Best Places to Raise Children

Business Week has released a list of the the best places in the country for raising children. The magazine considered cities with at least 50,000 residents and a median family income of $40,000 to $100,000. School performance and safety were two major factors in scoring the citites. Other considerations were museums, parks, crime rates, job growth and diversity.


The magazine has listed the best places to raise children in each of the 50 states. See if your city made it here.


In my home state of Colorado the magazine chose Fort Collins #1 with my hometown of Loveland a runner up. The magazine scored Fort Collins number 1 due to it's walking paths, proximity to CSU, low crime, "excellent schools" and "a vibrant downtown known as Old Town."

My point isn't to brag about the Northern Colorado area, but just to make people think about what attributes make where you live a great place to raise children.

In my particular situation I would add proximanty to Rocky Mountain National Park and its recreational opportunities, a county wide priority of purchasing open space, Proximanty to both agricultural and urban areas, a strong presence in development of renewable energy, and the home of the regions best sustainable living fair.

There are so many other reasons to pick a place to raise children. What other desireable attributes did the magazine leave out?