9 Safest Small Communities To Settle In The Southern United States
Low cost of living, pleasant weather, and top-notch hospitality are just a few reasons why the Southern United States is such a great place to settle. More than that, however, life in the South is incredibly pleasant, with diverse cuisines, rich history, and an inspiring music heritage associated with the birth of some of the best music genres the world has ever known. In these small communities, residents get to enjoy all of those pleasures of the South and even more without having to constantly look out for danger. According to the FBI Crime Data Explorer, these towns boast lower than state and national average crime rates, placing them among the safest in the country.
Fairhope, Alabama
Fairhope is a beautiful little town on Mobile Bay and an ideal place for a peaceful settlement in the South. In addition to a significantly low crime rate, this town has a strong sense of community and promises a high quality of life, with a vibrant downtown and plenty of attractions. Arts enthusiasts must see the free-to-enter Eastern Shore Art Center for its monthly exhibits, and attend events and classes. Those who love nature will be delighted to visit the Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. This reserve sits on the Gulf Shores and has hiking trails offering access to forested wetlands teeming with birds. Meanwhile, Fairhope Municipal Pier and Park is always a great place to stroll and picnic with views of the bay, fish, and enjoy waterfront dining. The park also has a sandy beach, a rose garden, a marina, and trails winding through lush trees.
Germantown, Tennessee
This charming town, founded by German immigrants in the 1840s, is a wonderful place to settle in the Southern United States. The community is one of the safest in the state, and has plenty of things to make life exciting. It is home to Cameron Brown Park, a beautiful hangout spot featuring sports facilities, biking and hiking trails, a fishing lake, and picnic areas. Meanwhile, the Germantown Performing Arts Center is always open to offer shows and events, while Painting with a Twist delights art enthusiasts with painting activities and classes.
Germantown is also around 22 miles from Memphis, the birthplace of blues, soul, and rock n roll, and a melting pot of recreation. That alone makes the town incredibly appealing as residents are always within easy reach of exciting music concerts and other events at the Orpheum Theatre. Besides, it is a rare luxury to live around 20 minutes from the Sun Studio, the actual birthplace of blues, gospel, country, soul, and rock ‘n’ roll, where legends like Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and B.B. King recorded numerous hits.
Fernandina Beach, Florida
Located on Amelia Island, Fernandina Beach is an amazing place to live and enjoy the coastal pleasures of the Southern United States. The small community is safe, laid-back, and right on Florida’s Atlantic coast, where it hosts the Peters Point Beachfront Park. This park is a paradise for recreation, featuring a vast, uncrowded beach with picnic facilities, outdoor showers, and opportunities for surf fishing and ocean swimming. Additionally, the Fort Clinch State Park is in town and has a secluded beach, alongside trails for hiking and biking, and waterfront campgrounds. The park also hosts the Civil War-era Fort Clinch, where one can learn more about the Civil War and military life at the fort.
For even more history, the Amelia Island Museum of History presents artifacts and exhibits detailing a 4,000-year history of the island from its Timucua Native American tribe to European explorers. As for those who love hiking and biking, the Egans Creek Greenway Trail in town is one of the coolest trails in the South. This trail is around four miles long and winds through wetlands full of beautiful plants, flowers, and wildlife such as songbirds, wading birds, and marsh rabbits.
Holly Springs, North Carolina
Holly Springs is a safe nest for settlement in the South, which is also conveniently located just 19 miles from Raleigh, North Carolina’s capital. A true best of both worlds, this peaceful town is near some of the state’s best attractions, including Pullen Park, one of the oldest amusement parks in the US, offering a host of activities from carousel rides to hiking, paddling, swimming, and art exploration. Moreover, the town itself has a considerable number of attractions to offer. It is home to several outdoor parks, with Bass Lake Park being the most popular and featuring trails winding through wooded areas, and a large lake ideal for fishing, swimming, and paddling.
Meanwhile, less than 10 minutes from this park is the Ting Park, an exciting sports complex with a 1,800-seat stadium, kids' playground, soccer fields, and tennis, basketball, and pickleball courts. Furthermore, the Parish Womble Park is in Holly Springs to further delight outdoor lovers with sports and picnic facilities, and nature trails. Meanwhile, top-notch event centers are never too far from town, including the Lenovo Center, where one can catch exciting ice hockey and basketball games.
