Staff Reports SGV – Walnut, Diamond Bar, and Chino Hills are among the best places to live, with the City of Walnut previously voted as one of the 50 best small towns to live in America, and Diamond Bar and Chino Hills recently ranked among the top 20 safest large cities in California. After CNN Money Magazine looked at over 3,200 towns throughout the nation with populations ranging from 5,000 to 50,000, the magazine ranked Walnut number 49 in the top 50 best small towns to live in America. The list was announced in August after the magazine used public school performance records, housing costs, commute time, poverty, safety information, the number of households with children, education level of adults in the community, unemployment levels, median income and diversity, in order to decide which cities would make the list. This week, Diamond Bar and Chino Hills were ranked among the 20 safest large cities in California, according to patch.com’s analysis of the FBI’s Annual Uniform Crime Reporting program. Diamond Bar was ranked number 16 and Chino Hills was ranked number 11 out of the top 20 large cities. The FBI figures are based on violent crimes per 1,000 residents. The ranking of the top 20 safest large cities is as follows: 1. Irvine – 0.51 crimes per 1,000 residents 2. San Ramon – 0.61 crimes per 1,000 residents 3. Murrieta – 0.66 crimes per 1,000 residents 4. Pleasanton – 0.68 crimes per 1,000 residents 5. Laguna Niguel – 0.73 crimes per 1,000 residents 6. Eastvale – 0.74 crimes per 1,000 residents 7. Mission Viejo – 0.76 crimes per 1,000 residents 8. Palo Alto – 0.80 crimes per 1,000 residents 9. Yorba Linda – 0.81 crimes per 1,000 residents 10. Rocklin – 0.83 crimes per 1,000 residents 11. Chino Hills – 0.84 crimes per 1,000 residents 12. Camarillo – 0.92 crimes per 1,000 residents 13. Temecula – 0.94 crimes per 1,000 residents 14. Orange – 0.97 crimes per 1,000 residents 15. Cupertino – 0.97 crimes per 1,000 residents 16. Diamond Bar – 0.97 crimes per 1,000 residents 17. Arcadia – 0.99 crimes per 1,000 residents 18. Menifee – 1.09 crimes per 1,000 residents 19. Simi Valley – 1.11 crimes per 1,000 residents 20. San Clemente – 1.15 crimes per 1,000 residents Violent crimes are defined as murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault. The FBI report stated that with a population of 56,470, Diamond Bar had a total of 55 violent crimes, 1 forcible rape, 17 robberies and 37 aggravated assaults. With a population of 76,632, Chino Hills had a total of 65 violent crimes, 2 forcible rapes, 22 robberies and 40 aggravated assaults. Figures used in the original FBI crime report were submitted voluntarily by law enforcement agencies throughout the country, according to fbi.gov. The FBI warns that when rankings are created, they provide no insight into the numerous variables that mold crime in a particular town, city, county, state, tribal area, or region. They also state that rankings often create misleading perceptions adversely affecting communities and their residents. For more information about the FBI Crime Report, visit http://www.fbi.gov.