Missouri City one of America’s Safest Cities

National ranking includes cities of populations 75,000 to 100,000

Following Missouri City’s selection as #56 on Money magazine’s 100 Best Places to Live in America, the city now earned recognition as one of the safest cities in the U.S.   On November 25, the Congressional Quarterly announced its annual safest city list based on the 2007 FBI Uniform Crime Statistics.  Missouri City ranked No. 22 in the 75,000- 100,000 population range, one of only five Texas cities recognized in this population category.

The annual listing is based on six crime categories: murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary and motor vehicle theft.  Data for 356 metropolitan areas and 397 cities were considered, using crime data they reported to the FBI, who released the statistics in September.

“I am very proud of the men and women in the Missouri City Police Department and of the strong community partnership we have – one of the major reasons Missouri City is such a great place to live,” said Police Chief Ron Echols.  “Their service to the residents is incredible, and I am very fortunate to work with such a dedicated group of professionals.”

Population estimates are based on U.S. Bureau of the Census figures as of July 2007.  Other Texas cities in the top 25 are Allen, Frisco, Sugar Land and Round Rock.

The Congressional Quarterly Press is a leading publisher of books, directories, research publications and web products on U.S. government, world affairs and communications.

The methodology for determining the city and metro area comparison crime rate rankings involves a multistep process in which the reported crime per 100,000 population rates are compared to the national reported crime per 100,000 population rates and then indexed to create a summary score and ranking across six areas of reported violent and property crime. The methodology has been used for the past ten years.  The six crime categories examined in this analysis were murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, and motor vehicle theft.

Lexington Creek Third-Graders Host Missouri City Mayor

Third-grade students at Lexington Creek Elementary School got a first-hand account of how city government works with a special presentation from Missouri City Mayor Allen Owen.

Owen spoke to a the assembly of third-graders Wednesday morning in the school auditorium, addressing such topics as city operations, how city council works, the duties of the mayor and how a city gets its money.

The special program was coordinated by third-grade teacher Bonny Cole. Lexington Creek Principal Lucretia DeFlora introduced Owen to the students.

Owen told the students that he and the city council make every effort to meet the needs of Missouri City and its residents.

“We have a big responsibility to everyone who lives here but, unfortunately, we can’t please everyone,” Owen said.

Owen also explained that the mayor and city council have roles similar to those of a board chair and board of directors in a corporation, while the city manager is much like the company president.

“The city manager takes care of the day-to-day operations; we set the policy for the city,” Owen said.

Owen also responded to a wide variety of questions from students, ranging from whether he gets to travel a lot to what his wife thinks about his job as mayor.

The mayor also told the third-graders that Missouri City’s diversity, much like that in Lexington Creek’s student body, is what makes it strong.

“The thing I’m most proud of in our community is our diversity,” Owen said. “That’s what makes Missouri City special.”

More than 100 students took part in the assembly.