WESTSIDE -- Once again, Bella Vista, Gravette and Gentry are on the SafeWise top-20 list of safest cities in Arkansas. Bella Vista is at Number 3, Gravette at Number 8 and Gentry at Number 11.

"With Arkansas's centuries-old farmland, abundant wilderness, and renowned hot springs, we're not the least surprised it's nicknamed The Natural State. The exceptionally low crime rates of its 20 safest communities, however, do have us in awe," the SafeWise news release states.

"Based on the most recent FBI crime report, a violent offense occurs every 26 seconds in the United States. But, remarkably, three of the cities on our list -- Greenbrier, White Hall, and Cherokee Village -- reported fewer than one violent crime per 1,000 people in 2015. Looking at specific crimes, we were pleased to find that over half of the state's 20 safest cities reported no robberies and all, but two cited zero murders," the release states.

From small cities like Gravette and Gentry to larger ones such as Bella Vista and Bentonville, each community on the list has something unique to offer. "What they have in common is relatively nominal property crime. In fact, on average, the 20 safest cities in Arkansas reported fewer than 13 property crimes per 1,000 people -- that's almost half the national average. What's more, 15 of the cities on our list cited fewer than 100 total crimes of this type," the release states.

How the safest cities in Arkansas were chosen

According to the SafeWise news release, "To identify the 20 safest cities in Arkansas, we reviewed the 2015 FBI crime report statistics and population data. We eliminated all cities with fewer than 3,000 residents as well as any cities that failed to submit a complete crime report to the FBI.

"From there, we evaluated the remaining cities. We narrowed it down based on the number of reported violent crimes (aggravated assault, murder, rape and robbery) and property crimes (burglary, arson, larceny-theft and motor vehicle theft) in each city. To level the playing field, we calculated the likelihood of these crimes occurring out of 1,000 people in each city."

"If you live in Arkansas or you're thinking of settling down in the Land of Opportunity, we encourage you to explore our Arkansas Safety Directory. In it you'll find numerous home security and crime prevention resources, as well as a map of the state's least and most burglarized counties," the release states.

Following is a listing of the top-20 safest cities in Arkansas and their crime history:

1. Greenbrier ↔

Previous rank: 1

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.19

Property Crimes per 1,000: 2.43

1. Greenwood ↔

Previous rank: 2

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 1.61

Property Crimes per 1,000: 5.91

1. Bella Vista ↔

Previous rank: 3

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 2.57

Property Crimes per 1,000: 7.72

1. Centerton ↑

Previous rank: 5

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 3.09

Property Crimes per 1,000: 7.74

1. Shannon Hills ↓

Previous rank: 4

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 1.31

Property Crimes per 1,000: 10.48

1. White Hall ↔

Previous rank: 6

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.77

Property Crimes per 1,000: 11.79

1. Corning ↑

Previous rank: 14

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 3.85

Property Crimes per 1,000: 9.96

1. Gravette ↑

Previous rank: 13

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 4.01

Property Crimes per 1,000: 10.17

1. Brookland

Previous rank: N/A

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 3.43

Property Crimes per 1,000: 11.72

1. Cherokee Village ↔

Previous rank: 10

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.66

Property Crimes per 1,000: 14.89

1. Gentry ↓

Previous rank: 9

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 4.39

Property Crimes per 1,000: 11.41

1. Pottsville ↓

Previous rank: 8

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 5.45

Property Crimes per 1,000: 10.57

1. Austin

Previous rank: N/A

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 2.35

Property Crimes per 1,000: 14.97

1. Farmington ↑

Previous rank: 69

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 1.36

Property Crimes per 1,000: 16.66

1. Walnut Ridge ↑

Previous rank: 16

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 2.56

Property Crimes per 1,000: 15.97

1. Bentonville

Previous rank: Not ranked

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 2.13

Property Crimes per 1,000: 18.45

1. Warren ↓

Previous rank: 12

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 3.97

Property Crimes per 1,000: 16.76

1. Vilonia ↓

Previous rank: 7

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 2.69

Property Crimes per 1,000: 18.80

1. Cabot ↑

Previous rank: 23

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 1.80

Property Crimes per 1,000: 19.95

1. Lowell ↓

Previous rank: 11

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 2.56

Property Crimes per 1,000: 20.93

General News on 11/29/2017

More information is available at the SafeWise website.