For the record, I am a firm believer that any town, city, or state you live in is as good as you make it. Crime is everywhere, there just happens to be more of it in higher populated places, that's just facts. I tell people that are new to Rockford all the time, "if you get it in your head to hate Rockford you will, if you are determined to love it, you absolutely will".

With all that being said, I will admit it pains me to say I understand the draw so many people have to move out of Illinois right now. Even my family considered moving to Southern Wisconsin just to get away from some of Illinois' mess, but then I read articles like this one about the 10 deadliest places in Wisconsin from onlyinyourstate.com and I feel better about deciding to stay put in Illinois.

Reasons Why You Might Not Want to Move to Wisconsin

Before I highlight the most dangerous cities and towns in Wisconsin, let me first provide some other ways Wisconsin kind of sucks. (If you're expecting me to list the Packers here, you will be sadly disappointed)...

  1. Thanks to all of Wisconsin's lakes, the bugs, especially mosquitoes, are off the charts bad.
  2. Many of Wisconsin's lakes are polluted and have yucky water.
  3. Binge drinking is a problem and leads to more DUI arrests than any other state.
  4. Wisconsin is the worst Midwest state when it comes to new job creation.
  5. Many of Wisconsin's roads are in poorer shape than Illinois roads.

If those reasons haven't deterred your yearning to become an official Cheesehead, here are the top 5 most dangerous cities in Wisconsin according to housegrail.com, (and a few of them might surprise you).

Let's start with the 5th most dangerous city in Wisconsin and then move our way up to number one:

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5. Madison, Wisconsin - Madison is the second biggest city in the state, but it's also a major college town so burglaries are much higher here than in other parts of Wisconsin.

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Google Street View
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4. West Allis, Wisconsin - This suburb of Milwaukee has made the top 5 due to a recent rise in property crimes and assaults.

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Google Street View
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3. Green Bay, Wisconsin - Despite what Bears fans say, Green Bay didn't come in at number three due to its football team. The poverty rate in Green Bay is one of the highest in Wisconsin and is probably one of the main factors for the high level of property crime.

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Google Street View
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2. Appleton, Wisconsin - Although violent and non-violent crime rates have begun to decrease in recent years, thefts, assaults, and rapes are still a major problem in this city.

Milwaukee Downtown via Facebook
Milwaukee Downtown via Facebook
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1. Milwaukee, Wisconsin - The biggest city in Wisconsin may have A LOT to see and do, but the rates of violent and non-violent crimes are way above average for the rest of Wisconsin.

If you still want to move away from the Land of Lincoln or at least move somewhere you feel safer, here are some great places in Illinois and Wisconsin to consider...

The Safest Cities in Illinois & Wisconsin

Safewise did a study on the 100 safest cities in America. Eight of them are in Wisconsin and Illinois.

10 Places in Wisconsin That Have Strong Ties to Gangster History

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