Want your kid to be safe at college? Think Moraga

The town has been ranked among the top 10 safest in a national study

MORAGA >> If safety is among your top concerns when deciding where to attend college — once campuses reopen — Moraga is a good choice.

A national study has found that Moraga is among the top 10 safest college towns in the United States.

The study by Safety.com was based on last year’s FBI’s record of crime throughout the nation, as well as a combination of campus crime statistics that the company gathered.

Moraga is home to St. Mary’s College, a private Catholic school established in 1863 that has about 3,800 students.

The website described the Contra Costa County town as a “pastoral gem” and noted its low crime rate.

“Saint Mary’s assists their efforts through measures like the ‘Green Dot’ program, which stresses each individual’s responsibility to eradicate violence,” the report said. “The result is a community in the green hills above (San Francisco) bay that feels more like a retreat.”

In 1970 the previously all-male school began admitting women, with the first degrees awarded to females in 1971. The current student population is 60% women and 40% men, its website says.

“The town enjoys virtually no instances of violent crime in most categories,” according

to Safety.com. “And its low overall crime rate of 8.2 per thousand residents is quite an accomplishment for the small but dedicated police force that maintains an active presence within the community.”

Moraga came in just behind Durham, New Hampshire, which ranked first among the 10. It is home to the University of New Hampshire.

The analysis found Durham had a violent crime rate of 0.35 per 1,000 residents, making “it not just one of the safest college towns, but one of the safest places to live in the entire country.”

Other cities in the top 10 included West Lafayette, Indiana (Purdue University); Pullman, Washington ( Washington State University); Wheaton, Illinois ( Wheaton College); El on, North Carolina ( Elon University); Portland, Maine ( University of Southern Maine); Provo, Utah (Brigham Young University); Amherst, Massachusetts ( Amherst College, Hampshire College, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst); and Virginia Beach, Virginia ( Regent University and nearby Norfolk State University and Virginia Wesleyan).

To see the report, go to safety.com/public/places/top- safest- college- townsin-us/