That is correct. but remember IMAP sync's to server. if you delete from server, it deletes from PC. if you delete from PC, it deletes from server. It can be helpful also to click file>offline>download prior to doing your backups to ensure that all message content as well as headers are on PC.

My logic being that I want a copy of all email activities on at least one of my computers at home.

I don't understand that logic. What does that have to do with preferring POP over IMAP?

IMAP doesn't stop you from having local copies of your mail if you want. In case you're not aware yet, you may create folders under Local Folders, at the bottom of the list of accounts in the folder pane, to store and organise your mail locally on your computer there however you wish, independently of any mail account you may have.

You may move your mail from the server into the local folders, in which case it will be removed from the server, but you may also copy it instead, so the mail on the server remains there, independently of the message copies you keep and organise locally on your computer however you wish.

You do have to be careful and keep in mind that things you do to mail on your computer may affect the mail stored on the server. You may find that an unwanted complication you don't have to care about with a POP account, but that's a natural consequence of being able to simultaneously manage mail stored on the server and mail stored locally on your computer with a single mail client, which I personally consider a desirable feature, you just have to get used to it.