A recently released report has named the “30 Safest Cities in Virginia”—and Altavista is among them. SafeWise used the most recent FBI crime data from 2012 to analyze and rank the cities, all with populations of at least 3,000 people. The report focuses on violent crimes (aggravated assault, forcible rape, murder, and robbery) as well as property crimes (arson, burglary, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft). Salem, Covington and Lexington also made the list.