This is one of the many reasons why I prefer living in the sticks. 

Look, I love visiting the big city. Mainly because when I travel to the city it’s to see a concert, ballgame, or go to some other cool event. 

But I’m always ready to return to small-town living after a trip to the city.

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The thing is, growing up in rural North Texas, I always thought I wanted to live in a major metropolitan area. So much so that I joined the Navy while I was still a senior in high school. That’s how badly I wanted to get out of the small town. 

However, after a couple of tries in different cities, I learned that big city life wasn’t for me. 

These days I live in Wichita Falls. While it’s not a small town per se, it has more of a small town vibe. Traffic isn’t an issue, the people are friendly for the most part, and the crime rate is relatively low. 

Speaking of crime rates, the one statistic that is the most concerning is the rate of homicides. Homicide rates alone can make or break a potential destination for me. Nothing is more important than the safety of my family. 

And as someone who makes the trip to Dallas-Fort Worth quite often, I was disappointed to see that Dallas has the 9th largest homicide rate in the country, according to a study by WalletHub. 

Will I continue to go to Big D for a little fun occasionally? Absolutely. But I will most certainly be a little more aware of my surroundings from now on.

U.S. Cities With the Highest Homicide Rates

  1. Washington, DC  
  2. Memphis, TN 
  3. Detroit, MI 
  4. Milwaukee, WI  
  5. Atlanta, GA  
  6. Baltimore, MD 
  7. Jacksonville, FL 
  8. Kansas City, MO 
  9. Dallas, TX 
  10. Seattle, WA 

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