Charming East Coast town is named the safest place to live in America, but locals are battling surging rents
A picturesque East Coast town has been named the safest place to live in America.
The quaint community of Ramapo, New York, took the top spot, according to MoneyGeek.com, yet its residents are stuck fighting to keep their neighborhood affordable as rents continue to rise.
The town, which has a population of 152,000, earned its mark due to its remarkably low cost of crime, ranking at just $271 per capita.
MoneyGeek's analysis calculated the average cost of crimes within cities and towns across the country based on their nature, quantifying how much more violent crimes cost a community than property crimes.
On average, those who live in higher crime areas often see depressed home values and are likely to pay higher prices for crucial needs, including home, renters and auto insurances.
Despite its top spot, Ramapo - like most cities and towns within the Empire State - is struggling with affordable housing.
Fair market rents in Ramapo's Rockland County jumped from $1,831 in 2019 to $2,752 in 2024, an increase of more than 50 percent, according to a recent report.
Of the nine counties studied in the report, Rockland County had the highest two-bedroom fair market rent on average.
The quaint community of Ramapo, New York, took the top spot, according to MoneyGeek.com , yet its residents are stuck fighting to keep their neighborhood affordable as rents continue to rise
The town, which has a population of 152,000, earned its mark due to its remarkably low cost of crime , ranking at just $271 per capita
Ramapo, located 40 miles northwest Manhattan, looks to combat the ever-increasing housing costs with its enrollment in state Governor Kathy Hochul 's Certified Pro-Housing Community Program
'The biggest shortage we have is two-bedroom apartments for young families,' Ramapo Town Supervisor Michael Specht told the Rockland County Business Journal.
The same is true for those looking to buy as well.
The median single-family home price recorded in June 2024 stood at a whopping $720,000 - a 7.9 percent increase from the $667,500 median recorded a year earlier in Rockland County.
However, the housing situation is par for the course when it comes to New York state.
'More than half of New York renters are rent-burdened,' Ruthanne Visnauskas, Commissioner of the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal, told the publication.
Visnauskas added that New Yorkers pay more than 30 percent of their income on rent - the second-highest rate in the nation.
Rent prices in New York have risen 40 to 60 percent since 2015, the commissioner said, also claiming that average home prices have risen 50 to 80 percent in the same time period.
However, the charming town, located 40 miles northwest Manhattan, looks to combat the ever-increasing housing costs with its enrollment in state Governor Kathy Hochul's Certified Pro-Housing Community Program.
'We know there’s a tremendous need,' Ramapo Town Supervisor Michael Specht (pictured) said, citing a 20 percent growth in population in his town since 2020
The caveat to the town's receipt of the hefty grants relies on the community as a whole, as the money is awarded to towns and cities that commit to creating more affordable housing options
'[My ancestors] have been here since time immemorial and these lands are sacred to us… we are at the verge of genocide, watching our mountains, trees, rivers, our homes and burial grounds go away… the founding principle of this town was to protect and preserve,' Chief Vincent Mann (pictured) of the Ramapo-Munsee Tribe said during a November town meeting
The program, created in 2023, awards up to $650 million in state grants for communities that are actively working on expanding housing options, including affordable housing projects.
'We know there’s a tremendous need,' Specht said, citing a 20 percent growth in population in his town since 2020.
'We need a variety of housing, smaller apartments for families and seniors. The county has a need to establish more affordable housing,' he added.
But, the caveat to the town's receipt of the hefty grants relies on the community as a whole, as the money is awarded to towns and cities that commit to creating more affordable housing options.
Yet, several Ramapo residents are up in arms over the proposed addition of affordable housing units, claiming the proposed new, affordable units will 'destroy' the land they fought to preserve.
'[My ancestors] have been here since time immemorial and these lands are sacred to us… we are at the verge of genocide, watching our mountains, trees, rivers, our homes and burial grounds go away… the founding principle of this town was to protect and preserve,' Chief Vincent Mann of the Ramapo-Munsee Tribe said during a November town meeting.
At the heated meeting, Mann told Specht that it was the Town’s job to 'maintain what is left of a bona fide tribe,' and to preserve what is left to uplift the Ramapo-Munsee tribe.
Others chimed in on the proposed 'rampant overdevelopment,' calling it 'incomprehensible,' suggesting danger to children who may be 'struck by cars and buses that ignore the speed limits,' the Rockland Times reported.
Fair market rents in Ramapo's Rockland County jumped from $1,831 in 2019 to $2,752 in 2024, an increase of more than 50 percent, according to a recent report. Pictured: Ramapo Town Hall
The median single-family home price recorded in June 2024 stood at a whopping $720,000 - a 7.9 percent increase from the $667,500 median recorded a year earlier in Rockland County
Another outraged attendee spoke of the overuse of water by the town that could negatively affects all who live within the county.
'There is a need for affordable housing, but it needs to be done responsibly,' Ramapo resident Michael Miller said at the November 19 meeting.
However, plans to incorporate affordable housing units into the community have already begun.
In August, Specht unveiled plans to 'renovate and create space,' for affordable units inside the town's Spring Valley Cultural Arts Center - which has been used for years by the NAACP before he bought it.
'The building we own, Spring Valley, has a limited use and so we’d like to build on it, renovate the building, create community space for nonprofits and convert a part of the building to 30 to 40 residential units,' Specht said.
'The county has a need to establish more affordable housing.'
In August, Specht unveiled plans to 'renovate and create space,' for affordable units inside the town's Spring Valley Cultural Arts Center - which has been used for years by the NAACP
But, even with ample pushback from his constituents, Specht remains in high hopes for his beloved town, which he has served for the last seven years.
'I really appreciate [Gov. Kathy Hochul’s] carrot instead of the stick incentive,' he said. 'We thought this is the time to do this; we can’t hide our heads in the sand.'
The town has since hired Jaclyn Hakes of M.J. Engineering & Land Survey to assess housing demand as it pertains to the Pro-Housing Program.
'The firm is putting together a survey that will go out to town residents, hopefully in August, that will focus on income and the need for different types of housing,' Specht said.
'The survey will look at rent to confirm what percentage of the population is rent burdened, and at home purchase prices.'
Specht also added that the town is addressing the issue with the Small Apartment Incentive Law, which encourages more units or greater density in R-15C zones.
'Historically, governments are reactive. We are trying to be proactive,' Specht said hoping his community will embrace the new program.
'We think of ourselves as a semi-rural community, but we’ve grown beyond that. Ramapo and throughout the county, there is opposition to any project that changes that ideal but the outcome are costly and time-consuming lawsuits.
'I’m proud we’ve made this commitment. I can’t speak for others but it’s the right thing to do.
'Not participating is really the same as leaving money on the table. But I guess there will be a larger pot for those of us that try to access it.'
