For the fourth year in a row, Farmers Insurance has ranked the most secure cities in the country, and part of our area makes the cut.

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The metropolitan area of Frederick, Gaithersburg, and Bethesda landed in the top ten. As you can imagine, residents welcome the news.
Autria Godfrey has more.

Gaithersburg residents said you'll find a “community with character,” like it says on their flags, in this town. Here, even the street names promise an enjoyable stay.

Andi Vodo, who works in Bethesda, is convinced it’s the safest city in the whole Washington area.

Beyond crime, the ranking took into account other factors like the risk of natural disasters, terrorist threat, life expectancy, and job loss numbers. The Maryland metropolis came in at number nine.

Folks throughout the trio of cities say secure to them means safe.

“A lot of people love to be outside and you always feel comfortable walking the streets so it’s definitely a great place to live,” said Matt Burton, a Bethesda resident.

The same sentiment felt by the man responsible for keeping the city so secure.

“I feel safe here, I’ve lived here my whole life. My mother was actually born in a house in Gaithersburg and we've always felt safe,” said Gaithersburg Mayor Sidney Katz.

Some residents say they were actually surprised by the ranking. Given that they live so close to D.C. and inside the beltway, they figured they were more susceptible to a terrorist attack. Seeing this ranking was comforting to them.