Magazine ranking proves what Ralls Countians already know

If you want a safe place to live, look no farther than Ralls County.
It’s ranked second in The Progressive Farmer magazine’s top five places where the threat of harm is lower than a snake’s belly in a wagon rut.
Of course, the ranking didn’t come as big news to Ralls County residents. They’ve already found heaven on earth.
Many wouldn’t trade their quality of life even if it meant a chance to put down roots in Carroll County, Ohio, which the magazine deemed the safest rural area in America.
“It’s quite an honor to be picked,” said George Lane, a lifelong resident and the county’s presiding commissioner, who farms near Center. “It’s a pretty safe place to live.”
“It didn’t surprise me,” said another lifelong resident, Rhonda Leake, a loan clerk in Perry. “It’s a great place to live. I feel pretty safe.”
“It sounds good,” Susan Sims, a clerk at the New London Post Office, said of the ranking. “It’s always good to be safe.”
The results are published in The Progressive Farmer’s October edition. The magazine and the research firm OnBoard Informatics studied crime rates in compiling the list, but editors also looked at more subjective factors.
“In rural America, (residents) are able to watch out for each other,” said Jack Odle, The Progressive Farmer’s editor-in-chief. “I think that’s still important for people, and thank God it is.”
Odle said the top five, which also includes counties in Tennessee, Indiana and Alabama, are diverse. Some of near metro areas and others are not. Crime problems also differed, but all had at least one thing in common.
“It all boiled down to people paying attention and reporting things that were going on,” Odle said. “It isn’t necessarily whether you’re isolated. Just being a nosy neighbor is the best thing.”
“People look out for each other here,” explained Lane, who credits strong law enforcement for helping to keep crime rates down. “It makes a big difference.”
Several Tri-State area counties made the magazine’s list of the 100 Best Rural Places to Live in the Midwest, a rating based not just on crime statistics but also on home and land prices, environment, education, economic factors, access to health care and other criteria.
Marion County ranked 88th, just ahead of Adams County, Ill., but 10 behind Pike County, Ill. Audrain County ranked 40th. Two counties in Southeast Iowa, Van Buren and Lee, made the top 20.
Odle said that while the lists are fun, they also have a purpose.
“We try to pick those outstanding counties and provide ideas (to other places) on what they’re doing,” he said.
For a complete list, visit www.progressivefarmer.com.