Waltham ranked one of the safest college towns in the United States.
The City of Waltham is the 23rd safest college town in the country, according to a Sept. 7 SafeWise ranking of the top 30 safest college towns nationwide.
“As an early epicenter of the labor movement, this safe college city has always been fiercely protective of its citizens,” the list said of Waltham.
The list also cited Bentley University’s campus drone policy, which requires community members to get unmanned aerial vehicles approved by the University before they can be used.
According to SafeWise, the survey used FBI crime statistics and identified safety-related programs and initiatives in college towns and cities across the country in order to compile the list.
The list also cited a 2014 FBI United States crime statistics spreadsheet, which included data on violent crime, murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, property crime, burglary, larceny and motor vehicle theft on a state-by-state basis.
The City of Waltham is safer than 53 percent of all cities in the United States, with an average of 124 violent crimes and 823 property crimes per year, according to data from NeighborhoodScout, an online real estate profiling resource.
According to the website, there are 1.97 violent crimes and 13.06 property crimes per 1,000 residents per year in Waltham, lower than the national averages of 3.8 violent crimes and 26 property crimes per 1,000 residents per year.
The City of Waltham, which is home to Brandeis, Bentley and the Center for Digital Imaging Arts for Boston University, edged out Northfield, Minnesota — home to Carleton College and St. Olaf College — in the ranking. Waltham ranked 27th on the 2015 list.
—Abby Patkin
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