Hopkins rated as one of America's friendliest towns

The Minnesota Nicest place is Hopkins, according to Forbes. The suburb made Forbes' list of "America's Friendliest Towns."

Forbes cites the town's relatively low crime rate, which is reflected by the relative dearth of Hopkins-related crime stories in City Pages archives.

First, here's the methodology Forbes used in putting together its rankings:

    We teamed up with Nextdoor.com, a San Francisco, Calif.-based social network for neighborhoods, to assess 500 small metro areas with populations between 5,500 and 150,000. Using data from the U.S. Census, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Chronicle of Philanthropy, and City-Data.com, we ranked the towns based on four data points: percentage of owner-occupied homes (studies have shown a direct correlation between homeownership and neighborhood stability); the crime rate; charitable giving; and the percentage of college graduates (research has found that college-educated folks typically display more civic engagement, with higher rates of voting and volunteering). Nextdoor then conducted qualitative surveys among its membership in the towns that rated the highest to help finalize the ranking of the top 15.

And here's what Forbes had to say about 13th-ranked Hopkins, population 17,837:

    Situated west of the Twin Cities, this historic small surburban city hosts an array of festivals and throughout the year including Hopkins Mainstreet Days and the annual Raspberry Festival, which offers sporting events, live music and a parade. Despite a low rate of homeownership, Hopkins has a low crime rate compared to the rest of the country.

Source: http://citypages.com