Elizabethtown, Kentucky
This small town near Fort Knox is one of the safest places to settle in the Southern United States. The small community boasts significantly low crime rates, plus it offers the rare opportunity of being 24 minutes from one of the most secure places in the world, which is surprisingly open for visits, except the bullion depository that holds the nation’s major gold and other secure sections. In the meantime, Elizabethtown boasts a long list of outdoor attractions, one of which is the Elizabethtown Nature Park. This park is an amazing place to hang out, picnic, or hike along Freeman Lake, through beautiful trees, and well-maintained fields. The Elizabethtown Sports Park is another exciting outdoor attraction in town featuring a variety of facilities from soccer and baseball fields to pavilions for events, and three miles of trails.
Besides the outdoors, visitors to Elizabethtown can head into the Historic State Theater Complex, one of the coolest live music venues in Kentucky that also hosts comedy shows and other events. Elizabethtown has a long history and is full of historic attractions, including the Swope’s Cars of Yesteryear Museum, where an impressive collection of vintage and antique cars is displayed.
Davidson, North Carolina
Davidson is a wonderful place to settle in the Southern United States for many reasons. Besides boasting some of the lowest crime rates in the country, this town is around 25 minutes from Charlotte, North Carolina’s largest city. So while the town offers a peaceful lifestyle, residents are never too far away from world-famous attractions like Bank of America Stadium, where a host of sports events and concerts can be enjoyed year-round. Davidson itself has a considerable number of attractions to offer, with Roosevelt Wilson Park being one of the most popular.
This park is where one can spend quality time outdoors walking on paved trails and a boardwalk, fishing in a large pond, and picnicking with sights of a water fountain, lush trees, green fields, and birds. Similarly, Fisher Farm is a great place to spend time in nature as it has hiking and biking trails winding through wooded areas teeming with insects and a variety of wildlife. Furthermore, Davidson is home to a couple of intimate venues like Duke Family Performance Hall, which regularly hosts live performances.
Duluth, Georgia
Duluth is an excellent place to retire in the South, near the Georgia capital of Atlanta and full of its own bustle and charm. Here, one will be less than 45 minutes from world-famous attractions like Zoo Atlanta, where over a thousand animals from around the world can be seen. But more than that, Duluth boasts safe neighborhoods and considerably low crime rates. Plus, it has plenty of things to keep everyone excited, starting from the Gas South Arena, a multi-purpose entertainment venue where concerts, performances, shows, and other events can be enjoyed year-round. Elsewhere, the Bunten Road Park has multi-use trails, playgrounds, and sports facilities to keep everyone busy, and the Southeastern Railway Museum is just nearby to delight history buffs. This museum contains a rich collection of railroad artifacts, including life-size trains, cars, and buses, plus it offers train rides for a more wholesome experience.
Oxford, Mississippi
Oxford is an adorable town in Mississippi and an amazing place for peaceful southern living. Home to the prestigious University of Mississippi, this town is bustling with youth energy, yet has some of the lowest crime rates in the state. And when it comes to recreation, Oxford is in a world of its own among towns of its size, home to big-city venues like Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Located in the university, this stadium is the largest in Mississippi, and hosts great food, frequent football games, and shows. Several outdoor parks can also be found in town, including Lamar Park, which has lovely trails for hiking, a peaceful lake, well-maintained fields, and beautiful trees.
New residents to Oxford will become regulars at Square Books, whos combination cafe/bookstore plan makes it easy to chat with new friends over a story. History buffs will have several historic attractions to explore, including the circa 1844 Rowan Oak, the home of author William Faulkner. And Oxford's town events calendar runs year-round, including the Double Decker Arts Festivalone of the largest spring events in the state, attended by over 65,000 people who come to enjoy a weekend of food, music, and art.
Daphne, Alabama
Daphne is a laid-back town in the Deep South that invites you settle into its rich, silty shores. The town's impressive coastal scenery, part of the Mobile Bay, hits you first. This waterfront allure is best enjoyed at attractions like the May Day Park, which has a boat launch, a fishing pier, picnic facilities, and a sandy beach. The park even has trails for hiking and biking, and a playground for kids. In another part of town, one will find the Village Point Park Preserve, which also sits on the Mobile Bay with a beautiful beach, boardwalk, and trails winding through areas full of wildlife and live oaks, including Jackson’s Oak, one of the largest in Alabama. In the meantime, Daphne’s crime rate is low, and the town has the AMC CLASSIC Jubilee Square 12 to offer premium movie entertainment, and restaurants like South Kitchen that serve authentic Southern-inspired food.
Live Life To The Fullest In These Safe Towns In The Southern United States
The Southern United States is, without doubt, an excellent place to live, work, play, and retire. Bordering the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, this region leaves no stone unturned when it comes to life pleasures. In addition to the year-round warm weather, the most delicious food in the US is served in this region, sometimes against the backdrop of music that hits hard and scenery that inspires. Every day will basically feel like a vacation for those who settle in these small communities in the Southern United States.
