The list is mis-named as it's obviously geared toward raising children. The criteria they used is amusing but obviously flawed in a huge way. Their entire list is big cities, which are faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar less safe than small rural towns. Portland's example is amusing as they tout it's clean air, which is actually the 2nd most polluted air in the entire state after the Medford area. The Willamette River is full of raw sewage from Portland's sewers and an enormous amount of radioactive waste from Teledyne Wah Chang upriver. I've caught deformed catfish in it often. NY, NY? Still #1 on Al Quaida's hit list and pretty much guaranteed eventually have an attack that will make 9/11 look like a playground spat. San Fran? The cost of housing alone assures the children will be shortchanged in many other ways such as healthcare, proper supervision while mommy and daddy work 2 jobs apiece. The sky-high rate of easily transmitted diseases such as AIDS, Hepatitis, and STD's ups their chance of dying simply because they live there. Bike helmets in Seattle are not going to save a kid who is mowed down by a semi in what is one of the worst traffic designs in America. High # of police indicates crime and in Portland ups your chance of having a cop shoot your kid for no good reason, especially if he's black or has mental problems. High # of hospitals indicates accidents, assaults... High # of firemen indicates decrepit, unsafe buildings and weak code enforcement. Bottom line is any city as big as these will be more dangerous for children than somewhere like Beautiful Central Oregon.
