What makes a city ideal for raising kids?
If you are the editors of Parenting magazine, then you base your decision on great schools, affordable living, low crime rates, decent air quality, an abundance of pediatricians, ample job opportunities, kid-friendly restaurants and outstanding green spaces. Oh, and free museums.
The popular periodical culled more than 8,000 bits of info and placed them into 84 categories to come up with its 2011 list of best cities to raise children. The annual list features 100 of the most family-friendly cities in the United States. Only this year your hometown may not have made the Top 10, even if it did last year. That’s because the folks at Parenting decided to add a new category for 2011: “Charm and Culture Index.” Basically, cities got bonus awesome points if they housed outstanding cultural attractions or other charming features, such as free kids’ day at the zoo.
The introduction of the new category caused a massive shuffle from last year’s list. For example, in 2010, Arlington, Virginia, was rated as the best of the best when it came to places to raise healthy, happy kids. This year it fell to No. 70.
So, where does your city sit on the new list? Well, here are the places you don’t want to be raising your kids, according to Parenting magazine: Coming in dead last is Anaheim, California. Interestingly, the home of the “Happiest Place on Earth” is fine to visit, but you sure as heck don’t want to be living there with kids.
Rounding out the bottom 10:
90. Detroit, Michigan
91. Scottsdale, Arizona
92. Los Angeles, California
93. Arlington, Texas
94. Mesa, Arizona
95. Las Vegas, Nevada
96. Fresno, California
97. Long Beach, California
98. Bakersfield, California
99. Riverside, California
Apparently, America’s southwest region is not great for raising kids.
Meanwhile, if you are parenting in the following metropolises, then you can breathe a sigh of relief. The Top 10 best cities to raise children are:
1. Washington, D.C.
2. Austin, Texas
3. Boston, Massachusetts
4. St. Paul/Minneapolis, Minnesota
5. Des Moines, Iowa
6. Madison, Wisconsin
7. Honolulu, Hawaii
8. Omaha, Nebraska
9. Seattle, Washington
10. Louisville, Kentucky
You can view the entire list here.
Where did your city rank?
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