Zillow ranked top cities for trick-or-treating

With Halloween approaching, there are few people who aren't salivating over the many candy treats that homeowners will be giving away. After you're done letting children in your neighborhood enjoy your spooky Halloween decorations, you can take your kids out to fill their own buckets.

If you're wondering where you can find the best candy, Zillow recently ranked the top major cities for trick-or-treating. The researchers compiled the list using four equally weighted variables: Zillow Home Value Index, local crime data from Relocation Essentials, population density and Walk Score, which is a private company that ranks locations based on how close they are to daily amenities.

Here are the top 10 cities and the top neighborhoods in each:

1. San Francisco: Noe Valley
2. Los Angeles: Pacific Palisades
3. Chicago: Roscoe Village
4. Philadelphia: Chestnut Hill
5. San Jose, California: Willow Glen
6. Honolulu: Hawaii Kai
7. Boston: Beacon Hill
8. Seattle: Phinney Ridge
9. San Diego, California: Del Mar Heights
10. Portland, Oregon: Alameda

Tips for safe trick-or-treating

Of course, full-sized candy bars wrapped in dollar bills are any kid's dream on Halloween, but that doesn't mean caution should be thrown to the wind. Here are some tips for having a fun and safe Halloween:

• Examine all treats. Just as you'd want a home inspection to give you peace of mind your house is safe, give the same attention to all treats your kids receive. Any treats with pinholes or torn wrappers should be discarded. 
• Wear reflective clothing. If you're taking your little ones trick-or-treating after the sun goes down, ensure their clothing is visible to drivers. You can affix reflective tape to their costumes if they're not already wearing an outfit that can be seen easily.
• Stay on the sidewalk. As another step to avoid car traffic, trick-or-treaters should remain on the sidewalk rather than walking in the street. Additionally, they should use marked crosswalks when crossing the street.
• Travel with adult supervision and in groups. Although your kids may feel like they can take on all the bad guys in the world when dressed up as their favorite super heroes, they shouldn't be left to their own devices on Halloween. Even your older children shouldn't trick or treat alone, and they should travel in groups. 
• Carry a flashlight. There may be obstacles on the ground, and flashlights are the perfect tool to look out for hazards and other trick-or-treaters. Even with a flashlight, children should avoid running from house to house.