Best big market for raising kids

[Omega Man]

Let's hear it! What's your call on the best city to raise a young family. The good & the not so good!

1 New York
2 Los Angeles
3 Chicago
4 Philadelphia
5 San Francisco-Oak-San Jose
6 Dallas-Ft. Worth
7 Boston (Manchester)
8 Washington, DC (Hagrstwn)
9 Atlanta
10 Houston
11 Detroit
12 Tampa-St. Pete (Sarasota)
13 Phoenix (Prescott)
14 Seattle-Tacoma
15 Minneapolis-St. Paul
16 Miami-Ft. Lauderdale
17 Cleveland-Akron (Canton)
18 Denver
19 Orlando-Daytona Bch-Melbrn
20 Sacramnto-Stkton-Modesto
21 St. Louis
22 Pittsburgh
23 Portland, OR
24 Baltimore
25 Indianapolis
26 Charlotte
27 San Diego
28 Hartford & New Haven
29 Raleigh-Durham
30 Nashville
31 Kansas City
32 Columbus, OH
33 Cincinnati
34 Milwaukee
35 Salt Lake City

[TAFKA wacowx]

I saw a piece a few weeks back on one of the AM shows...I think GMA, that rated the best cities in the nation to have children. Minneapolis, Boston and Seattle were all on that list.

[LENSCRAFTER]

Seattle if you want one of the larger markets.

Charlotte if you are looking mid range.

[The Mockingbird]

Minneapolis if you want them to freeze their giblets off.

[Gail sirens]

Tampa/St.Pete if you want the best small market!

[Angel's Hell]

Charlottesville Virginia if you want a smaller market, have some cash behind you, and want to raise a young family.

[Pregnant Reporter]

I'm raising kids in DFW. It isn't the best place, and would never make my personal dream list of places to raise a family. But we're here and making it work just fine.

Dallas proper is actually very small. There are well over 200 cities in the metroplex, and you can pretty much find what you're looking for. There are very upscale towns, upper middle class, urban, rural, whatever you want.

Most people can find a smaller town feel here if they want it, minus the commute.

This Wikipedia page actually gives a good explanation of how its all laid out.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dallas/Fort_Worth_Metroplex#Metroplex_cities.2C_towns.2C_ and_CDPs

I was raised in a small town outside a major metropolitan area and to me, kids here seem more urban and streetwise. Lots of drugs here, especially in the better neighborhoods. Everything is ultra-competitive. The waiting list I have my daughter on for pre-school is absurd.

You ought to ask about the news in those top markets too. If you're a journalist, you'll sell your soul to report in Dallas. News here is fast, trashy, totally reactionary and usually overblown. There's a lot of hype along the lines of "A toddler is shot in the face by her own father" and very rarely any follow up. Viewers here have been trained to tune out the urgency. I think the Breaking News animation is actually built in to our show open, because each and every newscast starts with breaking news, every day, even if it happened five hours ago, or in another state.

[ncreporterdude]

Of those I've had personal experience with:

1) Charlotte
2) Kansas City
3) Nashville

[McFish]

Raleigh-Durham

[Charlie Brown]

I'm going to nominate Milwaukee in the mid range category.

The school system is excellent, it's a relatively affordable town and there is a lot of family oriented stuff to do, i.e. Brewers' games in the summer, outdoor festivals. Great colleges in the city and nearby also provide for excellent cultural opportunities as well. Plus the Brookfield Zoo is one of the nation's finest.

[LENSCRAFTER]

Originally posted by Charlie Brown:
I'm going to nominate Milwaukee in the mid range category.

The school system is excellent, it's a relatively affordable town and there is a lot of family oriented stuff to do, i.e. Brewers' games in the summer, outdoor festivals. Great colleges in the city and nearby also provide for excellent cultural opportunities as well. Plus the Brookfield Zoo is one of the nation's finest.Yeah, if cold doesn't bother you it really is a GREAT town.

[Spike]

In a sense, all towns are equal to all others.

If one town is better than others, too many people will go there. Then prices will rise and service will decline. Traffic will be worse. Averaging all advantages and disadvantages, it will no longer be better.

If one town is worse than others, nobody will want to go there. Prices will drop. Service will be better. You'll have less traffic. Averaging all advantages and disadvantages, it will no longer be worse.

Whether a city is right for you to keep a family depends on you and your family. It depends on your preferences. Do you want your kids to be able to ride their bikes to school? Maybe Lincoln, Nebraska is where you want to be. Do you want your kids to be exposed to more cultural diversity? Perhaps you'd be better off in New York.

Personally, I would rather raise kids in New York than in some suburbia hell like Raleigh where they're supposedly "protected" from nasty things like life. But your mileage will likely vary. That's why all cities are pretty much equal, and a question like this on a message board without any context of what YOU want in a city is worthless.

[RollTide98]

Atlanta. You have your choice. Suburbia can be reached within a (relatively) reasonable commute (places like Duluth or Alpharetta). Or my preference would be a more urban setting with residential areas off Midtown Atlanta that feature parks, condos, and townhouses.

Prices may be high in Atlanta, but compared to other Top 10 markets, you'll probably find them more manageable.

[Gail sirens]

Atlanta commutes are a nightmare.

[Lazlo Toth]

I raised two kids here in the Bay Area suburbs. Lots to do. Good weather most of the time. Sierra only a few hours away. Beach even closer.

It's expensive, but the pay is good.

I think most places boil down to what you make them.

[Sultanosurf]

LA would be tops since it has a good balance between work and play, but the public schools in areas are a mess, and private schools are pricey.

Atlanta isn't all that bad if you live close to work. Bay Area is OK if you live on the Penninsula or East Bay or Marin. And the City itself can be fine if you make the coin.

Miami is a strong market with plenty of great family neighborhoods.

Phoenix is super, Vegas used to be fine but housing has gone through the roof.

'Can't imagine raising kids in NYC, it's definitely singles oriented.

As for the rest -- Dunno, I don't ever wanna own a snow shovel again...

[ April 01, 2007, 07:29 PM: Message edited by: Sultanosurf ]

[ciscoubr]

Charlotte's not bad... But I'd much prefer to live outside of the city...Either south of CLT in York County, SC (Rock Hill, Fort Mill, Tega Cay) or north of Charlotte in Mooresville.

You would live in a smaller town, but have all of the resources of Charlotte and the surrounding area. Not a bad place to live.

[ChilliPepper]

Chicago. NO question about it...best big market to raise a family...traditional Midwestern values, LOTS to offer, good schools in the burbs, etc.

For smaller markets...Charlotte or Raleigh/Durham.

[The Mockingbird]

Chicago is such a dismal freaking city, though. (As someone who lived there for a few years)