Study Names 1 Illinois City As “Safest And Most Affordable”

When thinking about your ideal place to live in Illinois, are you looking for safe or affordable? Many of us have wrestled with that decision at one time or another over the years, but a study says that you can actually have both. If you know where to look.

A financial-based website, GoBankingRates.com, in their yearly look at the safest and most affordable cities in the United States, just gave the number-one ranking in the entire country to an Illinois city that normally isn't on the receiving end of this sort of praise.

I say this without jealousy, even though I don't live in Galena or Naperville: it's nice to see some accolades being tossed an an Illinois city that isn't Chicago, Naperville, or Galena. Every time you turn around one of those cities is being honored for something, whether it's for being charming and romantic, or safe and affordable, or having the best food...but not this time.

If you need a clue...think watches. As in timepieces.

I'm Sure You've Figured It Out That We're Talking About Watches, Illinois Elgin, Illinois!

GoBankingRates.com's study looked at several things to determine the 50 safest and most affordable cities in the country, including:

• Costs of living
• Crime Rate Average
• Median Income
• Mortgage Rates
• Average Home Values

Some of the surprising information from the study was that of the top 25 safest and most affordable cities on their list, 11 of them are located in Texas. Also, the cheapest cost of living is in Brownsville, Texas, with an estimated monthly cost of $2,940.

I also found it surprising that even though it's still much safer than other big cities such as New York City or Los Angeles, the highest rate of violent crimes on this list is in Mesa, Arizona.

If You Don't Live In Elgin, You Probably Want To Know "Just What's So Great About Elgin?"

According to GoBankingRates.com, these are Elgin's numbers:

• Median household income: $85,998
• Household average mortgage cost: $1,840
• Total monthly cost of living: $4,008
• Property crimes: 851
• Violent crimes: 215

By the way, Elgin is not the only Illinois city to make the list. Elgin came it at number-one, but Joliet takes the number-seventeen position overall in the country with these numbers:

• Median household income: $84,971
• Household average mortgage cost: $1,427
• Total monthly cost of living: $3,572
• Property crimes: 1,534
• Violent crimes: 814

Read GoBankingRates.com's study by clicking here.