The Best Places To Raise A Family

Life is full of big, important decisions. Some are easy and others are hard. Everyone is forced to make decisions in life and it’s up to you to consider all of your options.

If you’re single, it’s easy to decide where you want to go and what you want to do. When you add a spouse, kids, and a dog into the mix you have a bit more to consider. When other people are directly affected by your decisions, you have to consider a few more options.

One of the big things to think about is where you want to live. We found a great article at Movoto.com that explores The 10 Best Cities To Raise A Family in America. It’s a good read for anyone with a family or anyone who is thinking long term.

Movoto.com picked the top 10 cities based on surveys from the 50 most populous cities in the US. They ranked the cities based on the following criteria:

• Cost of Living – Did you know that it costs $235,000 to raise a child for 17 years?
• Public Schools Rank – The children are our future. A proper education is hard to find and incredibly important.
• Park Space – Open space is nice for you and your kids. This criteria looks at park acres per person.
• Home Ownership – For most people, owning a home is high on their list of personal goals. Why not live in a place where you can do that?
• Crimes Per Capita – Safety first. No one wants to live in fear of crime.
• Unemployment – If you’re a job seeker, it’s wise to go where the jobs are. Low unemployment means you’ll be more likely to find work.
• Commute Time – Commuting costs time and money. The closer you are to the office, the easier life becomes.

Discover more statistics and info about the criteria on the original post.

Now it’s important to note that this list is not all inclusive. Maybe you want to live in a small town or you have your dream job waiting. It’s just a starting point for people who have families. Here are the top ten best places to raise a family in the US:

1. Omaha, Nebraska
2. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
3. El Paso, Texas
4. Virginia Beach, Virginia
5. Albuquerque, New Mexico
6. Kansas City, Missouri
7. Colorado Springs, Colorado
8. Austin, Texas
9. Raleigh, North Carolina
10. San Antonio, Texas

It might be wise to start to your job search by looking for jobs in these top cities, don’t you think? Of course there are other amazing cities out there. This list is more of an eye-opener for people. It should make you think about different things that you need to consider when you have a family – education, jobs, commutes, crime, home ownership, cost of living.

There are so many factors involved with choosing where to live. Luckily it’s easy to search for jobs in these places.