Top cities to raise your kids

Posted on 06 June 2012

Choosing where to raise your child is a big decision. After all, there are so many choices. Is your lifestyle conducive to a home in the country, or is life in a big city more appropriate for you, your baby and your partner?

But, to help make this decision a bit easier, Parenting.com put together a comprehensive list of cities its experts think are the best for raising a family. The results were based on factors like quality of school, crime rate, local economy and recreation opportunities.

1. Arlington, Virginia
This city, right outside Washington D.C., took the number one spot. Not only does this city of 209,200 residents have great museums, monuments and other educational opportunities, but the unemployment rate is 4.9 percent. What's even more appealing to parents is that Arlington has one of the highest high school graduation rates in the country, the lowest crime rate of the cities evaluated in Parenting.com's list and very few sex offenders.

2. Austin, Texas
This city in the Lonestar State is known as the
"Live Music Capital of the World." There is an award-winning children's hospital in Austin, and along with that, many high-quality pediatricians. And six of Austin's public elementary schools were given the Department of Education's Blue Ribbon award for academic excellence.

3. Madison, Wisconsin
The 230,000 residents who live in this city say that the number of opportunities for outdoor activities is one of the many reasons Madison is such a great place to raise kids. The city is home to five lakes, with 120 miles of walking and biking trails and more than 260 parks. Parenting.com also awarded Madison an "A" for overall safety, home value and schools.

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