In this article, we will be studying the aspects of an ideal family life in a city. We will also be navigating through companies that contribute to a quality city life while covering the 30 best cities to raise a family in the US. If you wish to skip our detailed analysis, you can move directly to the 10 Best Cities to Raise a Family in the US.
The Ideal City Life for Families
A city with a good standard of life has a long way to go. It doesn’t only make every day livable for bachelors but also promotes the ideal conditions to sustain a family. On June 1, The International City/County Management Association, a renowned organization of local government professionals, reported that cities are often viewed in terms of the available facilities, economic opportunities, and recreation potential. The primary aspect taken into consideration by families is the housing expense and whether they can afford to move into a city. There are many cities in the United States which are exclusively zoned for single-family houses and high-rise apartments such as Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle, and Charlotte. However, high-rise apartments with high rents per square foot are less suitable for families with children. You can also take a look at the most affordable US cities for raising families.
Education also plays a major role in making city life attractive for families. A generally enjoyable urban life might also be given up by parents if their children do not find an opportunity to embrace quality education in the city. Families in the United States also look out for public schools since private education is a costly luxury. However, the county school districts are large and tend to overlook a high number of public schools which often leads to a low standard of education in these schools. Thus, adequate education options with desirable academic outcomes are a core priority for families.
Cities that offer public safety tend to be better places for families to live. The environment of a city should be such that the residents, especially those who are married or have children, feel comfortable walking around. The probability of crimes ranging from assaults to property thefts must be low for families to prefer living in a city. An ideal family life thereby entails all aspects that convince adults to feel right about their decision to settle in a city with children.
Companies Contributing to the Ease of Settling In
While there are a diverse set of industries operating within cities including retail, education, healthcare, and housing, which have many facilities to offer to families, we are going to focus on the education aspect considering its primary role in bringing up children in cities in the best possible manner.
The education industry in the US is saturated with many firms transforming the way education is delivered to the masses. Some of the major players promoting education among children include Chegg, Inc. (NYSE:CHGG), 2U, Inc. (NASDAQ:TWOU) and Stride, Inc. (NYSE:LRN). You can also view the best for-profit colleges in the United States.
Chegg, Inc. (NYSE:CHGG) is an education technology company that provides online tutoring and help with homework. The company claims that 94% of the users get better grades after seeking help from it for their coursework. On August 7, the company reported that it has partnered with Scale AI to create new language learning models that will provide more personalized and in-depth learning for students. This AI feature has also undergone successful pilot testing by the two partners and will be launched over the next few months. Elaborating the importance of AI integration for learning, Dan Rosensweig, the company’s CEO, said:
“This partnership will accelerate our ability to deliver the new Chegg experience to our customers starting in the fall. We have said for years that students’ challenges go way beyond academic needs and now, by leveraging advancements in artificial intelligence, we believe we can make a significant impact on reducing the nearly 40% of students who drop out of the higher education system, and the more than 50% that never enter.”
Another leading education provider in America is 2U, Inc. (NASDAQ:TWOU) which partners with non-profit educational institutes and corporations to enable access to online education through free courses as well as online degrees. On August 3, the company reported that it has launched an Artificial Intelligence Boot Camp by partnering with renowned US universities including Michigan State University, University of Denver, The Ohio State University College of Engineering, and Southern Methodist University. This online program will develop skills related to AI, data science and machine learning among learners who wish to seek technical jobs requiring AI.
Stride, Inc. (NYSE:LRN) offers online education for students from kindergarten to 12th grade. On August 31, the company reported that the platform has introduced game based lessons in K12-powered courses. Courses regarding English language arts for 3rd to 5th grade, early American history for 4th and 5th grade, and world history for 6th and 7th grade have been added to the platform.
Thus, Chegg, Inc. (NYSE:CHGG), 2U, Inc. (NASDAQ:TWOU) and Stride, Inc. (NYSE:LRN) are the potential education providers that can be considered by American parents to help foster learning among their children. Let’s move to the 30 best cities to raise a family in the US.
Methodology
In order to compile a list of the 30 best US cities to raise a family, we initiated our research by finding a city screener by Niche which ranked the best cities for families in the United States considering a number of metrics. We screened the top 50 cities from this screener. Moving on, we decided to consider the metrics most critical to a good family life. Based on our hypothesis, the key elements of good family life are housing affordability, education for children, and healthcare access. To denote affordability, we considered the mean house price in the selected cities. For education, we sourced the total number of schools for every city while for healthcare, we decided to select the health care coverage in the respective cities.
Finally, we ranked the best cities to raise a family in the US on a priority basis with first priority being the mean house price since access to affordable housing is a top priority for families to move into a city. The mean house price was taken from the city-wise data on the Niche screener. Our second priority was the total number of schools since a key concern for families is to seek quality education for their children. This data was sourced from the city-wise data on Niche as well. Please note that the total number of schools includes both private and public schools which we have summed up for this research. Finally, the tertiary metric selected was the health care insurance coverage as healthcare services contribute to the overall living standard. Families with adequate health care coverage experience better overall well-being as they can receive timely medical care when required, without facing the burden of financial expenses. Health care coverage percentages were extracted from the city profiles on the US Census Bureau.
30. Carlsbad, California
Mean House Price: $901,700
Total Number of Schools: 140
Health Care Coverage: 4.20%
Carlsbad is an ideal place in the US for families since there is a strong sense of community in the city. The city’s downtown area has many good restaurants and a farmer’s market as well.
