Top 10 Largest Cities In America With No Murders

When thinking about a large city without the tragedy of murder, most people picture one of the idyllic small towns that dot the American landscape. However, as some of America's cities prove, you don't need to be able to fit your entire town's population in your living room to avoid having some of your neighbors murder each other. A thriving economy and strong relationships between citizens and police are just some of the factors that have helped these sizable cities avoid chalk drawings and police tape. Listed below are the largest cities in the USA, with no reported murders in 2016.

Named for the famous explorer John C. Fremont, the California city of Fremont offers a peaceful refuge from the busy and chaotic pace in nearby San Francisco. The city boasts a population of over 230,000, making it the largest city on our list by a healthy margin. Even with this large and still growing population, Fremont manages to retain low crime rates, and the city hasn't had a murder since 2015. Fremont's bustling economy and extensive network of privately owned cameras have contributed to keep disagreements civil and crime low.

The city of Vancouver, Washington, is just a stone’s throw away from the much bigger city of Portland, Oregon. This quiet city sits on the northern banks of the Columbia River and enjoys views of stunning mountain peaks, including Mount Saint Helens and Mount Hood. Although the volcanic Mount Saint Helens may have famously erupted in the recent past, the residents of Vancouver leave the angry eruptions to the mountain. The lack of murders is just the peak of Vancouver's nonexistent mountain of crime; other violent crimes occur infrequently, and the city's crime rates have decreased over the past few years.

For many decades after its founding in 1850, Elk Grove, California, was little more than a quiet farming community. As San Francisco began to expand outwards, many residents began flocking to this quiet town. Over the last two decades, Elk Grove's population has grown to close to 170,000 people. Crime rates often accompany population growth, but Elk Grove has managed to stave off this increase with a solid economy, a healthy selection of parks and strong investments in good schools. Crimes do still occur in Elk Grove, of course, but the city's crime rates are low when compared to the California average.

As a safe and quiet enclave in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, Frisco, Texas is home to more than 160,000 people. The city has been growing steadily while avoiding the crime waves that often accompany bustling cities. In Frisco, only 77 out of every 100,000 citizens were the victims of a violent crime, a rate much lower than the Texas average of 434 per 100,000. Although the city can be rightfully proud of its lack of murders and other violent crimes, it doesn't have a bad record when it comes to property crimes either. Theft, burglary and other property crimes occur in Frisco at a rate much lower than most other Texas cities.

Naperville, Illinois is a comfortable and charming suburb of Chicago. Unlike the famously rough streets of its larger neighbor, however, the streets of Naperville are safe and inviting. A thriving economy and a slower pace of life have kept the residents of Naperville from turning to a life of crime, and there isn't much in the city to inspire its residents to raise a hand against their neighbors. With such a low crime rate, it isn't hard to see why many of its residents love to live here. With only 92 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, Naperville's residents have little to fear.

Bellevue, Washington, might be home to the largest indoor shooting range on the West Coast, but its residents contain their shootings to the range. Located just across the lake from its more famous sister city, Seattle, Bellevue attracts a diverse and affluent population thanks to its close proximity to Microsoft and other tech giants. With no reported murders last year, citizens of this city feel safe walking between the city's glittering shops, even in the dead of a lengthy winter night. In Bellevue, only 98 out of every 100,000 residents have been the victim of a violent crime, a sharp departure from the state's rate of 300 per 100,000.

In an earlier life, Roseville, California, was a sleepy railroad town, home to barely 5,000 hard-scrabbled railroad workers. As the city grew and matured, however, large employers began to move in, eventually attracting more than 130,000 people to this Californian city. Despite this growth, however, the city has retained its small-town feel, and it's the kind of city where you can leave your door unlocked without fear. The murder rate is nonexistent, and violent crimes as a whole are less than half the national average. Property crimes do still occur, but many residents feel secure enough to leave their cars parked in the driveway at night.

The multitude of oak trees that blanket Thousand Oaks, California, and give the city its name dot a landscape that's remarkably safe for its residents. A northern suburb of Los Angeles, Thousand Oaks offers a location that's close enough to the big city to take advantage of its amenities but removed enough to keep itself shielded from most crime. In the 1920s, the area was home to only 100 people, but since incorporating in 1964 it's grown steadily. Its violent crime rate is less than half the national average, and its citizens are in more danger from a falling acorn than an unhappy neighbor.

As the home of the University of Oklahoma, the city of Norman, Oklahoma offers its residents a strong economy with plentiful educational opportunities. Its streets are a little rowdy thanks to its heavy student population, but they largely keep their disagreements to minor scuffles. No murders were reported in the city's most recent crime reports. Its proximity to Oklahoma City gives safety-seeking families a sanctuary close to the employment opportunities in its larger neighbor.

In 1851, an impressively round rock in Brushy Creek inspired the name for the newly founded city of Round Rock, Texas. Since then, the city has grown slowly but steadily as a bedroom community for the thriving city of Austin. The arrival of Dell's headquarters in the 1990s sparked a population boom as tech-savvy job seekers flocked to the computer giant. The influx of new, good-paying jobs has brought growth, but not a growth in crime rates. Property crimes occur at the typical rates, but violent crimes are especially low in Round Rock.