"The Best Place to Raise your Kids 2009." Business Week, by Phrashant Gopal
Kid-Friendly and Cost-Friendly
Welcome to BusinessWeek's second annual roundup of the best places to raise your kids.
This year we are going state by state. Once again working with OnBoard Informatics, a New York-based provider of real estate analysis, we selected towns with at least 50,000 residents and a median family income between $40,000 and $100,000. We then narrowed the list of towns using the following weighted criteria: school performance; number of schools; household expenditures; crime rates; air quality; job growth; family income; museums, parks, theaters, and other amenities; and diversity. We weighted school performance and safety most heavily, but also gave strong weight to amenities and affordability.
Bear in mind with this list, the organizing principle was affordability. While the median household income varies by state, we purposely weighted the results to prevent pricing out most readers. That's why, for example, Greenwich, Conn., with its good private schools, low crime, and abundance of cultural amenities, was left out. It simply costs too much to live there.
Of course, there are other places that are great for kids which did not make this list. In many states the competition was extremely close. Moreover, we looked for communities that scored well across the board. So, while there might be places that offer more culture, better schools, etc., other factors such as crime or a high cost of living knocked them down.
So, read on to find out which are the best places to raise your kids in every state. Who knows? You might already live there.
Alabama*
Huntsville
Nearest city: Huntsville
Population: 162,819
Median household income: $69,000
Families don't have to leave Huntsville to find fun things to do. The city is best known as the home of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, where scientists designed space rockets in the 1950s and visitors now come for interactive exhibits, rides, and movies. The 104-acre Huntsville Botanical Garden has a new Children's Garden and Nature Center, which claims to have the nation's largest seasonal butterfly house.
Runners-up:
Dothan
Hoover
*For all slides, relative safety was measured by the "total crime risk," an index of the combined risks of rape, murder, assault, robbery, burglary, larceny, and vehicle theft. Crime scores were based on demographic and geographic analyses of crime over seven years. School performance was based on state reading and math test scores and came from Great Schools. Zoo data came from the Association of Zoos & Aquariums, and museum, theater, park, and recreation information came from InfoUSA. Air quality information came from the Environmental Protection Agency, household expenditures and diversity data were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, and job growth data came from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Source: OnBoard Informatics.
Illinois
Mount Prospect
Nearest city: Chicago
Population: 54,603
Median household income: $82,504
Mount Prospect, a suburb 25 miles northwest of Chicago, was not only the best place to raise your kids in Illinois, it topped our list nationally. It has low crime, great schools, and homes for a wide range of incomes. Children have access to ball fields, hiking trails, skating rinks, indoor swimming pools, recreational centers, stores, restaurants, and multiplex movie theaters.
Runners-up:
Des Plaines
Palatine
Alaska
Anchorage
Nearest city: Anchorage
Population: 281,070
Median household income: $80,927
Residents of Anchorage, Alaska's largest city, have a strong economy, teeming wildlife, low crime, and fresh air.
Runner-up: N/A*
*Only cities with at least 50,000 residents and a median family income between $40,000 and $100,000 were considered.
Michigan
Ann Arbor
Nearest city: Ann Arbor
Population: 118,194
Median household income: $87,061
Ann Arbor, home of the University of Michigan, is one of the best college towns in America. It has acres of parks, galleries, museums, restaurants, boutiques, and seven golf courses.
Runners-up:
Royal Oak
Shelby
Arizona
Gilbert
Nearest city: Phoenix
Population: 152,529
Median household income: $89,031
The fast-growing town has a skate park, a movie theater, and Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch, which draws 200 species of birds.
Runners-up:
Phoenix
Scottsdale
New Mexico
Rio Rancho
Nearest city: Albuquerque
Population: 64,382
Median household income: $63,239
Rio Rancho, just north of Albuquerque, has 330 days a year of sunshine, mild temperatures, and natural beauty. There are also plenty of other attractions, including a zoo, museums, and monuments.
Runner-up:
Santa Fe
Arkansas
Springdale
Nearest city: Fayetteville
Population: 56,499
Median household income: $53,385
Springdale in northwest Arkansas has its own minor-league baseball stadium, parks, a major rodeo event, and nearby hunting and fishing. The headquarters of Tyson Foods is also in Springdale.
Runners-up:
Conway
Fayetteville
California
Arcadia
Nearest city: Los Angeles
Population: 56,394
Median household income: $81,417
Arcadia, about 20 miles from downtown Los Angeles, has some of the best schools in California. It is also home to Santa Anita Park racetrack and the Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden. Peacocks now live in the neighborhood near the arboretum where they walk on lawns or cross the street and, for some, are a bit of a nuisance.
Runners-up:
Diamond Bar
Monterey Park