younger buyers, nor older house-hunters with larger budgets.

Lexington

Sitting within spitting distance of the arterial Interstate 80, Lexington is a compact yet attractive city that is safe when compared with the typical crime levels you would expect nationally for a place of this size.

Once again, local amenities are excellent, and you will not need to pay through the nose to buy a property of your very own. And of course, the added advantage of living in a smaller city is that you do not have to travel far to access all it has to offer.

As you can see, Nebraska has safe cities galore; it’s just a case of picking the one which looks like it meets all your needs.