I grew up in a small, quaint town with lots of room for exploring nature and friendly people — so friendly in fact that we wouldn't even lock our doors at night. And although I personally believe it was the most family-friendly town to live in, WalletHub's recent study on the top cities to raise a family in says otherwise.
Analysts ranked 150 of the most populated U.S. cities to see which ones were the best to raise a family. Housing cost, school quality, healthcare, recreation and 37 other key metrics were taken into account in their analysis. These were their findings.
Top 50 cities to raise a family in the U.S
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Overland Park, Kansas
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Madison, Wisconsin
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Plano, Texas
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Seattle, Washington
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Fremont, California
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Minneapolis, Minnesota
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Virginia Beach, Virginia
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Sioux Falls, South Dakota
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Irvine, California
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Lincoln, Nebraska
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Aurora, Illinois
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Colorado Springs, Colorado
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San Jose, California
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St. Paul, Minnesota
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Des Moines, Iowa
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Chesapeake, Virginia
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Boise, Idaho
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Omaha, Nebraska
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Salt Lake City, Utah
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Scottsdale, Arizona
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Denver, Colorado
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Raleigh, North Carolina
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Gilbert, Arizona
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San Diego, California
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Huntington Beach, California
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Boston, Massachusetts
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Durham, North Carolina
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Santa Rosa, California
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Charlotte, North Carolina
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Pittsburgh, PA
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Chicago, Illinois
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Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
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Austin, Texas
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Chandler, Arizona
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Columbus, Ohio
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Rancho Cucamonga, California
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Pembroke Pines, Florida
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Sacramento, California
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San Francisco, California
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Lexington-Fayette, Kentucky
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Peoria, Arizona
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Louisville, Kentucky
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Amarillo, Texas
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Vancouver, Washington
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Spokane, Washington
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Fort Wayne, Indiana
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Grand Prairie, Texas
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Port St. Lucie, Florida
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Jersey City, New Jersey
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Worcester, Massachusetts
Are you on there? If not, check out our worst cities to live in for familes and see if you made that. It's surprising California made so many of these spots considering the astronomical housing cost, but I suppose all their oranges and avocados make up for it.