29. Irvine, California
Mean House Price: $900,700
Total Number of Schools: 393
Health Care Coverage: 3.60%
Irvine is known to have one of the best public schools in America. There are many green spaces, food options, and job opportunities in the city thereby making it one of the best US cities for families to reside.
28. Cambridge, Massachusetts
Mean House Price: $888,000
Total Number of Schools: 307
Health Care Coverage: 0.80%
The best US cities suitable for families include Cambridge as well. Higher education in the city is quite reputable and there are abundant career options for adults and professionals. Public transit is also accessible.
27. Torrance, California
Mean House Price: $840,900
Total Number of Schools: 509
Health Care Coverage: 3.30%
Torrance is a safe city with many public parks, highly rated schools and an established industrial sector. Thus, it is an ideal city in the US to raise a family.
26. Thousand Oaks, California
Mean House Price: $794,200
Total Number of Schools: 125
Health Care Coverage: 5%
Families in the United States can consider Thousand Oaks as a reasonable place to live. The city offers good quality education, training facilities, sports programs, and community events.
25. Boulder, Colorado
Mean House Price: $790,100
Total Number of Schools: 142
Health Care Coverage: 1.40%
Boulder supports a quality family life in the US as the city offers a good student life, leisure activities such as festivals and concerts, as well as an established public transit system which is safe to use.
Chegg, Inc. (NYSE:CHGG), 2U, Inc. (NASDAQ:TWOU) and Stride, Inc. (NYSE:LRN) also contribute to a good academic life for students in the United States.
24. Seattle, Washington
Mean House Price: $767,500
Total Number of Schools: 454
Health Care Coverage: 4.10%
Seattle is another US city which makes it easy for families to settle since there are many parks, natural sites and safe public places for adults and children to roam around.
23. Arlington, Virginia
Mean House Price: $755,800
Total Number of Schools: 561
Health Care Coverage: 20%
The top US cities which are family friendly include Arlington. The city is safe and there are a lot of restaurants, shopping places, galleries and grocery stores.
22.New York City, New York
Mean House Price: $660,700
Total Number of Schools: 3175
Health Care Coverage: 5.80%
New York City is a leading city that supports family life in the United States. Many iconic landmarks, museums, and food options could be enjoyed by families.
21. Boston, Massachusetts
Mean House Price: $610,400
Total Number of Schools: 490
Health Care Coverage: 2.60%
Friendly and diverse neighborhoods in Boston welcome many families in the US. The public transportation system is also good which helps families commute with convenience.
20. Alexandria, Virginia
Mean House Price: $579,100
Total Number of Schools: 384
Health Care Coverage: 8.10%
Alexandria is a top US city to raise a family since there are many family friendly outdoor spaces, restaurants, and transportation facilities to enjoy a family life around the city.
19. Sandy Springs, Georgia
Mean House Price: $490,200
Total Number of Schools: 345
Health Care Coverage: 8%
Families in the US can also resort to Sandy Springs for a quality family life. The city offers plenty of amenities in a safe and sound living space.
18. Naperville, Illinois
Mean House Price: $433,400
Total Number of Schools: 313
Health Care Coverage: 1.90%
Naperville provides a good standard of living for families in the United States as it offers an established education system, a well developed downtown area and leisure activities.
17. Columbia, Maryland
Mean House Price: $399,000
Total Number of Schools: 215
Health Care Coverage: 8%
Columbia is another ideal place for families to live in the United States. It caters to a lot of school and college students while providing employment opportunities to adults. Many retail stores and hospitals are also present in the city.
16. The Woodlands, Texas
Mean House Price: $390,800
Total Number of Schools: 162
Health Care Coverage: 5%
The Woodland also provides many opportunities to families to help them adjust in the city. These include quality schools, parks, franchise restaurants, and a great nightlife.
Diverse educational opportunities are offered by Chegg, Inc. (NYSE:CHGG), 2U, Inc. (NASDAQ:TWOU) and Stride, Inc. (NYSE:LRN) to build a prosperous future for the children in the US.
15. Austin, Texas
Mean House Price: $381,400
Total Number of Schools: 535
Health Care Coverage: 11.60%
Another city in Texas that suits families is Austin. The city is known for its community life, food, parks, lakes and trails.
14. Ann Arbor, Michigan
Mean House Price: $366,600
Total Number of Schools: 143
Health Care Coverage: 2.60%
Ann Arbor also makes it to the list of the best US cities for families as the city provides an academic environment, diverse eateries and walkable spaces that attract families.
13. Plano, Texas
Mean House Price: $358,100
Total Number of Schools: 473
Health Care Coverage: 10.50%
There are many well maintained parks, dining options, schools and hospitals in Plano. These conditions make the city qualify for our list of the top US cities for raising a family.
12. Richardson, Texas
Mean House Price: $326,900
Total Number of Schools: 466
Health Care Coverage: 8.70%
In Richardson, there are many green spaces, recreational opportunities and educational institutions in the city which makes it one of the best US cities to live in, with a family.
11. Overland Park, Kansas
Mean House Price: $314,500
Total Number of Schools: 301
Health Care Coverage: 5.10%
The best cities to raise a family in the US include Overland Park as well. It has many good schools, outdoor activities and restaurants to offer.
Click to continue reading and see 10 Best Cities to Raise a Family in the US.
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Disclosure: None. 30 Best Cities to Raise a Family in the US is originally published on Insider Monkey.