The Safety Net

Colorado Springs might not be a safe place to live if you work at a convenience store, but if you’re a kid, you’ve got it made — at least as far as Men’s Health magazine is concerned.

Men’s Health announced its list of America’s “Safest Cities for Children” today, and Colorado Springs came in at No. 8 out of 100, and ended up with a B+ grade. Madison, Wis., was No. 1; Jacksonville, Fla., landed at the bottom of the list.

The magazine based its rankings on the accidental death rates for children ages 5 to 14; the number of car-seat inspection locations per child/per state; the number of sex offenders per capita; the percentage of abused children protected from further abuse; and the strength of child-restraint and bike-helmet laws.

So does Colorado Springs deserve  this ranking? Do you even think lists like this have any merit? Share you thoughts.

Here’s the full list.  

safest cbox hed 1
Here’s the full list. 

1.  Madison, Wis.: A +
2.  Honolulu: A
3.  San Francisco: A
4. Virginia Beach, VA                  A-
5.  Spokane, WA                          A-
6.  Providence, RI                        A-
 7. Jersey City, NJ                       B+
 8. Colorado Springs, CO            B+     
 9. Pittsburgh, PA                         B+
10. Burlington, VT                        B+
11. St. Paul, MN                          B+
12. Portland, OR                          B+                 
13. Fort Wayne, IN                      B
14. Wilmington, DE                      B
15. Cincinnati, OH                       B
16. Denver, CO                           B        
17. Rochester, NY                       B
18. Raleigh, NC                           B
19. Milwaukee, WI                       B
20. Seattle, WA                            B-
21. Minneapolis, MN                    B-
22. Chicago, IL                            B-
23. Boise, ID                                B-
24. Tucson, AZ                            B-
25. Billings, MT                            B-
26. Kansas City, MO                   B-
27. Hartford, CT                          B-
28. San Jose, CA                        B-
29. Nashville, TN                         C+
30. Wichita, KS                            C+
31. San Diego, CA                       C+     
32. Salt Lake City, UT                 C+
33. Phoenix, AZ                           C
34. Indianapolis, IN                      C
35. Richmond, VA                       C
36. Greensboro, NC                    C
37. Yonkers NY                           C
38. Columbia, SC                                    C
39. Boston, MA                            C
40. New York, NY                       C
41. St. Petersburg, FL                 C
42. Lexington, KY                        C
43. Reno, NV                               C
44. Miami, FL                               C
45. Las Vegas, NV                       C
46. Sacramento, CA                    C
47. Los Angeles, CA                    C
48. Lubbock, TX                          C
49. Charlotte, NC                         C-
50. Durham, NC                          C-
51. Oakland, CA                          C-
52. Washington, DC                    C-
53. Charleston, WV                     C-
54. Anaheim, CA                                     C-
55. Tampa, FL                             C-
56. Atlanta, GA                            C-
57. Louisville, KY                         C-
58. Cheyenne, WV                      C-
59. Albuquerque, NM                  D+
60. Cleveland, OH                       D+
61. St. Louis, MO                         D+
61. Manchester, NH                    D+
63. Anchorage, AK                      D+
64. Sioux Falls, SD                      D+
65. Riverside, CA                        D+
66. Lincoln, NE                            D+
67. Newark, NJ                           D+
68. Montgomery, AL                    D+
69. Little Rock, AR                      D+
70. Memphis, TN                         D+
71. Birmingham, AL                     D+
72. Arlington, TX                          D
73. Houston, TX                           D
74. Fort Worth, TX                       D
75. San Antonio, TX                    D
76. Austin, TX                              D
77. Aurora, CO                            D
78. Fargo, ND                              D
79. Omaha, NE                           D
80. Orlando, FL                            D
81. Dallas, TX                              D
82. Philadelphia, PA                    D
83. El Paso, TX                            D
84. Toledo, OH                            D
85. Portland, ME                          D-
86. Columbus, OH                       D-
87. Detroit, MI                              D-
88. Des Moines, IA                      D-
89. Buffalo, NY                            D-
90. Jackson, MS  D-
91. Corpus Christi, TX                 D-
92. Oklahoma City, OK               D-
93. Fresno, CA                            D-
94. Grand Rapids, MI                  F
95. Modesto, CA                          F
96. Tulsa, OK                               F
97. Bakersfield, CA                     F
98. Baltimore, MD                       F
99. New Orleans, LA                   F
100. Jacksonville, FL                   F

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